Whether it's stuffed into a sandwich, piled on top of greens, or served with crackers, chicken salad is a great lunchtime option that is infinitely customizable. Whether you add chopped apples, herbs, nuts, or dried fruit to your salad, perfectly-cooked chicken is absolutely vital for any recipe. Whether stuffed into a sandwich, piled on top of some greens, or scooped up with some crackers, it's hard to think of a better lunchtime option than chicken salad. Typically featuring cooked chicken bound in some type of a creamy dressing that's very often mayonnaise-based, the dish is almost infinitely customizable, with common additions including chopped apples, nuts, dried fruit, fresh herbs, and spices such as tandoori and curry blends (via Martha Stewart). Show If you like chicken, then it's a safe bet that you've whipped up your fair share of this old standby dish over the years. But even if you're an experienced salad maker, you may not have settled yet on the most basic aspect of the dish: How to cook the bird that's in it. Techniques vary, with some advocating for roasting the chicken prior to chopping and dressing it (via Food Network) and others stating that leftover grilled chicken works just fine (via Allrecipes). But there's one cooking method to rule them all when it comes to chicken for chicken salad, according to Cook's Illustrated, and that's poaching. Poaching keeps chicken soft and moistCooked shredded chicken and cooked diced chicken are listed as ingredients in many recipes, but have you ever had a recipe that called for them, without any direction for how to go about cooking the chicken in the first place? This step-by-step tutorial for how to cook shredded chicken is your answer! I’ll go over the easiest way to make shredded chicken breasts. This simple method works for shredded chicken thighs too. Whether you need to know how to make shredded chicken for chicken enchiladas (like these Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas), chicken tacos, chicken sandwiches, Greek yogurt healthy chicken salad (or Whole30 chicken salad), shredded chicken enchilada dip, or just to munch straight from your refrigerator when you’re hungry and in total desperation mode, this is the post for you! While you can cook shredded chicken in the oven or slow cooker, the method I show step-by-step below (cooking the chicken in a pot on the stove) is by far the fastest and easiest way to make it. The chicken comes out perfectly moist and juicy every time. You can also refrigerate the chicken for up to 4 days or freeze it, so it’s perfect for meal prep too! While there are a variety of different methods to cook chicken for shredding or dicing, poaching (gently cooking the chicken in water) is the one I’ve found to be the quickest and easiest, with the smallest amount of clean up. You don’t need any equipment other than a pot to make it. However, if you own an Instant Pot and prefer that route, check out this post for how to cook Instant Pot chicken. I also have great resources for making Crock Pot Shredded Chicken and Baked Chicken Breast (which you can shred)! In today’s post, I’ll be reviewing:
You scroll down to see step-by-step photos, check out the video with a how-to after the photos, and finally you’ll find a recap for the steps at the very end of the post. How to Make Shredded Chicken: Recipe Step-by-Steps
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