Dutch Oven Pulled Chicken

Make juicy, shredded chicken in your Dutch oven in just 90 minutes, using only 2 ingredients! Fork-tender Dutch Oven Pulled Chicken is perfect for meal prep, make-ahead meals, and enjoying warm and fresh out of the oven.

Prepare moist, easy-to-pull-apart chicken in your Dutch oven in a fraction of the time it takes to make pulled chicken breast in your slow cooker.

This quick and easy cooking method is one of my favorite ways to cook up a big batch of chicken breast. The cooked chicken can be used in a variety of recipes throughout the week, making dinner prep a breeze!

Chicken recipes are one of my specialties. If you need to know how to cook chicken breast in a cast iron skillet, how to boil chicken thighs, or how to bake Panko Chicken, I've got you covered!

After you make Dutch Oven Pulled Chicken, you can use your cooked chicken to make my Dutch Oven Chicken Noodle Soup or buffalo chicken baked potatoes!

Recipe highlights

• Making pulled chicken in the Dutch Oven yields the same results as a slow cooker, but way faster!
• A simple pulled chicken is low-carb, paleo, gluten-free, dairy-free, and Whole30-approved!
• You only need about 5 minutes of prep time, and then the oven does the rest of the work for you!
• You can serve pulled chicken (Dutch oven) in a dozen different ways! My favorite way to eat pulled chicken is with BBQ sauce or teriyaki sauce.

Ingredient notes

• Chicken breast: You'll need boneless, skinless chicken breast. I like to use 3-4 medium-sized breasts. I also like to trim any large pieces of fat.
• Chicken stock/broth: Chicken stock and broth will add moisture to the pulled chicken and some flavor. Since we aren't using many ingredients for this recipe, I like to use a high-quality chicken stock like Pacific Foods Organic Chicken Stock.
• Optional ingredients: To add even more flavor, you can season your raw chicken breasts with kosher salt, pepper, any other dried seasonings, fresh herbs, or flavor enhancers that you enjoy.

*A detailed ingredient list can be found in the recipe card below.

Equipment needed

You'll need a cast iron Dutch Oven with a lid. I use the Lodge Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven. I know many other bloggers like the Amazon brand of Dutch ovens as well!

How to make Dutch Oven Pulled Chicken

Recipe rundown

1. Place the chicken in the Dutch Oven.
2. Pour chicken stock over top of the chicken breasts.
3. Cover and bake for 90 minutes at 350°F.
4. Shred the cooked chicken.

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1: After you've trimmed any large fatty pieces from your chicken breast, lay the chicken breast in the bottom of your enameled Dutch Oven.

Step 2: If you'd like, you can season your chicken breast pieces. I like to just do salt and pepper, but you can skip this step entirely if you want.

Pour about 1 cup of chicken stock over top of the chicken breast.

Step 3: Place the lid on top of the Dutch Oven and transfer the Dutch Oven to your oven preheated to 350°F. Cook the chicken for 90 minutes.

Step 4: After 90 minutes, remove the chicken from the oven. Transfer the cooked chicken breast to a large mixing bowl. Using 2 forks, shred the chicken into stringy pieces. The chicken will easily pull apart!

That's it! Now that you have moist and juicy pulled chicken, you can toss it with your favorite sauce (I love teriyaki and BBQ), mix it with mayonnaise for chicken salad wraps, or save it for a quick and easy meal later!

Substitutions

Since this is a 2 ingredient recipe, there isn't much to substitute. Your only flexibility is with the liquid you're adding to the pot.

You can use any chicken broth, chicken stock, vegetable broth, or broth concentrate that you prefer. You can even use water in a pinch! If you use water, though, I would definitely add some seasonings to your chicken.

What to make with pulled chicken

The list of lunches and dinners to make with juicy, shredded chicken is endless! Here are some of my favorite ideas.

• Pizza - Sub it into this Leftover BBQ Pulled Pork Pizza or make my 4-ingredient BBQ chicken flatbread pizza recipe.
• Nachos - Add some taco seasoning to the pulled chicken and then add it to your nacho toppings.
• Tacos - Taco-seasoned chicken is a yummy low-fat protein for tacos.
• Sandwiches and wraps - Chicken makes an excellent protein for sandwiches and wraps.
• Taquitos - Toss the shredded chicken with cream cheese, salsa, and taco seasoning. Place a dollop onto a corn tortilla, roll it up, and bake until toasty and heated through.
• BBQ chicken sandwiches - Serve the chicken tossed with BBQ sauce on a thick, crusty roll. Top it with a slice of cheese and put it under the broiler for a minute or two to melt the cheese.
• Baked potatoes - Top a baked potato (no foil) or a baked sweet potato with the cooked chicken. Again, BBQ sauce would be delicious here!
• Add it to garden salads!
• Toss with your favorite Asian-style sauce (I like Kinder's Teriyaki) and serve over rice.
• Creamy chicken salad - I have two recipes for creamy chicken salad. You've got to try my chicken salad wraps and my Mediterranean chicken salad pitas.
• Meal prep - If your main focus is getting a protein cooked for lunch and don't plan to add any sauces, then this is a great option! It's delicious and flavorful on its own.

How long does pulled chicken last in the fridge?

If stored properly, pulled chicken will stay fresh in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. Store leftover chicken in a glass, airtight container or in ziplock bags.

Can this chicken be frozen?

Pulled chicken can be frozen for up to 3 months. Transfer individual portions of pulled chicken to freezer-safe ziplock bags. Squeeze out all of the air, seal the bag tightly, and lay it flat on your freezer shelves.

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