Shredded chicken recipe
Shredded chicken has so many different uses, whether you want it for tacos, salads, soups, sandwiches or stir-fries. It’s simple to make and this recipe, where the chicken is gently poached, ensures you get every bit of meat off the bone and the chicken stays meltingly tender. What’s more, you’ll also have a delicious homemade stock to use or freeze.
Tips:
- You don’t need to finely chop the vegetables, just roughly chop them into chunks.
- You can also cook the chicken in a slow cooker, which will take around six hours.
- To make crisp chicken skin, which you can use as a snack or for topping soups and salads, put the skin on a baking tray lined with baking parchment. Cover with another sheet of baking parchment and another baking tray. This prevents the skin from curling up. Bake at 220°C/428°F/gas mark 7 for 15 minutes or until perfectly crisp.
- Reduce the strained stock by a third, allow it to cool then freeze it for future use in sauces, casseroles and soups.
Ingredients
- 1 large free-range chicken, around 2kg (4lb 6oz)
- 2 large onions, peeled and cut in half
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 leeks, chopped
- 1 stick of celery, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled
- 5 whole black peppercorns
- 2 fresh bay leaves (or 1 dried)
- 2 –3 sprigs each of parsley and thyme, including the stalks
- 1 large free-range chicken, around 2kg (4lb 6oz)
- 2 large onions, peeled and cut in half
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 leeks, chopped
- 1 stick of celery, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled
- 5 whole black peppercorns
- 2 fresh bay leaves (or 1 dried)
- 2 –3 sprigs each of parsley and thyme, including the stalks
- 1 large free-range chicken, around 2kg (4lb 6oz)
- 2 large onions, peeled and cut in half
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 leeks, chopped
- 1 stick of celery, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled
- 5 whole black peppercorns
- 2 fresh bay leaves (or 1 dried)
- 2 –3 sprigs each of parsley and thyme, including the stalks
Details
- Cuisine: British
- Recipe Type: Chicken
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 15 mins
- Cooking Time: 50 mins
- Serves: 6
Step-by-step
- Put the chicken into a large pot and season it well all over with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add all the remaining ingredients to the pot.
- Pour in enough cold water which should come up to 2.5cm (1 inch) above the chicken. Bring it to the boil, then turn it down to a gentle simmer and cook for 50 minutes or until the juices in thickest part of the chicken thigh run clear.
- Allow the chicken to sit in the cooking liquid for 15 minutes, then carefully remove the chicken to a plate. As soon as you can handle the chicken (you may find it easier to wear food-safe gloves), carefully remove the skin and set aside.
- Pull away the meat from the chicken and shred it using two forks. Place into an airtight lidded container.
- Strain the stock through a sieve. Add a ladleful of the stock to the shredded chicken to keep it moist, then once it’s cool, store in the fridge. It will keep in the fridge for five days or it can be frozen in portions.
Main image: zoryanchik/Shutterstock
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