You found chicken on sale and bought a lot. Now what? Let’s get a good deal of it cooked (see how here) and shredded so you have an easy shortcut to chicken salad, soups, or even a casserole. But what’s the best way to shred cooked chicken?
There are several options now…including a popular hack that didn’t work quite as well for me as I’d hoped. I’ll break them all down here (AND tell you my favorite) and you can decide what works for your situation.
Chopping
Anyone can chop chicken meat…no super duper tools or skills required. A good chef’s knife will get the job done. And if you’re dealing with cooked chicken that has cooled off completely or has been refrigerated, this is really your only option…and it will be end up in chunks. But that’s okay. There are times you just don’t have the bandwidth to do it all at once.
Pulling
If it’s cooled enough to handle, you can certainly pull it into threads by hand. This is the way my mom always did it. I am very sensitive to heat so I was looking for another option.
Shredding by mixer
Maybe you’ve seen the hack to shred chicken with a standing mixer. Well, I don’t have one, but I decided to try my hand mixer. This one has to be done while the chicken is still hot so the fibers of the meat are easily separated.
Put the cooked chicken upside down in your deepest bowl (I started with my chicken breasts right side up and didn’t get very far), dig the beaters in a little bit, and go on low. It took a little work for me to get it all done…maybe starting with smaller chunks would be better. (Never put your hand in the bowl while the mixer is running!)
But here’s what happens eventually…Yep, I sprayed chicken all over the counter. And these are just the biggest pieces…the ones I could actually see flying in the video (see my Instagram reel here). There were LOTS of tiny bits of chicken as well. I’m still finding them stuck on the items that sit on my counter all the time!
Shredding by food processor
My favorite method for shredding remains pulsing it in the food processor. Break the breasts into 2 or 3 chunks after cooling just a couple of minutes, then load in the processor and pulse a few times. Be careful not to put in too much at one time.
If you end up with a couple of pieces still too big, empty out the part that is to your liking, and put those pieces in with the next batch, till all is done.
The final step with shredding cooked chicken
Once all the meat is chopped, spread it out on a baking sheet and fully cool before freezing it or using it in a cold chicken salad. You don’t want condensation either creating from the temperature difference causing freezer burn OR making your salad soggy.
I freeze mine in 2 or 3 cups worth in quart freezer bags. Most recipes requiring pre-cooked chicken call for these amounts. Most chicken salads call for 1 pound or 3 cups meat.
Let me know which method you use to shred your chicken. And share this tip to save everyone some hassle and clean up!
