Shredded Teriyaki Chicken

We have probably too many containers in our freezer of shredded meats--buffalo chicken, taco chicken, pulled pork, shredded beef--all for quick meals put together with a handful of ingredients. We'll toss them on salads or pizzas, make burritos or sandwiches or mix them with rice and veggies for a healthy, tasty, and most importantly, quick, dinner. So adding an Asian-inspired flavor to the mix opened up lots more dinner options. There is some wonderful flavor in this chicken as in marinates in a sweet and salty sauce. Once you shred up the chicken, you'll hang on to some of that au jus for drizzling over a big bowl of brown rice, broccoli and this delicious and moist chicken. And hello, it's from the slow cooker, people. Dump, walk away, shred, eat. Plus, stay tuned for an awesome and fast chicken fried rice recipe featuring this shredded teriyaki chicken.

Stumbling around the internet looking for said chicken fried rice recipe, I came across Rachel Schultz who took some pantry staples, some chicken and threw it in a crock pot. Boom. Dinner. I could do that. I followed Rachel's recipe and got amazing results. I will frequently prep a crock pot the night before and toss it in the fridge until the morning, when Dave puts it back in the base and turns it on (team effort) so my chicken definitely marinated in this simple but flavorful sauce for a good 10 hours. But even if you just throw it all together and cook it right away, you're bound to get a super flavorful chicken that you'll put on anything. For lunch the other day, I added this chicken and some of the sauce to a bowl of brown rice and steamed broccoli for a super satisfying midday meal--something I really need because I'm always hungry in the afternoon. This combo really stayed with me through the day so I didn't want to snack (as much, let's be honest). Fried rice to come, but make this now!

Shredded Teriyaki Chicken

Ingredients

16-20 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
3 Tablespoons cider vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste

Place chicken in the stoneware of a crock pot.

In a small bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients. Pour sauce over chicken.

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Remove chicken from crock pot, reserving sauce. Shred on a cutting board with two forks of place in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and pulse for 20-30 seconds until shredded. Pour reserved sauce over shredded chicken for desired flavor/moistness. Discard or reserve sauce for finished dish.

Serve chicken over rice with steamed vegetables or use in other dishes like burritos, pizza or fried rice (recipe to come!).

Makes 4-6 servings.

Happy Baking,
The Cookie Princess

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