How to Make Shredded Cooked Chicken for Recipes

The Ingredients You’ll Need

Before we get into the step-by-step process, let’s gather our ingredients. Don’t worry; you won’t need a ton of fancy stuff:

• Chicken: You can use boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, depending on your preference.
• Liquid: Chicken broth, water, or a combination of both will work perfectly.
• Seasonings: Salt, pepper, and any additional seasonings you desire to add flavor.

Step 1: Prep Your Chicken

Start by trimming any excess fat from your chicken pieces. This will help keep your poached chicken lean and healthy.

Step 2: Choose Your Liquid

In a large pot or deep skillet, pour enough chicken broth or water to cover the chicken pieces. You can add salt and pepper or any other seasonings you like. Remember, we want to infuse flavor at every step. Add a bay leaf, garlic cloves, or some herbs to the liquid for extra flavor. It’s all about making that chicken taste incredible! You could get creative and toss in some lemon juice or aromatics too, depending on your chicken’s ultimate destiny.

Step 3: Heat Things Up… Slowly

Here’s where the “low” in low-temperature poaching comes in. Heat your liquid over medium-low heat until it reaches a temperature of around 160-165°F (71-74°C). It should be just below simmering—tiny bubbles should appear around the edges but not a full boil.

Step 4: Gently Poach the Chicken

Once your liquid is at the perfect temperature, add your seasoned chicken pieces. Be gentle, like introducing a chicken to a warm spa day. You don’t want to disturb them too much. Maintain this gentle simmer for about 15-20 minutes.

Here’s the key: We’re going to cook this chicken in the liquid, but no boiling allowed! Boiling chicken can make it tough on the outside, and that’s a no-go for us. So, once you see little bubbles forming at the bottom of your pot, reduce the heat to low.

Step 5: Check for Doneness

After around 15-20 minutes, your chicken should be perfectly poached. To be sure, you can use a meat thermometer to check that the internal temperature reaches about 160°F.

Now, why not the recommended 165°F, you ask? Well, it’s all about that carryover cooking magic. When we take it out of that hot water, it’s going to keep cooking a bit. If we hit 165°F, it’ll be overcooked after that carryover cooking, so 160°F is our sweet spot.

Step 6: Shred and Enjoy

Remove the chicken from the poaching liquid and let it cool slightly. Then, using two forks or your fingers (if it’s cool enough to handle), shred the chicken into tender, succulent strands. It practically falls apart at this point, making it ideal for recipes like chicken salad, tacos, or even a hearty chicken soup.

And here’s a nifty trick for shredding… Sure, you can wait for it to cool and use your hands or two forks, or you can save yourself some time and use your stand mixer!

While the chicken’s still a tad warm, pop it into your mixer with the paddle blade, and set it to low. Watch it do all the work, and voilà – perfectly shredded chicken ready to conquer your next recipe.