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Home Dietary Gluten Free Recipes

Shredded Sweet Soy Sauce Chicken Breast

By:Nagi
Published:15 Jul '15Updated:24 Mar '19
156 Comments
Recipe v

5 minutes prep for dinner? Yes please! Especially if it’s this juicy pile of shredded chicken coated with a sticky Asian sauce! Make this Shredded Sweet Soy Sauce Chicken Breast in your slow cooker, pressure cooker or on the stove – instructions provided for all three. 

Like Slow Cooker Crispy Chinese Shredded Chicken, this Asian shredded chicken is ideal to toss through noodles, use in salads or serve over rice!

Sweet Soy Shredded Chicken - 5 minutes prep, make this in the slow cooker, stove or even a pressure cooker! Tossed in an Asian style sticky sauce.

Shredded Sweet Soy Sauce Chicken Breast

This is a bit of a unique recipe in my books for a couple of reasons. Firstly, there are very few recipes where I’ll say it really does not matter if you brown the meat first before cooking it. This really is a “chuck it all in, set and forget” recipe.

Foolproof Poached Chicken Noodle Soup
Find out the easy foolproof way to poach chicken so it’s guaranteed to come out juicy every time. You can’t go wrong!

And secondly, I don’t cook with chicken breast much. I know it’s healthier and I do know a foolproof way of poaching it so it’s guaranteed to come out juicy (I’ve got the direction in this Foolproof Poached Chicken Chinese Noodle Soup recipe).

But chicken breast is more expensive and has less flavour than every single other part of the chicken! (Eerm, well, I must say, I stick to the ordinary cuts – wings, thighs etc. I’m told that chicken feet, liver, heart etc is very tasty, but I don’t have any immediate plans to find out for myself!)

I find it very amusing when I go to Asian butchers and find that “western” cuts of meat are so cheap because Asians don’t value lean cuts of meat like chicken breast, lamb back strap and pork tenderloin. Asians love “dark meat” – chicken wings, and red meat cuts that need to be slow cooked. More flavour!

However, when it comes to shredded chicken, breast is best (try saying that after 5 wines). You can make this with any cut of chicken, but chicken breast shreds the easiest. Plus, because the sauce it’s tossed in is so jammy, you don’t need a fatty cut of chicken.

Sweet Soy Shredded Chicken - 5 minutes prep, make this in the slow cooker, stove or even a pressure cooker! Tossed in an Asian style sticky sauce.

I make this in my slow cooker, on the stove and even the pressure cooker. Just depends on my schedule on the day. 🙂 No marinating is required, no browning, nothing. This really is a super shortcut recipe that doesn’t compromise on flavor or quality at all. You know how there are some recipes which are turned into shortcut recipes? This is not one of those. This is how it is meant to be made.

It’s a handy “back pocket” recipe to have because you probably always have the ingredients to make this in your pantry. And the sauce flavour is quite neutral so it’s a great base for adding your own touch. I like to add ginger, sriracha or red pepper flakes, a dash of hoisin or oyster sauce, or sesame oil.

Typically I just serve it on rice, though I LOVE it in Chinese buns too. And I often make a double batch because the sauce and chicken are fantastic for making fried rice! I’ve provided directions in the notes to the recipe.

Oh, and it freezes well too! The sauce does thin slightly, but the flavour is all there. When I defrost it, I like to pan fry it as the caramelisation sort of revitalises it and the excess liquid evaporates.

Hope you’re having a wonderful week! – Nagi

Sweet Soy Shredded Chicken - 5 minutes prep, make this in the slow cooker, stove or even a pressure cooker! Tossed in an Asian style sticky sauce.

Sweet Soy Shredded Chicken - 5 minutes prep, make this in the slow cooker, stove or even a pressure cooker! Tossed in an Asian style sticky sauce.

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Sweet Soy Shredded Chicken - 5 minutes prep, make this in the slow cooker, stove or even a pressure cooker! Tossed in an Asian style jammy sauce.

