Dutch Oven Shredded Chicken (For Tacos, Gyros, Sandwiches & More!)

Name: Dutch Oven Shredded Chicken (For Tacos, Gyros, Sandwiches & More!)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 70 min
Ingredients: 4 large chicken breasts ((about 2 pounds or 1 kilo)); 1 large onion; 2 peppers ((two different colors is nice e.g. green and red)); 1 can chopped tomatoes ((14 ounces or 400 grams)); 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar (or light brown sugar, or honey); 2 tablespoons tomato paste ((concentrate)); 2 tablespoons vinegar; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; 1 tablespoon paprika; 2 teaspoons ground cumin; 1 teaspoon ground coriander; 2 teaspoons mixed dried herbs ((or a mix of any or all of: basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, marjoram)); ½ teaspoon cinnamon; 1 teaspoon chili powder ((optional) or ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper)

By Helen Schofield

on Jan 02, 2025

No Comments

Jump to Recipe Rate Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

One of the easiest ways to make perfectly juicy, tender and seasoned shredded chicken is in a dutch oven! We often enjoy it just as it is piled onto a brioche bun with coleslaw for a crowd. Or, customize it a little to make tacos, burrito bowls, Greek style gyros, a baked potato or pizza topping, and more.

No need to pre-cook anything. Just throw chicken breasts into the pot with simple pantry ingredients, and bake for about an hour!

A closeup view of two forks shredding chicken breasts in sauce in a red dutch oven, with a red striped tea towel around the handle.

Why you’ll love it
About the ingredients
How to make shredded chicken in a dutch oven
Helen’s Top Tips
Ways to use the shredded chicken
Recipe FAQs
More delicious seasoned meat recipes
Dutch Oven Shredded Chicken (For Tacos, Gyros, Sandwiches & More!) Recipe

Why you’ll love it

Shredded chicken is a go-to for our family for an easy dinner that I know everyone will eat – and actually enjoy! We usually make it into either chimichangas or tacos, which are so easy, especially if you have an air fryer (don’t worry, I’ll tell you how we make them – just scroll down to the ‘How to use it’ section below!).

But there are countless other ways to make use of the tasty chicken, from brioche sandwiches to Greek style gyros. Either by itself or with small customizations, you can make it suit whatever kind of ‘food mood’ you’re in.

Sure, you can make this in your slow cooker, but what about those days when you just haven’t been that organised – but you do happen to have a package of chicken breasts in the fridge?

There are a few great things about this dutch oven shredded chicken recipe, apart from what I’ve already mentioned. Here’s a quick summary:

Hardly any prep! And no pre-cooking. Apart from quickly chopping up an onion, the most ‘work’ you’ll have to do is getting all the ingredients out of the pantry.
Bakes in about an hour. A few extra minutes for the simple prep, then the oven does the rest of the work.
Moist, juicy and super tasty. Every time!
Great for a small crowd. You’ll get around 10 portions of meat from this recipe. Feed your friends and family at a holiday gettogether, or portion and freeze for later.
Endlessly adaptable! With tiny tweaks you can have yourself BBQ, Mexican, Greek… to name just a few options!

Fun Fact

Dutch ovens were the original slow cookers! Apparently, in colonial America they were often passed down through generations as family heirlooms.

About the ingredients

You’ll find a full list of ingredients with amounts in the recipe card below. But here’s a summary of what you need to know.

Overhead of all ingredients needed to make dutch oven shredded chicken including 4 chicken breasts in a red dutch oven, a red and green pepper, mustard, an onion, canned tomatoes, tomato concentrate, honey and vinegar and spices and seasonings.

Chicken breasts: 4 large skinless boneless chicken breasts cover the bottom of my large dutch oven. And yes, you can use chicken thighs instead. You’ll just reduce the cooking time a little if you do.
Onion: A white or yellow onion has a stronger flavor, but a red onion is fine too.
Peppers: I love to add these (chopped) for extra color and nutrition. You could easily replace them with chopped zucchini, carrot or eggplant.
Canned tomatoes and tomato concentrate: These provide the only liquid for the chicken to cook in. You’ll end up with juicy, but not watery, pulled chicken.
Brown sugar and vinegar: For the perfect balance of sweet and sour. You can use honey instead if you prefer. Use any vinegar. I usually go with apple cider or red or white wine vinegar. Balsamic vinegar works well, too.
Herbs and spices: I like to use a blend of dried herbs such as mixed Italian herbs. Basil, oregano, and thyme are all good choices, too. I like to also add garlic powder, paprika, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and either chili powder or cayenne pepper. It’s fine to leave out one or two or these if you don’t have them. However, I would not leave out the paprika and cumin.
Mustard: I like Dijon mustard, but any mustard is fine for extra flavor.

