I heart chicken.

If I had to pick a favorite protein, chicken would win, hands down.

But let’s be honest, sometimes chicken can be…well, BORING.  Dry, chewy, no flavor.  Who wants that, especially when eating it multiple times a week?  Not I!

That’s why I came up with this fool-proof method for prepping your chicken: THE CROCKPOT.  Another blessing from above, just like chocolate and peanut butter. This recipe and the use of the crockpot leaves you with moist, tender, SUCCULENT (oh yeah, I busted out the big word for this one) chicken.  Every. Single. Time.

Ready to know just how simple this can be?  Here we go!

CROCKPOT/INSTANT POT CHICKEN

Prep Time: 2 minutes

Cook Time: 4-8 hours, depending on the temp (crockpot) OR 40 min (Instant Pot)

Servings: 4-6, depending on how large you want your portions to be

INGREDIENTS:

• 4-5 large chicken breasts (fresh, frozen, whatev)

• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• hefty of pinch sea salt and black pepper

• optional: 1/4-1/2 C unsalted chicken stock/bone broth (see below)

INSTRUCTIONS FOR CROCKPOT METHOD:

Place chicken breasts in the crockpot.  Drizzle with EVOO and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Add chicken stock ONLY IF USING FRESH CHICKEN (and even then you can opt to omit it - your call!).  Frozen chicken holds moisture because of the freezing process, so it will naturally let off these juices while cooking.  Additional liquid isn’t needed with these.

Turn crockpot onto low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-6 hours (I prefer low and slow if you have the time). 

About 3/4 of the way into the cooking time, shred meat with two forks or tongs, and LEAVE IN THE LIQUID to allow them to soak up the juices during the remainder of the cooking time.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR INSTANT POT METHOD:

Place chicken in the pot. Drizzle with EVOO and sprinkle with salt and pepper. **NO STOCK/BROTH IS NEEDED.* Cover and set to “manual” high pressure for 40 minutes. When done, manually vent before opening to relieve pressure. Shred with two forks/tongs and leave in the liquid (covered, but not cooking) for 10-15 minutes.

FOR EITHER METHOD, store chicken in an airtight container with the juices! This makes for super tender/juicy chicken every time you reheat it.

Seriously, that’s it.  I told you—it’s fool-proof!  I like to use my prepped chicken for a wide variety of things: tacos, fajitas, salads, chicken salad, soups, stews, wraps, chicken n’ rice, or literally right out of the pot (not even joking). 

Try it out and let me know what you think.  I promise this will be a family favorite from now on!

Blessings,

XOXO