Shredded Sweet Soy Chicken Breast

Author: Nagi | RecipeTin Eats
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 1 hr
Total: 1 hr 10 mins
Chicken, Dinner
Asian
4.82 from 38 votes
Servings4
Tap or hover to scale
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  • 858
A simple, fast, very tasty way to prepare chicken. Chicken breast is perfect for shredding. Because it's so lean, it is especially great combined with a jammy intense flavoured sauce that is sweet and sour. Add a kick of chili if you want! Great served on rice, or use the sauce as the flavouring for a fried rice!

Ingredients

Shredded Chicken

  • 1 lb / 500g chicken breast (skinless, boneless pieces)
  • 2 cloves of garlic , minced
  • 1/2 onion , finely diced
  • 1 tbsp oil (vegetable, canola, olive oil or grapeseed oil)
  • 1/3 cup soy sauce (ordinary soy sauce)
  • 1/3 cup white vinegar (or substitute with other vinegar except balsamic)
  • 3 tbsp jam (Note 1)
  • 1 tbsp black peppercorns or 1/2 tbsp ground black pepper (Note 2)
  • 3/4 cups water

Sauce Thickening

  • 2 tsp cornstarch / cornflour
  • 3 tsp water

Instructions

  • Slow Cooker: Place all the Shredded Chicken ingredients in the slow cooker and cook on low for 5 hours (or 2 1/2 hours on high).
  • Pressure Cooker: Place all the Shredded Chicken ingredients in the pressure cooker. Cook for 35 minutes on high.
  • Stove: Place all the Shredded Chicken ingredients in a saucepan large enough for the chicken to fit snugly in one layer. Add 1/2 cup extra water so the chicken is mostly, but not completely submerged. Cover and simmer for about 50 to 60 minutes, turning once or twice.
  • The chicken is ready when it can be easily shredded with two forks. Remove the chicken from the liquid and shred it while it is warm. Set aside and cover to keep warm.
  • Transfer the liquid from the slow cooker / pressure cooker to a saucepan and bring to simmer. (Note 3) Reduce to around1 1/4 cups - it should only take a few minutes.
  • Mix together the Sauce Thickening ingredients and add to the saucepan. Simmer until it it thickens to a syrup consistency.
  • Toss the chicken in the sauce and serve over rice. (Note 4)

Recipe Notes:

1. I used blueberry jam. Blackberry or other dark ones are great but you can use any flavour at all because the jam is used as the sweetener / thickening agent for the sauce rather than flavour.
2. I like pops of black pepper in this. It's not that spicy because it becomes mild once cooked. But if you're making this for kids, I recommend using ground pepper.
3. If your slow cooker has a saute setting, you can do this in your slow cooker. If you are using a stovetop pressure cooker, you can do this in the pressure cooker.
4. The sauce is great to use for fried rice, as is the chicken. Just stir fry onions and garlic, add diced vegetables, then day old cooked rice, the chicken and the sauce. Stir fry to heat through, then serve!
5. You can add extra flavourings if you want! I like to add ginger, sriracha or red pepper flakes, a dash of hoisin or oyster sauce, or sesame oil.
6. Freeze leftovers after cooking and tossing in sauce. To use, allow to defrost then I recommend pan frying with a bit of oil. This will revitalise it as the sauce tends to become a bit watery when it defrosts.
7. Nutrition per serving INCLUDING 3/4 cup of cooked white rice per person (which accounts for 137 calories of the total 446 calories). Serve with steamed greens to complete the meal.
Sweet Soy Sauce Shredded Chicken Nutrition

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 312gCalories: 446cal (22%)
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @RecipeTinEats.

 

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156 Comments

  1. Sally says

    November 6, 2022 at 10:07 am

    5 stars
    Tripled the recipe and added fresh ginger in at the beginning. Increased slow cooker time by 50%. Reducing sauce and thickening took quite a while and required a bit extra cornflour/water than the scaled up amount. Beautiful result with leftovers for school lunches for the week.

