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Today you will see how easy it is to make shredded chicken at home. You can use it in so many food favorites from tacos, fajitas, or enchiladas. So, are you ready to learn how to make shredded chicken? Let’s get started!
What You Need For This Recipe
To make this easy recipe you need only a handful of ingredients. Make certain you have the following ingredients:
- Chicken – I use chicken breast but you can also use chicken thighs which shred very well
- Liquid – you can add chicken broth or water to boil the chicken
- Salt and pepper to taste
Note that the full ingredients list, including measurements, can be found in the recipe card below.
How To Make Shredded Chicken With Forks
- To make this recipe start removing all excess fat. Fill a pot with water and add a chicken stock cube.
- Bring to the boil and add the chicken breasts. Turn down the heat and let the chicken breast simmer for 20 minutes.
- Make certain the chicken is covered with broth the whole time to prevent the chicken from drying out. Add water if needed.
- Take the chicken breast out of the pot and put it on a cutting board. Take two forks and start tearing the chicken into small pieces and you are done.
Shredded Chicken Recipe
This recipe is great for all your Mexican recipes. When you want the perfect taco or fajitas shredded chicken is a must.
This recipe shows you how you can easily make pulled chicken fast. You can flavor it just the way you like it with taco seasoning or a tinga sauce.
Maybe you can tell how much I love using this chicken recipe for my favorite dishes. The best parts of the chicken to use for this recipe are:
- Chicken breast – one of the best cuts to use for pulled chicken
- Chicken thighs – have some additional fat and as a result more flavor
- Whole chicken – grilled so it falls off the bone makes the best-shredded chicken
This recipe is gluten-free and fits perfectly in a keto or low-carb diet.
Pro-Tip
You can use leftover turkey if you have some left from e.g. your turkey dinner. Instead of cooking your chicken you can also buy a rotisserie chicken and shred it.
See How To Make Shredded Chicken
Want to see how you can make this shredded chicken recipe at home? Take a look at the recipe video in the recipe card with step-by-step instructions.
You can follow along and see how easy it is to make this recipe yourself.
Should You Shred Chicken Warm Or Cold?
You can do both but it is best to shred your chicken while it is warm. So, either when it is just out of the boiling water, oven, pressure cooker, or grill.
Chicken shreds are so much easier when it is warm than when you try it cold.
More Ways To Shred Chicken
Besides preparing your chicken in water or broth there are several ways to prepare pulled chicken:
- Oven – if you want to make pulled chicken in the oven put your chicken breasts in an oven dish and cover ¼ cup of water or chicken broth. Wrap the oven dish with foil. Bake for 30-35 minutes at 375℉/190℃. Take the chicken out of the oven and shred it with a fork or stand mixer
- Grill – when you use the grill or slow cooker to grill take a whole chicken. Once you leave it on the grill for more than one hour (turn regularly) you can easily shred your chicken
- Pressure cooker – you can make this version in your Instant Pot or Crockpot Express. Put all of the ingredients in the pressure cooker and close the lid. Seal the valve and cook the chicken on high pressure for 15 minutes. Let the valve release the pressure naturally and shed with two forks.
- Slow cooker – repeat the instruction as with the oven version so add ¼ cup of water or chicken broth. Put your Instant Pot or slow cooker to stew on HIGH and cook for 3 HOURS. Take the chicken breast out of the slow cooker and shred it. So much flavor and so moist
- Stand mixer – As mentioned above you can use two forks but you can also use your stand mixer. Put it in the bowl and add the paddle attachment. Turn the machine on and shred for a couple of seconds.
How To Store Chicken
You can store the chicken in several ways:
- Fridge – if you want to use the chicken within a day or two you can store it in the fridge. Cover it in a food storage container that you can close so the chicken will not dry out
- Freezer – put the shredded chicken in a Ziploc bag or a freezer-friendly container
Serve Shredded Chicken With
This chicken is so versatile you can use it in whatever recipe you desire. If you want some inspiration, take a look at these recipes:
- Shredded chicken tacos
- Shredded chicken burritos
- Chicken salad wraps
- Tinga chicken
- Pulled chicken fajitas
- Shredded chicken enchiladas
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How To Make Shredded Chicken
Looking for an easy way to shred your chicken take a look at this how to make shredded chicken recipe! Use it in taco, fajitas or enchiladas.
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breast
- 1 chicken broth cube
- 1 pot water
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Remove any excess fat and wash the chicken breast with cold water. Fill a pot with water and add a chicken stock cube
- Bring broth to the boil and add the chicken breasts. Turn down the heat and let the chicken breast simmer for 20 minutes
- Keep the chicken is covered with broth to prevent the chicken from drying out. Add water if needed
- Take the chicken breast out of the pot and put it on a cutting board. Take two forks and start tearing the chicken into small pieces
- Ready to serve
Click To Play Recipe Video
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Nutrition facts
Calories: 112; Fat: 2.5g; Carbs: 0.4g; Protein: 21.5g;
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