Are you looking for how you can cook and shred your chicken? Shredding chicken is a great addition to thousands of recipes. It stands out in any recipe due to its delicious taste. Shredded Chicken can be used to spice up any dish and shredding it ahead of your cooking is a great way of saving time and enjoying the flavour that comes with it.
Why People Like Me Love Chicken
Chicken is the world’s largest source of meat. It is a very popular food of all meat products, no wonder I find myself eating chicken every time, it is my favourite food alongside beans. One major reason chicken is special to me is because of the several ways it can be cooked, either by frying, grilling, broiling, sauteing, baking, roasting or stir-frying. It is highly proteinous with a little amount of fat and it is relatively cheap.
Chicken is very delicious and nutritious food. It is a very safe and healthy food for everyone of all ages due to its low cholesterol and saturated fat.
It is a healthy food depending on how you cook it and how long it has been stored.
What types of chicken are best for shredding?
Chicken are of different types and sizes. Choosing the type of chicken you want will depend on how you intend to prepare it or the type of dish you want to make with it.
When you want to make any shredded chicken recipe you should use a boneless skinless chicken, especially the chicken thighs or chicken breast.
The chicken breast is commonly considered for shredding because they are lean, tender, boneless, usually skinless, flavourful, easy to cook and versatile.
Using chicken thighs are also a good option for shredding, some of them may be skinless or boneless. This part of chicken have succulent meat, they can be easily shredded and stuffed.
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How to perfectly cook your chicken breast or thighs for shredding
Before you shred your chicken, you will need to cook it. Cook the chicken and shred it way before using it in your recipe, this will help to save lots of time while cooking.
The different ways you can cook your chicken before shredding is cooking on the stove (poaching), grilling, baking, and barbequing.
How to perfectly cook your chicken on a stove
I use this method every time whenever I want to add chicken to any dish. It is the most common method to cook and shred chicken because it is simple and cooks faster. This poaching method makes the chicken become tender and very moist.
The ingredients you incorporate in the chicken broth will go a long way in enhancing the flavour. The method is not always as flavorful as other methods of cooking chicken.
To get an evenly cooked chicken on the stove, make sure you don’t overcrowd the saucepan, cook a little at a time.
How to perfectly grill your chicken
Grilled shredded chicken is very good when you desire a very flavourful shredded chicken in your recipe. This method is also very fast and easy to make. It is can be very great in some shredded chicken recipes because of its extra flavour.
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How to perfectly bake your chicken
The texture and the taste of baked chicken are top-notch. This method is great but ensure it is not left to bake for too long as it can easily be overcooked.
How to perfectly Barbecued chicken
Barbecued chicken is very delicious and it just stands out in any recipe. Chicken breast is faster than chicken thighs when barbecuing. If you want to combine both in a grill, add the chicken breast at the coolest part of your grill and add the thighs at the hotter part.
Pre-cook your chicken before barbecuing, it will help the process to be shorter.
How to shred cooked chicken
Shredding perfectly cooked chicken thighs or breast is pretty easy and there are several ways to do it. The method to use depends on the size of the chicken you are shredding. Your desired texture of the shredded chicken and the recipe you intend to use it for also matter. We have simple methods of shredding chicken; By hand, Using two forks, a hand mixer, and a stand mixer.
Shredding Chicken with hands
This works for shredding either chicken breast or thighs. It is usually very easy and faster to shred with hands. Shredding a bone-in chicken with this method is really good. Ensure the chicken is cold enough to handle. Place it on a cutting board or a wide plate and start pulling the chicken apart with your clean hands into desire sized pieces.
Shredding Chicken Using two forks
The fork method of shredding chicken is another easy way to shred cooked bone-in or boneless chicken breast and it works just like the hand method but is a little modernized. Place your chicken on a cutting board with two forks in your hands directly on the chicken breast. Start pulling apart into pieces.
Shredding Chicken with a hand mixer
A hand mixer is used for only a boneless chicken breast or thighs. It shreds the chicken very fast than the two methods that were earlier mentioned. Put your chicken in a deep ceramic bowl. Place the hand mixer at the centre of the chicken and start pulling apart at a low speed.
Shredding Chicken with a stand mixer
A stand mixer can be used when you have a lot of chicken to shred at the same time, it saves time and energy. Just like the hand mixer, this method also works for only boneless chicken breast. So, if you have a bone-in chicken, find a way to remove the bones before shredding with it. Put your cooked chicken in the stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, shred your chicken at a low speed.
How to store shredded chicken
It is best to prep everything that involves shredding chicken way before using it in any recipe just to save time whenever you are ready to use it.
You may be wondering how to store it for a few days or even months before using them. It is even possible not to finish your shredded chicken at a go. If you are intending to use the rest in another recipe. What you need is to store them. Store them in a freezer or refrigerator with a ziplock bag or a container that is safe to use in the freezer.
Use within 3-4 days if you intend to use the refrigerator and use within 3-4 months if stored up in a freezer. You can just reheat it whenever you are ready to use the shredded chicken.
Health benefits of chicken
- High in protein: Chicken is very rich in protein, which helps the growth and development of our body’s bones and muscles.
- Helps to maintain healthy body weight- It aid weight loss and helps to reduce the risk of any heart-related problems.
- It helps to get a good comforting mood- Chicken contains an amino acid called Tryptophan that can serve as a natural anti-depressant.
- It is highly nutritious- Asides from having a high-quality protein, it is also rich in vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Niacin, tryptophan, phosphorus, selenium, choline, zinc, iron, Vitamin A, and copper.