How to Shred Chicken (3 Quick and Easy Ways)
How to shred chicken – the easy way! Shredded chicken is a meal prep staple and with these tips and tricks you will be shredding your chicken faster than ever. Three quick and easy methods!
Whether you poach chicken on the stove or make Instant Pot Shredded Chicken or Crockpot Shredded Chicken, you need a quick and easy way to turn those cooked chicken breasts into shredded or “pulled” chicken. Today I’m giving you not just one, but three easy ways to shred cooked chicken.
I’ll often cook a batch of chicken breasts and make shredded chicken to use in salads, sandwiches and casseroles. I used to dread the step of shredding the chicken because it would take so much time.
Now I’m able to make shredded chicken faster than ever. It’s great to have on hand in the refrigerator or freezer for quick dinners and lunches!
How to shred chicken using two forks
A simple way to shred chicken is to use two forks. Hold one fork in each hand, and use them to pull the meat apart.
You can shred the chicken into larger or smaller pieces depending on your needs.
How to shred chicken by hand
This is the most basic, yet effective way to shred chicken! Let your cooked chicken cool slightly and then use your fingers to pull the meat apart into shreds.
When you use your hands to shred chicken it’s quick and easy to get the pieces of shredded chicken just the size you want them.
How to shred chicken in a stand mixer
This is my favorite way to shred chicken when I need to get the job done really fast. It takes just seconds to shred multiple chicken breasts in your stand mixer. You can shred four or even more chicken breasts at once.
Yes, you have to wash the mixer bowl and beater at the end, but if you wash it right away it comes clean easily.
To shred chicken using a stand mixer, place the chicken in the mixer bowl. Using the paddle attachment, mix on low speed until the chicken pieces are the size that you want them. It will take less than a minute to shred a whole recipe’s worth of chicken.
You can also use a hand mixer to shred your cooked chicken, if you prefer.
Which of these three methods do I use? All three, actually! Depending on what else I’m doing in my kitchen I choose which of these three methods is easiest that day. The best way to shred chicken is really the one that works best for you.
Tips for how to shred chicken breast
- Let chicken cool slightly before shredding it. If it’s too hot it will lose all of its juices and/or burn your hands or steam up your mixer when you shred it.
- Shred chicken while it’s warm. Warm chicken shreds much easier than cold. If you want to slice your chicken breasts for sandwiches and salads, then cold is the way to go.
- Stir some of the cooking liquid back into the shredded chicken for moist, flavorful shredded chicken.
- Cooked shredded chicken will last for 3-4 days in the refrigerator or 2-3 months in the freezer.
How to cook shredded chicken
- My favorite way to cook chicken for shredding is to make this Instant Pot shredded chicken. It’s fast, hands-off and turns out perfectly tender and juicy every time.
- Another easy way to cook chicken breasts is to make crockpot shredded chicken.
- You can also cook juicy chicken breasts for shredding by poaching the chicken in a pot of chicken broth or water on the stove.
I just got my IP. Hope to use it frequently.
You’re going to love it! If you haven’t already, check out my easy Instant Pot instructions.
Hi Kristine. We have made a traditional Hmong dish for years using your shredding methods. One day we saw a cooking vlog from among man who suggested shredding in a mortar. Life changing! Okay maybe that’s a little dramatic, but shredding chicken with a pestle and mortar is a game changer. By far the quickest way and the most finely shredded. Thought we would share beings that it has helped us so much.
That is interesting to know. Thank you for sharing.
I’m interested in learning how to shred chicken using a hand mixer but I didn’t see any info. Did I miss it? Do I use the regular beaters,or a dough hook??, Or what??? Thank you for the information. This issue has kept me from some recipes b/c shredding chicken with one hand is an exercise in frustration (I don’t own a stand mixer, so it appears the hand mixer is my only choice at this point).. Thank you!!
I would use the beaters and low speed if using a hand mixer. A dough hook would probably work well too, though! 🙂
WOW! Shredding chicken with my Kitchen Aid mixer was so quick and simple! Thanks for the tip.
I put the warm chicken breasts in a zip-lock bag and “massage” it. The chicken gets shredded to desired size, my hands (and the chicken) stay clean, and it can go directly in the fridge.
This is a great tip! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Thanks for this helpful posting! One way to help with cleanup if using a stand mixer is to lightly spray nonstick cooking spray on the bowl and paddle. I use olive oil spray which has not impacted the taste of the chicken. Happy shredding!