Easy Way to Shred Chicken

Shredded chicken is great in so many recipes and you’ll want to learn this trick for the easiest way to shred chicken.

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If you are a regular reader of my blog, then you know I have a very busy life with three kids. We are always running to practices, games, church lessons, and doing homework.

I’m always looking for shortcuts and recipes that are easy to make. I don’t have even an hour most nights to make dinner. Sometimes I’m making dinner at lunch time because that’s the only time I’ll have all day.

Overhead view of white bowl full of shredded chicken

The Easiest Way to Shred Chicken

I realized that I can do somethings to make my life a little easier and have a few recipes that call for shredded chicken. I cook a huge batch at one time and freeze what I’m not using. It’s perfect to be able to pull out when assembling a casserole or one of these other dishes.

How to Shred Chicken

First off, I like to use boneless skinless chicken breasts when I need to shred chicken.

I start out by bringing a large pot of water to a boil and drop my boneless skinless chicken in and bring it back to boil. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Drain the water out.

Of course, you don’t have to use my cooking method, you don’t have to cook chicken in boiling water. I just find that’s easiest for me. You can also do it in the Instant Pot or slow cooker.

Instead of pulling the cooked chicken out on a cutting board and using 2 forks to shred, I grab my Kitchen Aid stand mixer. You can use a regular hand mixer too.

I add 2, maybe 3 chicken breasts to the bowl and set it on the lowest setting. It may take a second or two to get started but the chicken will begin to shred. It literally take just a minute to complete.

Can I freeze shredded chicken?

Yes! I love making a big batch and freezing my shredded chicken breasts for another day. See below. I added some recipes that call for shredded chicken.