How to Make Shredded Chicken - Easy!

Have a recipe that calls for shredded chicken? Follow these easy, simple steps for tender, juicy shredded chicken.

this recipe!

Many recipes call for shredded chicken without giving instructions on how to make it. Here’s my favorite way of cooking shredded chicken and shredding it. It’s quick, easy, and foolproof. It’s my tried and tested way to get the BEST shredded chicken.

Easy Shredded Chicken

It’s even easier than picking up a rotisserie chicken. By the time you stop at the store, take it home, and clean off the bones and skin, you could have this juicy, tender chicken with minimal effort. Shredding up a tender chicken breast is much easier than trying to pick all the meat off the bones of a rotisserie chicken.

Great for meal prep

Having shredded chicken on hand is perfect for weekly meal prep. Cook a batch or two on the weekend and you’ll have it ready for healthy meals during the week.

Here’s what we’ll be covering:

• My favorite way to cook shredded chicken – poaching
• Seasoning ideas
• How to shred chicken with forks or by hand
• How to shred chicken with a mixer
• What to make with shredded chicken
• How to store shredded chicken
• Weights and measurements for shredded chicken

Poached Chicken

My favorite way to cook shredded chicken is poaching it on the stovetop. This makes shredded chicken that is tender and juicy, and I find it to be the quickest and easiest with the least fuss and clean up.

This method of poaching chicken is different from just boiling chicken. It uses gentle heat to keep the chicken moist and tender.

The chicken and the cooking liquid are brought to a simmer, then the heat is turned very low while the chicken gently poaches. The chicken is cooked through without overcooking, remaining juicy instead of tough and dry.

The key to poaching juicy, tender chicken is using gentle heat.

Poaching is a gentle, moist-heat cooking method that uses water or broth held at a low heat, ideally simmering between 170°F and 180°F, but always below a boil.  

How to cook shredded chicken recipe – step by step

Step 1: Place chicken in pan and cover with cool water

•  Cover the chicken with an inch of water
• Use boneless breasts or thighs
• Keep the chicken in a single layer. Use a larger pan or a second pan if it’s too crowded.
• Add any optional seasonings

At this point you can do an optional brine: Add soy sauce, salt, sugar, and crushed garlic cloves and let the chicken brine at room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking. This provides seasoning and makes the chicken more tender. The chicken also loses its chill so it needs less heat to come up to temperature.

Step 2: Heat the pan until the water reaches 180°F and comes to a simmer.

• Heat over medium heat so the temperature rises more gently
• Use an instant thermometer to gauge the temperature.

A kitchen thermometer is a good investment. Being able to cook to a precise temperature is the surest way to know that food is cooked thoroughly without overcooking. Here’s the thermometer I use.

Step 3: Turn the heat very low, cover, and poach until the meat reaches 165°F, about 20 minutes.

• Use an instant thermometer for safety and accuracy.
• If the chicken is overcooked, it will be dry and tough.

If you don’t have a thermometer, you can test if the chicken is properly cooked through by piercing it with a knife. The chicken is done when the juices run clear and the meat is no longer pink.

In a hurry? Bring the water up to a boil and then turn the heat lower to simmer the chicken until it reaches 165°F.

Step 4: Remove the chicken

• Remove the chicken from the pan and let it rest, covered, on the counter for 5 minutes.

Now you can slice, dice, or shred the chicken.

How to shred chicken – 3 ways

There are 3 easy ways of shredding chicken:

• By hand
• With forks
• With a hand mixer or stand mixer

Shredding the chicken by hand or with forks is my favorite way of shredding chicken. The chicken pieces are intact and not mushy like they can get with the mixer method. You can shred them in bigger or smaller pieces as you prefer.

With a hand mixer (or stand mixer)

Shredding chicken with a hand mixer is quick and easy, especially with larger batches of chicken. Be careful not to overdo it, or the chicken will get mushy.

• Place the chicken in a large mixing bowl and use a hand mixer on low speed to break up the chicken.
• It’s better to stop when there are a few big pieces left and break them up by hand. Overmixing causes the chicken to become mushy.

Optional seasonings

You can cook the chicken with a little salt and pepper, or you can add seasonings that complement the flavors of the dish you’ll be using it in.

• Lemon
• Garlic
• Soy sauce
• Herbs
• Bay leaf

What to make with shredded chicken

Shredded chicken is called for in many recipes. Recipes with shredded chicken include:

• All your Tex-Mex favorites: tacos, burritos, enchiladas, taquitos, nachos, tostadas, quesadillas
• Casseroles
• Soups – perfect for my Chicken and Dumplings
• Salads
• Pasta salads – like this Easy, Italian Antipasto Pasta Salad or this Greek Orzo Salad
• Sandwiches
• Chicken Pot Pie
• Pasta dishes – use it in place of cooking chicken in pasta dishes like this Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta or this Creamy Lemon Artichoke Pasta with Chicken. Or add it to any pasta dish like this Creamy Portobello and Mascarpone Pasta to add some protein.

How to store

Refrigerating shredded chicken: Cooked shredded chicken can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Let it cool, then put it in an airtight container or ziplock bag. It’s super handy when it comes to meal prep and perfect for a quick lunch.

Freezing shredded chicken: Shredded chicken can be frozen for up to 4 months. Freeze in heavy duty freezer bags and press out as much air as you can to prevent freezer burn.

Freeze in smaller sized packs rather than one large bag so you only need to defrost what you need each time.

Weights and yields

• 1 ½ pounds (680g) of fresh, boneless chicken will yield about 4 cups of shredded chicken (16 ounces (454g) cooked weight)
• 6 ounces (170g) of fresh, boneless chicken will yield 1 cup of shredded chicken.
• 1 cup of shredded chicken weighs 4 ounces (113g)

Recipe

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