How to Make Simple Moist Shredded or Cut Up Chicken

Have you ever needed some cooked shredded or cut up chicken for a salad, casserole, appetizer or let’s be honest, one of the other million dishes out there that call for it? If your like me, you don’t like to waste your time or money to go get a store cooked rotisserie chicken. Well this quick method has been a blessing to me and my go to method for getting well seasoned, moist shredded chicken every time I need it.  You can even make this ahead and refrigerate it or freeze it for later.

  I haven’t really thought of sharing “recipes” like this because I guess it isn’t much of a recipe but more of a technique. But I can’t even begin to count how many times I have used this method since I found it, so I really think this is a great “recipe” to share and hope others find it as incredibly useful as I have!

Easy Shredded Chicken

This basic recipe can easily be doubled or tripled to get as much chicken as you need. If making just 1 chicken breast you can use a smaller 8 inch skillet, if doing more use a larger skillet.

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Ingredients

  

• 1 Boneless Chicken breast trimmed of fat
• Salt and Pepper
• Garlic Powder optional
• 1 Tbsp of Olive or Coconut Oil
• 1/3 cup of water or chicken broth

Instructions

 

• Heat oil in a skillet (use one that has a lid to it) over medium high heat- (the original recipe states use a non stick pan but I have had great luck with cast iron and stainless steel cookware as well just being careful to use enough oil)
• Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel and season with salt, pepper and if desired, garlic powder. Place in hot skillet and cook on one side until browned, about 3 to 5 minutes. Flip the chicken over and add the water or broth to the skillet, cover with lid, and reduce the heat to medium. Continue to cook the chicken until an instant read thermometer reads 160°F in the thickest part of the chicken. This will take about another 6 to 9 minutes, depending on how thick the chicken breast is.
• Transfer the chicken to a cutting board or plate and let rest for several minutes before cutting or shredding.

Notes

If the liquid evaporates from the pan before the chicken is cooked- add more water or broth as needed.

Adapted from Americas Test Kitchen