How to make shredded chicken at home that is easy and made right on the stovetop! The best healthy chicken breast that is perfect in sandwiches, enchiladas, and many other meals and recipes!
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Simple recipe for you today! This homemade shredded chicken (AKA pulled chicken) recipe comes in handy for a wide variety of other recipes and meals. The pulled chicken would be great in my Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad, Chicken Enchilada Dip, and Chicken Greek Salad Wrap Sandwich just to give you a quick few ideas.
The possibilities are endless. ENDLESS for this pulled chicken!
YES you could just buy a rotisserie chicken and chop it up or shred it. However, sometimes that’s not always possible. Plus, if you ever have some boneless skinless chicken breasts and not sure what to do, this is perfect.
How to Make Shredded Chicken:
There are lots of shredded chicken recipes out there. Some use a slow cooker, some boil the chicken, some roast the chicken in the oven, and I’m sure there are other methods out there as well.
I used to immerse the chicken breasts in a lot of water, bring to a boil, then simmer the chicken for a while. Although that works ok, it can tend to result in some rubbery chicken if you’re not careful.
Now I do this stovetop method which I like A LOT better.
To start, add chicken broth to a pan along with boneless skinless chicken breasts so that the chicken is not completely covered with liquid.
Put the cover on the pan so the chicken can steam a bit as well and let it simmer for about 45-60 minutes. This method doesn’t seem to result in rubbery chicken (in my opinion…) as long as you’re careful that the broth is simmering and NOT boiling.
Once the chicken is done, let it cool slightly then put the chicken on a large cutting board. Ever wonder how to shred chicken? Shredding chicken is easy once you get the hang of it.
Using two forks, have one fork hold the chicken, and the other pull the chicken away and the chicken should shred easily. And now you should have a big pile of pulled chicken!
You can also chop the shredded chicken with a knife if you prefer smaller pieces. Or check out these shredder claws.
Shredded Chicken Breast Recipes:
Shredded chicken comes in handy for a variety of recipes. You can even bag it and freeze it flat to use later. Here are some quick and easy ideas…
- Chicken salad
- BBQ chicken sandwiches
- Mexican (enchiladas, tacos, nachos, and burritos)
- Salads
- Italian sandwiches (add some tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, and top with some cheese)
- Casseroles
- Pot Pies
- Soups and stews
- Pasta dishes
- Pizza (great for BBQ chicken pizza)
- Asian (egg rolls and lettuce wraps)
Do you have more ideas? Would love to hear!
Hope you enjoy this quick and easy tutorial for how to make shredded chicken!
How To Make Shredded Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
Instructions
- Pour chicken broth into a large saucepan. Add chicken so that chicken is in single layer. Cover pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low to simmer leaving lid on pan.
- Cook about 45-60 minutes, turning chicken over about halfway through cooking. Turn heat off and let steam with lid on about 15 minutes.
- Remove chicken and place on large cutting board. Using two forks, shred chicken and use as desired.
Recipe Notes
SNAPPY TIPS: Add some of your favorite herbs and spices to the chicken broth for more flavor.
SNAPPY SUBSTITUTIONS: Instead of canned chicken broth, you could use homemade or use water.
Megan Marlowe says
this is so much better than me going to the store and grabbing a rotisserie chicken and shredded it. I also love to throw the cooked chicken breast into the stand mixer and turn the mixer on. It shreds the chicken for you. So quick and easy!
Gloria says
Shredded chicken is such a great ingredient to use in so many delicious ways. I do agree, not having to deal with the bones is so much easier. You end up with SOOO much meat. The recipes are endless that you can use this in from breakfast to dinner, and snacks too.
Traci says
I love making shredded chicken. It’s so easy and affordable when you do it in larger amounts. Love the stand mixer for it too! Thanks for the inspiration :)
Tara says
I love using the stand mixer too, but like you said, sometimes I’m just as quick with two forks and less to clean. I definitely need to make shredded chicken more often. Such a great addition to so many meals!
Lisa | Garlic & Zest says
This method would be great for taco night!
Danielle says
Great tips for shredding chicken! I need to do this for my salads.
Lisa Huff says
Great, so happy to hear that! :)
kat says
Yes this turned out exactly what i was hoping for :)
Lisa Huff says
HI! Thanks for the tip! I have done it that way but takes me a lot longer to get my stand mixer out and clean it so I stick with the forks. LOL :) Thanks for the tip though. I’m sure others would definitely prefer their stand mixer.
Janet Reinhart says
Hey, Lisa! I wonder if you’ve tried this trick for shredded chicken – it’s SO easy! After boiling your chicken breasts, put them in your stand-mixer bowl and, using the paddle attachment, just slowly whiz them around, making almost instant shredded chicken. I’ll never use a fork again!