    Reply
  2. Kirstin says

    April 27, 2022 at 11:56 am

    5 stars
    I made this on the weekend and again tonight with leftover chicken breasts it was that good! I used a pressure cooker and added some ginger and chilli.

    Reply
  3. Leslie says

    March 2, 2022 at 10:43 am

    I made this tonight! It was AMAZING! So easy and flavorful! Family LOVED it! Your recipes never fail!

    Reply
  4. Allie says

    January 5, 2022 at 4:30 am

    5 stars
    I absolutely love this recipe. I’ve been making it for years and finally figured I should write a comment. The chicken has amazing flavor and holds up great for leftovers. It was a favorite for my husband and I pre- kids and now that we have two little ones its still a go-to recipe in my house. Thank you so much!

    Reply
  5. Sue says

    July 17, 2021 at 4:49 pm

    5 stars
    Excellent, so tasty- and easy. This is the second time I’ve made it using the slow cooker. Thank you, Nagi, We have started making a lot of your recipes. They are reliably good.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      July 17, 2021 at 7:22 pm

      I love hearing this – that’s awesome Sue!!! N x

      Reply
  6. Brendan wallace says

    June 20, 2021 at 8:50 pm

    5 stars
    Amazing! I did this in the pressure cooker, the chicken fell apart trying to take it out and was so tender and tore apart easily. The sauce was so tasty! I love how easy it was to make. I’ll definitely make this again.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      June 21, 2021 at 12:38 pm

      I’m so glad you enjoyed it Brendan, thanks much for letting me know!! N x

      Reply
  7. Gin says

    March 31, 2021 at 5:07 pm

    5 stars
    So good!! Especially with some Japanese mayo on top!

    Reply
  8. Mignon says

    March 8, 2021 at 8:05 pm

    Hi Nagi, I cooked this for dinner tonight and it was so easy and so delicious. I’ll certainly be cooking this again!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      March 9, 2021 at 10:21 am

      Thanks so much for the great feedback Mignon! N x

      Reply
  9. Michele says

    February 3, 2021 at 4:23 am

    Hi, I tried this and it was very peppery. I used 1/2 tbsp of ground black pepper as called for in the recipe. Should that be 1/2 tsp? Unfortunately the pepper really took over. Will try it again with less. It was easy to throw together.

    Reply
    • Debbie says

      November 18, 2021 at 4:05 pm

      5 stars
      I went to make this tonight as I already had some shredded chicken breast to use up. Had read through comments before making and remembered yours. I had to alter the recipe for just 2 people, and noticed that no matter what Serving Size you let the recipe calculate for it does not adjust for the ground pepper variation. Hope Nagi sees this and looks into it. No idea how many people her original recipe called for which would be important here.

      BTW basically made the sauce portion with Blackberry seedless jam, reduced, thickened and added my leftover shredded chicken to it and served over 3-minute microwave frozen jasmine rice. SUPER quick meal, and it came out so flavorful. Asked my husband if he’d like it again and he quickly said yes!

      Thanks Nagi, nice to knock it out of the park for dinner with so little effort.

      Reply
  10. Martina says

    January 17, 2021 at 5:02 am

    Gonna try this recipe this week as I have some steam buns I don’t know what to do with. Do you think this would be a good filling for steam buns? With green onion and cucumber?

    Reply
    • Kat says

      May 3, 2021 at 3:26 pm

      Hi Martina! I was thinking to do the same and use this filming with some steam buns ? Did this work?

