A number of recipes I’m planning on sharing with you use shredded chicken as an ingredient, so I thought I’d show you how I prepare it. Of course, you could just buy a pre-made rotisserie chicken and use that, but I find they’re higher in fat and salt. So I prep my own shredded chicken and keep it vacuum-sealed in the freezer for when I need it.
Read on for how to shred chicken without using the ‘fork’ method (which I hate)…
Low-Calorie Chicken Chimichangas
These baked (not fried) burritos are so tasty you might forget they're low-calorie!
Try this recipe…
Easy Shredded Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs (or breasts)
- salt
Equipment
- Instant Pot 6- or 8-quart size. Don't have one? See Notes for an alternate method.
- kitchen scale optional
- vacuum sealer optional
Instructions
- Place the trivet in the bottom of the Instant Pot and add 1 cup of water.
- Sprinkle chicken with salt as you layer it evenly on the trivet in the Pot.
- Cook chicken on High for 7 minutes then quick release.
- Carefully transfer the chicken to your stand mixer* and process at a low speed with the paddle attachment. Don't stop too soon – it takes a couple of minutes to really separate all the meat.* If you're using a hand mixer, the regular beaters work well. It just takes longer.
- If you're going to be freezing this for later, I recommend dividing it into 12 ounce portions and vacuum sealing it. That way the meat won't get freezer burn and will be very fresh when you use it.
Notes
Instant Pot: If you don’t have one, just simmer the chicken in salted water until cooked through.
Estimated Nutrition Per Serving
Serving: 12ozCalories: 814Protein: 92gFat: 46gSaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 299mgSodium: 280mg
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Any guesses as to what recipes using shredded chicken I’m going to post next? You’ll have to wait to find out, but maybe some of your speculation will be right!
