Shredded Chicken

 

The day I went shopping for meat for the tamales, there was shredded chicken in the deli.  It was $6/lb.  I get it; you're paying for them to do the dirty work.  But when you realize that they most likely use the previous day's unsold roasted chickens that sat under a heat lamp, it just seems a better idea to spend the time and effort to make your own.  So I bought a value pack of chicken breasts on last-day special for about $1.85/lb and cooked them up myself.

I ended up with about 8 cups of shredded chicken.  Yes, that's a lot, and way more than I needed for the tamales.  So I packed up the rest in pint containers and put them in the freezer.  Now I have pre-cooked chicken for casseroles, enchiladas, pasta, or a host of other recipes.  It will cut down on cooking time another day, for about two hours of mostly passive time on a day off.

As for what chicken you use, that's up to you.  I picked up skin-on, bone-in split chicken breasts because they were on sale.  Also, skin and bones bring flavor to the resulting broth.  Yes, you get chicken bone broth out of this!  It's doubly economical.

1.  Place raw chicken in a pot large enough to fit comfortably, but small enough that there won't be too much empty space.  Fill pot with water just to cover.  Chicken will float if you let it.

2.  Bring to a low boil, then immediately reduce heat to a simmer.  You don't want to kick up the weird chicken gunk that happens when you hard boil chicken.  Cover and allow to simmer for 90 minutes.  When you come back, it will look slightly smaller.  That's perfectly normal.

3.  Remove chicken from the water and allow to cool on a cutting board until just warm.  Meanwhile, you can strain the water through a fine-mesh sieve and save the stock.  It can be refrigerated for a week, or frozen for a few months.  Just be careful with the packaging and leave plenty of headspace during the freezing process.

4.  Carefully shred the chicken while still warm.  It's easier.  I say carefully because the inside is still hot.  Once shredded, the meat can be used immediately, stored in the fridge for about 5 days, or frozen for about three months in a sealed container.  If freezing, refrigerate first until chilled to reduce the likelihood of freezer burn.