Learn how to make shredded chicken in the oven with sliced onions, garlic, and broth. You get juicy, pull-apart chicken that’s ready for tacos, bowls, and meal prep.
Oven-Baked Shredded Chicken At A Glance
- ⏱ Ready In: 2 hours 15 minutes
- 🍽 Serves: 6
- 🌱 Diet: High-protein, low-carb, dairy-free, gluten-free (check your broth label)
- 💪 Nutrition Highlights: High in lean protein, low in carbs
- 🥕 Main Ingredients: Chicken breasts, onions, garlic, smoked paprika, cumin, broth
- 🔥 Flavor Profile: Savory, gently smoky, lightly herby, with sweet onion
- 🧊 Meal-Prep Friendly: Keeps 4 days in the fridge and freezes for up to 3 months
- Best Served With: Tacos, wraps, sandwiches, salads, grain bowls, quesadillas
What I love about making this oven-shredded chicken is how little effort it takes for how good it turns out. The chicken bakes covered on a bed of sliced onions and garlic with a little broth, so it steams gently in its own juices and comes out soft, moist, and seasoned all the way through. That’s why it works so well for lean chicken breast, which dries out quickly with most cooking methods.
Spooning some of the onion juices back over the shredded chicken is what keeps it juicy for days, so it’s just as good on day four as day one. Smoked paprika, cumin, and rosemary add a savory, lightly smoky flavor that suits tacos, wraps, salads, and bowls. If you meal prep, cook for a family, or want a big high-protein batch of chicken ready for the week, this is the one to make.
Don’t want to use the oven? Try my stovetop shredded chicken or my slow cooker shredded chicken here.
👩🍳 A few recipe ideas with shredded chicken:
→ Buffalo Chicken Wraps
→ Healthy Creamy Chicken Salad
→ Chicken Salad Wraps
→ Chicken Pasta Salad
→ Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
→ 50 Recipe Ideas With Shredded Chicken
What You’ll Need
Here is what you’ll need for this oven shredded chicken recipe. Find the full measurements in the recipe card below.
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts: Lean and high in protein. Try to use breasts of a similar size so they cook evenly. Boneless, skinless thighs work too and come out even richer.
- Olive oil: Helps the spices stick to the chicken and stops the surface from drying out. You only need a little bit and can skip it if budgeting calories.
- Smoked paprika: Adds a smoky depth without any heat. Sweet paprika works if that’s what you have, just add a small pinch of chilli flakes for warmth.
- Onion powder, ground cumin and dried rosemary: The savory, earthy base of the seasoning. The rosemary is subtle, so don’t skip it.
- Salt and black pepper: Freshly cracked pepper makes a noticeable difference here.
- Garlic: Finely chopped so it softens into the cooking liquid.
- Large onions: Sliced thinly so they turn soft and sweet. They also act as a bed that lifts the chicken off the base of the dish.
- Chicken or vegetable broth: Keeps everything moist and becomes the cooking liquid you spoon back over at the end. Choose a low-sodium broth if you like to control the salt, and check the label if you’re cooking gluten-free.
How To Make Shredded Chicken In The Oven
Find the full recipe and nutritional information below. Here are some handy step-by-step photos for how to make shredded chicken in the oven.
- Season the chicken. Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Toss the chicken in a large bowl with the olive oil, salt, smoked paprika, onion powder, cumin, rosemary, and pepper until every piece is well coated.
- Prep the dish. Spread the sliced onions and chopped garlic in an even layer across the base of a large baking dish.
- Add the chicken and broth. Sit the seasoned chicken on top of the onions, then pour the broth around the chicken.
- Cover and bake. Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 2 hours. Keep it covered the whole time. The chicken is ready when it pulls apart easily with a fork.
- Shred. Move the chicken to a large plate and shred it into bite-sized pieces with two forks.
- Add some liquid. Spoon over some of the cooking liquid and soft onions and toss gently. Add as much as you like to get it as juicy as you want.
- Serve. Enjoy it warm, or let it cool before storing.
Watch The Video
Recipe Tips
- Yes, it really is 2 hours. This isn’t a quick roast. It’s a low, slow, covered bake, and the steam and broth are what make the chicken so soft and easy to shred.
- Seal the foil tightly. Trapping the steam is what keeps the chicken moist, so don’t peek halfway through.
- Don’t skip the seasoning step. Tossing the chicken with the oil and spices in a bowl first means the seasoning sticks evenly, instead of sliding off in the dish.
- Use that cooking liquid. The broth, onions, garlic, and chicken juices make a really flavorful liquid. Spooning some back over the shredded chicken is what keeps it juicy, especially if you’re meal prepping.
- Want it richer? Swap the breasts for boneless, skinless thighs.
- Change the flavor. Use vegetable broth for a more neutral base, or swap the spice blend for taco seasoning if you want Mexican-style chicken.
- Storage: Let the chicken cool completely, then store it in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Make ahead: Shred the chicken in advance and reheat it gently with a splash of the reserved cooking liquid or broth.
Serving Suggestions
This is the chicken I make when I want options for the week. Pile it into warm tortillas with lime and avocado, stuff it into a toasted roll with coleslaw, or toss it through a big salad for an easy lunch. It’s also great in a chicken bowl, over quinoa or rice, folded into quesadillas, or stirred into something like my healthy chicken taco soup or my chicken pasta salad. Keep the onions and a little of the cooking liquid with it, they add so much flavor.
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Video
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts 32 oz / 900 grams
- 1 tablespoons olive oil 15 ml, can be omitted
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 3 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 2 large onions thinly sliced
- 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth 240 ml
Instructions
- Season the chicken. Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Place the chicken in a large bowl and add the olive oil, salt, smoked paprika, onion powder, cumin, rosemary, and pepper. Toss well until the chicken is evenly coated.
- Prepare the baking dish. Spread the sliced onions and chopped garlic in an even layer across the base of a large oven-safe baking dish.
- Add the chicken and broth. Place the seasoned chicken on top of the onions and garlic. Pour the broth into the dish around the chicken.
- Cover and bake. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 2 hours, keeping it covered the entire time. The chicken should be very tender and easy to pull apart with a fork.
- Shred the chicken. Carefully move the chicken to a large plate or shallow dish. Shred it into bite-sized pieces using two forks.
- Add some cooking liquid. If you like, spoon some of the cooking liquid and softened onions from the dish over the chicken and toss gently. Add as much as you need for your preferred juiciness.
- Serve. Serve warm, or let the chicken cool before storing. Use it in tacos, sandwiches, wraps, salads, grain bowls, quesadillas, or anywhere you'd use shredded chicken.
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