# How do you make shredded chicken?



## vyapti

I'm making shredded chicken for enchilada's tomorrow.  I'm boiling some leg quarters, then I'll pick and shread the meat, pour some chicken broth, chili powder and cumin over it and let it sit overnight.

I was just wondering how others do it.


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## Haggis

Depends. If I just want some shredded chicken for a sandwich I will steam it.

If I want shredded chicken for a soup, such as a laksa, then I will gently poach it in some water, then include this water as part of the soup's liquid.

Either way, once it is cooked I just attack it with a fork.


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## vyapti

O.K.  I'm a dumb***.

I boiled my chicken with some celery, garlic & onion.  Pulled the chicken out to cool,  then poured a gallon of good stock down the drain.  Now I have to pull out some boullion cubes to finish the chicken, and use canned broth to make rice tomorrow night.


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## mish

Eeeeek. Sorry to read it, vyapti. Didn't see your post till now, or I would have suggested putting the chicken, broth & seasonings in a slow cooker. Everything practically falls apart by itself.


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## kadesma

I just simmer the chicken pieces of choice, for us that would be white meat, in a little water and chicken stock, covered. When done I reserve the stock and shred the chicken, add seasonings and finely chopped white or yellow onion, put into tortillas, that I've warmed and lay them in a baking dish or sheet pan with sides, that I've put some of the sauce into, then top with more sauce, warm in oven and at the very end add my cheese, remove from oven after cheese melts, and pass things like sliced olives, sour cream, sliced green onion, cilantro,avocado... 
kadesma


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## Gretchen

If you are asking exactly "how" to shred the chicken, I usually simmer mine enough that the meat falls from the bones and I can pull it apart with my fingers. Otherwise I take two forks and pull it into shreds. I just simmer chicken and then have GREAT stock for whatever I want to use it for.


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## Robo410

fork it for sure!  after a good simmering.  kinda same as spaghetti squash and a pork shoulder bbq'd slow and low.


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## AllenOK

I usually buy a Tyson cold roasted chicken at the grocery store, and pick that apart.  The scraps get saved for stock.  I normally do this for chicken soups, but will also do this for casseroles, enchiladas, etc.


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## skilletlicker

vyapti said:
			
		

> I'm making shredded chicken for enchilada's tomorrow. I'm boiling some leg quarters, then I'll pick and shread the meat, pour some chicken broth, chili powder and cumin over it and let it sit overnight.
> 
> I was just wondering how others do it.


 


			
				vyapti said:
			
		

> I boiled my chicken with some celery, garlic & onion. Pulled the chicken out to cool, then poured a gallon of good stock down the drain.


Ouch!
First I'm not a chef; just an old guy livin' off his own cookin' but here's my 2 cents. Assuming you started with water what you poured out was a good broth. If you had pulled the meat off bones after simmering 30 minutes or an hour and then returned the bones with the little bits of meat and tendons still attached, to your broth and continued to simmer for a couple 3 hours you'd have had a pretty good stock. This is quibling but I might have used a carrot and skipped the garlic thinking I might want to use some of that stock in something later that didn't really call for garlic, but after all, there isn't much that's not improved with a little garlic.
The next day, after defatting the chilled stock, I'd make a sauce with one or two pasilla, ancho or guajillo chilles and a little freshly ground cumin and, of course, more onion and garlic, for each cup of stock. If you use guajillos you need to peel the plastic-like skin or puree the devil out of them. Use the sauce to coat the meat and dip the tortillas in before forming the enchiladas.

That's more or less how I do it except I start with a whole chicken with the breast meat removed.


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## BreezyCooking

I must say that the following recipe is excellent. A friend gave it to me & I used it as a taco filling & they disappeared like magic with clamors for more. Next time I make it, I plan to use it as an enchilada filling.

Crockpot Sour Cream Salsa Chicken 

4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves 
1 package taco seasoning mix 
1 jar of salsa 
2 tablespoons cornstarch 
1/2 cup sour cream 
Spray the crockpot with cooking spray. Add the chicken 
breasts. Sprinkle with taco seasoning. Top with salsa. 
Cook on low for 6-8 hours. 
When ready to serve, remove the chicken from the pot. 
Place about 2 T cornstarch in a small amount of water. 
Stir well. Stir the cornstarch mixture into salsa 
sauce. Stir in sour cream.


If I weren't making the above recipe, however, & wanted shredded chicken for enchiladas, I normally poach some boneless, skinless chicken breasts, in either water or Swanson's chicken broth (saving/freezing the resulting broth for another use), & then cool & shred.


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## Constance

Our son's fiancee is from Mexico City, where her mother had a small restaurant. When they visited us, she made enchiladas for us, and she steamed her chicken meat. Once the meat was shredded, she put in part of a can of El Patio Mexican Tomato sauce (hot stuff, but good), cumin, and I can't remember what else, except that she put that whole mixture in a skillet and let it simmer until the juices were cooked out. 
Next time we talk to them, I'll ask her what all she used. 

Breezy, your recipe looks great...I'll try it soon.


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