      Reply
  11. Kirsty Andrews says

    January 15, 2021 at 5:43 pm

    4 stars
    Made this tonight…doubled everything. Turned out a bit vinegary and watery but just adjusted to taste with some extra jam, extra cornflour and simmered sauce down for longer til syrupy…was really easy and yum…picky three year old loved it…yay!!! Another winner…Thanks Nagi!🤗

    Reply
  12. Fiona says

    November 26, 2020 at 5:51 pm

    5 stars
    Another fantastic recipe. Devoured by my toddler and husband! I added sliced carrots to the slow cooker for a veg boost and served with rice, avocado and cucumber ribbons. The recipe was perfect with bone-in thighs too (as that’s all I had!). Yay for another keeper of a recipe. Oh I did have an issue getting the sauce to thicken but just added a little more cornflour.

    Reply
  13. Maria says

    June 20, 2020 at 7:51 pm

    5 stars
    Recently bought a slow cooker during our isolation & searching for recipes when stumbled across this delicious chicken recipe!
    I couldn’t believe it was so easy and effortless. It was truly delicious with noodles and veggies – the whole family loved it. Another great Nagi recipe!
    I can’t wait to try more of your slow cooker recipes 😋

    Reply
  14. Sarah Bell says

    April 2, 2020 at 4:52 pm

    5 stars
    This is a regular in our household! So delicious and easy!! I add in all the extras you suggest and do the slow cooker option and it’s perfect every time! Thanks Nagi 🙂

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      April 3, 2020 at 11:42 am

      Perfect Sarah! N x

      Reply
  15. Gordon Johansen says

    February 6, 2020 at 3:08 pm

    4 stars
    Tried this in the instant pot due to time constraints. It worked well but seemed a little salty. Perhaps because I used a bulk Chinese medium soy sauce? I like the idea of adding a little sesame oil or the pineapple that was suggested and may try it next time. It was good but not wow like most of your recipes that I have tried.

    Reply
  16. El says

    January 4, 2020 at 2:19 pm

    So if I use 1kg chicken breast , do I double the rest of the sauce quantity?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      January 4, 2020 at 5:06 pm

      Sure do! Enjoy!

      Reply
      • El says

        January 7, 2020 at 11:58 am

        Thanks.

        Reply
      • Matt says

        July 22, 2020 at 11:49 am

        If you’re doubling the chicken, how much extra cooking time would you expect?

        Reply
  17. Isela says

    December 12, 2019 at 2:05 pm

    If using instant pot, do you do quick release?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      December 12, 2019 at 5:16 pm

      Hi Isela – yes quick release – N x

      Reply
  18. Monica says

    October 25, 2019 at 4:22 am

    5 stars
    I usually use the slow cooker method on this recipe and add only a small amount of water 1/4 to 1/2 cup depending on the humidity where I live. This saves me time, and I don’t have to reduce it later. The controlled environment helps keep the food moist. This is a regular recipe in my household! Love adding other options like half+ a can of pineapple instead of water when slow cooking, sesame oil at the end instead of at the beginning adds another layer of flavor. Amazingly easy for this working mom!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 25, 2019 at 1:20 pm

      Sounds great Monica!!

      Reply
  19. Molly says

    September 22, 2019 at 1:35 am

    I just came across this awesome looking recipe and I really want to try it in my Instant pot. Has anyone tried it? Do any settings/cook times need to be adjusted? 35 min in the IP sounds like a long time but I’m still pretty new at it……thank you!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      September 22, 2019 at 6:54 pm

      Hi Molly, pressure cook for 35 minutes as per step 2 – N x

      Reply
  20. Daniela says

    August 7, 2019 at 10:20 pm

    Hi Nagi, i’m hoping you can help diagnose what went so wrong with my try of this tonight 🙁 i followed the instructions exactly. I used my brand new Crockpot and cooked the recipe as advised for 2.5hrs on high. The chicken was done, however I ended up with so much liquid, (easily over 3 cups) – i was at the stove for 30 mins trying to reduce it – to no avail. I also doubled the cornflour/water quantity, this only worked slightly and we still ended up with shredded chicken stew tonight 🙁 Would you know what went wrong?

    Reply
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