The Best Way to Make Shredded Chicken for Recipes!

Chicken Wars

You may have heard about the chicken sandwich wars. But who knew cubed chicken on pizza could be such a contentious issue? Not me! I was already a bundle of nerves, not being able to cook my gluten free pizza from scratch for the judges. I think we all know that pizza never re-heats very well. So I was taken aback by the less than constructive criticism for the way I presented the chicken component.

I guess we all have our pet peeves. One of my biggest pet peeves is coming across a recipe that calls for shredded chicken, only to find that the author recommends using rotisserie chicken. It’s a time saver for sure. But if I’m buying a delicious rotisserie chicken with crispy skin, you better believe I’m going to enjoy it as-is, not tear it apart. If you feel the same way, here’s how to make shredded chicken.

Other than salt and pepper to season, all you need is three ingredients: oil, chicken broth (of course, we have the best chicken soup recipe on our blog - link below where you see our logo) and boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

Now keep in mind that we’re working with almost 2 pounds of chicken here. That’s about 10 ounces for each breast. Depending on the weight and thickness of the chicken you choose, you may have to decrease or increase cooking time.

We’re starting by melting our homemade frozen chicken stock, but feel free to use store bought broth.

Cook for 5 minutes, then flip the chicken with tongs. My soup wasn’t quite melted so I let it cook on the other side for a bit too.

Ladle about 3/4 or a cup of the broth into the pan.

This looks about right. I always just eyeball it.

Now, cover with a lid.

Let it cook for about 7 – 10 minutes.

The only way to know for sure if it's done is to test it with a digital thermometer. The chicken is cooked when it reaches 165 degrees. I actually went over 165 by cooking the chicken on the other side and leaving it for 14 minutes after popping on the lid. Despite that, it still turned out moist! Maybe you can’t go wrong with this braising method?

If you’ve ever cut into a hot piece of meat, you’ll know that the liquid tends to pour out. Therefore, resting the meat is an essential step; it allows the juices to be evenly distributed, resulting in a tender juicy piece of chicken. Let the chicken sit for at about 5 minutes. It’s best (and easier) to shred the chicken while it’s still warm.

Use two forks to pull the chicken apart. Add some of the chicken broth in a mix to combine.

Now, use the shredded chicken in your favourite recipe, like gluten free chicken crepes! Bonus: use the left over chicken broth to make the sauce for the filling!

Of course, if you’re picky about the shape of your chicken, you can also use this shredded chicken on pizza 😉.

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