My first recipe post! I don’t consider myself a great cook, rather I cook out of necessity as I have five hungry mouths to feed, and I’m the only one who can cook. But my blog is about helping out moms, so if I can do that in the kitchen, so be it.
I avoided shredding chicken for years. I have this memory of me at my sister’s house with an enormous pile of steaming boiled chicken breast in front of us, and we’re struggling to transform that pile using … forks. No thanks. The enchiladas were delicious, but I’m a WAHM with three littles, one with special needs, so dinner has to be FAST!
Then I stumbled across this obscure tip online and it made all the difference. Basically, you use your stand mixer to shred the chicken. Not sure if this will work with a regular hand beater, but I suppose it’s worth a shot. If you don’t have a stand mixer, Christmas is only a few months away! I got mine for Christmas. Kohl’s was having a great deal on Kitchen Aid mixers.
1. Boil the chicken.
Big stock pot! You can save the leftover water as chicken stock later. My freezer filled up fast so I just toss it. You can throw in either frozen or thawed chicken after the water boils. Frozen just takes a bit longer. Either way it takes about 20-30 minutes once you stick the chicken in, but I usually just check by pulling the thickest piece out and slicing it through the center to see if there’s any pink.
2. When the chicken is done cooking, I like to let it cool a bit before sticking it in the mixer bowl.
3. Beat the cooked chicken to the right consistency.
As you can see, the standard flat beater works excellent. It takes about a minute or so for the chicken to reach the right consistency. Make sure you don’t overshred or it can take on a tunafish consistency.
What to do with your easily-obtained crop of shredded chicken? Here’s some ideas:
1. Tacos or fajitas
Simmer the meat in a pan with some water and taco seasoning.
2. Chicken salad sandwiches
3. Enchiladas
4. Chicken tortilla soup
What do YOU do with your shredded chicken? I’m always looking for yummy, easy dinner recipes!