A Houseful of Love

When I was newly postpartum with my first baby, I discovered the power of not only freezer meals (great, until you’re sick of eating the things you prepped), but prepared and frozen meat that I could throw into any meal I wanted. Frozen shredded chicken was a life saver in those early days.

Want to add some protein to an otherwise vegetarian soup? Add some chicken – it will thaw and reheat in the pot. Or want a quick protein for a stir fry or pasta dish? Grab some frozen chicken. How about some barbeque chicken sandwiches or buffalo chicken dip? Again, frozen chicken will do the trick.

It became a habit. Now, most of my chicken recipes use precooked, shredded chicken that I prepare when I have a free morning or afternoon. Sometimes I also freeze leftovers from a spatchcocked chicken or two roasted chickens, but most of my shredded chicken is made using the method below.

This works out especially well because my local grocery store often has “buy 1 get 2 free” sales on packs of chicken thighs or chicken drums. You better believe I stock up and replenish my freezer stash when those sales appear!

Why is this the best method for preparing large amounts of shredded chicken?

In short:

1. It’s delicious & versatile.
2. It’s easy.
3. It’s affordable.

More specifically, because the chicken is slowly cooked to about 195°F, the connective tissue in the thighs or drums begins to break down. This results in ultra-tender chicken that shreds pretty much as soon as you look at it. Once it’s shredded, pack it up in freezer bags in usable quantities (I like 1-2lb increments). Use it in any chicken recipe – just start at the point in the recipe after the chicken is cooked if it originally called for raw chicken!

I find that this saves me a ton of time when it comes to cooking meals and meal prepping. It takes a little bit of time to shred the chicken, but most of the time is totally hands off while it simmers. It’s also the easiest chicken to shred because it is just so tender!

And because it lets me cook a ton of chicken at once, I can buy chicken only when there’s a really good sale and stock our freezer until the sale comes around again.

Cooking this way also means that you end up with a pot full of chicken broth once you’ve removed the chicken meat. If you want to make some chicken bone broth, toss the bones, tendons, and skin back in. You can also add some chicken bones and vegetable scraps if you save those in your freezer. Then just allow it to simmer for about 24 hours, until the bones begin to crumble. Now you have bone broth to use in any number of recipes!

Does this method work to make shredded chicken with any cut of chicken?

I prefer to use it for making shredded chicken thighs or drumsticks. However, you can modify it to work for chicken breasts. Just keep a much closer eye on the temperature and take the chicken breast out as soon as it reaches 165°F. Chicken breast doesn’t have all of the connective tissue that you find in dark meat, so it doesn’t need to get as hot. In fact, it will get tough at 195°F!

The main reason I prefer to use it for chicken drums or thighs is that the bones and connective tissue in the dark meat is a rich source of collagen and gelatin. That means that when I eat it (or the chicken bone broth I make after the shredded chicken), I get an extra boost of collagen and gelatin. That’s especially important when I’m pregnant or postpartum, but it’s so good for everyone else too. Kids need it to support their growing bodies. We adults also need it, especially after our mid-to-late-20s when our bodies’ natural collagen production begins to slow down!

What is the ideal internal temperature to cook chicken thighs to for easy shredded chicken?

According to America’s Test Kitchen, we want to cook the chicken low and slow until the thighs reach 190-195°F. This is what allows all of the abundant connective tissue in the dark meat to break down into gelatin and collagen, making the meat tender and juicy.

And don’t worry about losing the gelatin and collagen. If you use the cooking liquid (chicken broth by the time the chicken finishes cooking) – as well as the chicken skin, tendons, and bones – to make bone broth, you’ll get all of the good nutrients from the chicken thighs that aren’t present in the meat.

What are some ways to use cooked shredded chicken?

Cooked shredded chicken is incredibly versatile, and I’ve found that it works in almost any recipe that calls for raw, boneless chicken as long as I factor in that the chicken is already cooked. That means it works well in soups, chilis, curries, pasta dishes, stir fries, and just about anything. It also is perfect for meals that typically call for shredded chicken, from barbeque chicken sandwiches to buffalo chicken dip.

Ingredients

• Chicken Thighs or Drumsticks – as many as you can buy and/or fit in your pot. I use a 20-quart stainless steel pot and it’s great because I can cook over 30lbs of chicken thighs in it at once. Here, I only cooked about 20lbs because my grocery store had limited stock. Chicken breast will also work, though it won’t give you as much collagen/gelatin and should not be cooked above 165°F.
• Water
• Salt and Pepper – I don’t use a specific proportion of these. Just a good pinch of salt and some freshly ground pepper until it looks like enough.
• Apple Cider Vinegar (optional) – just a splash of apple cider vinegar helps to draw the minerals out of the bones. I also find that it adds just a subtle little something to the flavor of the chicken, probably because the acidity balances the fattiness of the dark meat. However, I don’t notice it unless I forget to add it.

Directions

Step 1: Put chicken in a large pot and cover with water. Make sure there is at least an inch or so of water above the chicken.

Step 2: Add a splash of apple cider vinegar and some salt and pepper.

Step 3: Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once it boils, reduce to a simmer and continue cooking until the thighs (or drums) are 190-195°F. If cooking chicken breasts, cook until 165°F, then remove promptly.

Step 4: Remove the chicken from the pot and shred. Separate the bones, tendons, and skin from the shredded meat. Pack the shredded chicken into freezer bags in usable quantities.

Step 5 (optional): Add the bones, tendons, and skin back to the pot. If you have an additional freezer stash of chicken bones or vegetable scraps, feel free to add those to the pot as well.

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Nutrition Facts

Amount Per 100g Serving (meat only, skin removed)
Calories: 164 kcal
Fat: 8g
Total Carbohydrates: 0g
Fiber: 0g
Protein: 23g

The nutrition data provided here is for informational only and is only an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. It cannot be verified or guaranteed, and should not be used in the treatment of medical conditions. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice This data should be interpreted and used at your own risk.