How to make shredded chicken in a dutch oven

It couldn’t be easier!

Simply lay the chicken breasts in the dutch oven (or other oven proof pot with a lid) in one layer. Then scatter over the chopped peppers and onion.

Next, mix together all of the ‘sauce’ ingredients in a medium sized jug or bowl.

Collage of 2 images showing chicken breasts with chpped onion and red and green peppers on top, as well as tomatoes and seasonings in a jug.

Pour the tomato mixture all over the top of the chicken and veggies.

Collage of 2 images showing tomato-y ingredients in a jug, then with the mixture spread over chicken breasts, onion and peppers in a red dutch oven.

Then pop the lid on the pot and put it into the preheated oven. Bake for around an hour, or until the chicken is cooked through (it’s a good idea to check that it’s 165°F/74°C in the thickest part with a meat thermometer).

This is what the chicken will look like before and after it’s shredded!

Simply shred right in the pot using two forks.

A collage of two images showing chicken breasts cooked in a tomato-y sauce in a red dutch oven, and then with two forks shredding the chicken.

Helen’s Top Tips

If you find it awkward shredding the chicken right in the pot, simply remove the breasts to a cutting board to do it. Then stir the shredded chicken back into the pot.
Sometimes, to save time, I use around 2 to 3 tablespoons of this all-purpose seasoning instead of adding everything separately as listed in the recipe. Taste at the end, and add more if you want to.

Ways to use the shredded chicken

The main ‘draw card’ of this recipe, for me, is its versatility! Here are some of the ways you can ‘style’ it for a delicious-but-different dinner every time.

Mexican style

Add a teaspoon of chili powder in with the spices (or around a quarter teaspoon of cayenne pepper). Alternatively, if you’re feeding young kids or others who aren’t fans of spicy foods, just serve finely chopped chilis or jalapenos on the side and everyone can help themselves. You can also stir in black beans and/or lime juice, if you like.
Make air fried chimichangas (you can also oven bake them). Just wrap up some of the pulled chicken in a large tortilla, add cheese, fold up, and air fry for about 10 minutes at 200C. Top with tomato salsa (or chopped tomatoes and onions), guacamole (or just diced avocado), sour cream or Greek yogurt, more cheese if you like, fresh coriander, or any other favorite Mexican style toppings! Yum!
Tacos (soft or baked/air fried), quesadillas, burritos, ‘taco’ bowls, nachos – take your pick!

Greek/Mediterranean style

Gyros (wraps). Make your chicken with dried oregano and skip the chili powder and you have yourself some tasty Greek style chicken instead. Use it to stuff into Greek pita bread along with tsatziki, salad, a few french fries and a sprinkle of feta if you like.
Greek chicken bowls. Serve your chicken bowl style with village Greek salad and a simple olive oil dressing.

BBQ style

Stir through a little (or a lot!) of BBQ sauce after you’ve shredded your chicken. Pile onto brioche buns with coleslaw, add corn on the side and call it a dinner everyone will love.
As above, except this time we’re piling it onto baked potatoes. Don’t forget the grated cheese, sour cream and chives.

You can also…

use the shredded chicken as a pizza topping, with or without BBQ sauce.
make any leftovers into a pie (this is a great one if you happen to have a pie maker).
make a lunch time chicken wrap with salad, cheese, avocado, or whatever else you like. Serve with chips or without.

I’m sure you can think of even more ways to use this tasty meat!

An overhead view of two forks shredding cooked chicken breasts in a sauce in a red dutch oven, with a red tea towel around the handle.

Recipe FAQs

I don’t have a dutch oven. What can I use instead?

You can use any large oven-safe pot with a lid. If you don’t have this, even a large baking dish covered tightly with aluminium foil will work.

Can I make this in my slow cooker or instant pot instead?

Yes, you can. The method is exactly the same. Just set the slow cooker on low and cook for 6 to 8 hours. In your instant pot (electric pressure cooker), cook for 10 minutes on high pressure, then let the pressure release naturally for 5 to 10 minutes.

How do I store the chicken?

You can keep it in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Alternatively, you can or freeze it for up to 3 months. I recommend freezing it in small portions to suit your family so that you can defrost just as much as you need at one time.