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Home » How To Shred Chicken – 3 ways

How To Shred Chicken – 3 ways

By Kristina LaRue, RDN 14 Comments

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How to shred chicken breast and thighs? Here are 3 easy ways to make shredded chicken without using fork and knife. Best ways to shred chicken fast using a mixer, blender, food processor!

bowl of shredded chicken breast

If you’re wondering how to shred chicken breast, I’m bringing you the 3 easiest ways to make shredded chicken!

Shredded chicken has changed my life. Okay, that may be a little dramatic but it sure has made our weeknights easier! And I’m all about that. If I’m begin honest, we eat out a little too much. It’s definitely something that we are always striving to work on as a family.

We are budgeters and manage our finances through Quicken. We really don’t “think” we eat out much or “feel” like we eat out much, but you can’t hide from the numbers. If you manage your finances and look at the data weekly or monthly, it’s like an in-your-face-you-can’t-hide-from-it-truth.

So we’re all about working on different strategies to aid in this process of “It’s 8pm and we just walked in the door from work, we’re too tired to cook so let’s go to Taco Tuesday.” Ya’ll know what I’m talking about??

Enter how to shred chicken without using a fork and a knife. 

bowl of salad with shredded chicken breast, avocado, cucumbers, shredded carrots and grape tomatoes

I don’t know about you but after cooking my chicken breast and thighs, I don’t want to spend any extra time in the kitchen…

So I’m all about mission: how to shred chicken fast. 

Once you cook your chicken (click here if you need a quick instant pot shredded chicken recipe), it’s time to shred it. Of course you can use a fork and a knife but the hand mixer, KitchenAid, blender, and food processor are much more efficient.

If you’ve ever wondered how your favorite chicken salad restaurants get that deliciously shredded chicken, they are likely using one of these 3 methods of shredding to get evenly shredded pieces of chicken, rather than uneven chunks.

overhead shot of bowl with shredded chicken breast, black beans, diced tomatoes, shredded cheese and avocado

Now let’s get into it. 

I think it’s best to allow the chicken to rest at least 5 minutes before shredding so that you don’t release too much moisture and dry out your chicken breast with shredding and this also helps you to prevent over beating the chicken into a mushy mess. 

How to shred chicken in mixer?

mixing bowl with shredded chicken breast

My absolutely favorite way to shred chicken is using the hand mixer! Major perks to shredding chicken right in the instant pot or slow cooker– and not dirtying another dish!

Place hand mixer into your instant pot, slow cooker or mixing bowl, and slowly increase speed while using a mixing motion to shred the chicken breast. This method only takes less than a minute, depending on how much chicken you’re using. 

In my opinion, using the hand mixer is the best way to shred chicken! 

And then there’s always the stand mixer. I don’t keep this on my countertop so it’s not as efficient for me to use anymore. But it’s fastest way to shred chicken and basically no effort on your part, just let the mixer do the shredding! Place cooked chicken breast (and thighs if using) into the mixing bowl, using paddle attachment beat chicken until it’s shredded. 

Can you shred chicken in a blender?

blender with shredded chicken breast

Yes, I have used a blender to shred chicken. My Vitamix works great to shred chicken to the perfect consistency but it definitely works best if you have the tamper. 

Plus, my Vitamix is a kitchen appliance staple that I use on the daily so PTL for it’s multipurpose use! It truly is the best blender that I’ve ever owned. 

blender with shredded chicken breast

How to shred chicken breast in the food processor?

shredded chicken breast in food processor

Shredding chicken breast in the food processor is a little bit of a science. While it can definitely be done, be careful not to over process the chicken. 

If there are any chunks that are too large, the best way to get those smaller without ruining the whole batch of shredded chicken is to pull them out and quickly shred in your hands. Or you can dump out the shredded chicken into a bowl and place the chicken breast that needs more shredding back into the food processor for a quick chop.

Definitely doable but requires a few more steps and care! This method is how I like to shred chicken for baby– and it also works great for chicken salad. 

slice of bread with shredded chicken salad and fresh spinach

Want to know the best kept secret about shredded chicken breast?

shredded chicken breast in freezer friendly bags

Shredded chicken can be frozen! Freeze prepped chicken breast in proportioned bags to make it easy for defrosting as you need it!

Easy as pie guys. It will change your life.

Now that you know how to shred chicken breast, be sure to check out our post on best shredded chicken recipes!

And if you need to know how to cook shredded chicken in the instant pot, check out our recipe for Instant Pot Shredded Chicken!

More Recipes using Shredded Chicken:

  • Easy Instant Pot Crack Chicken and Broccoli

  • Instant Pot Chicken and Yellow Rice

  • Pulled Chicken Avocado Sliders

And if you’re working on meal prep, check out our other meal prep posts! 

  • How to Meal Prep for the Week | Busy Moms Guide

  • Healthy Freezer Breakfast Sandwiches

  • Sheet Pan Breakfast Bowls

  • 15 Healthy Breakfast Recipes with Eggs

 

Print

How to Shred Chicken


★★★★

4 from 1 reviews

  • Author: Kristina LaRue, RD, CSSD
  • Prep Time: 5 mins
  • Cook Time: 25 mins
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 8 servings
Print Recipe
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Description

How to shred chicken breast and thighs? Here are 3 easy ways to make shredded chicken without using fork and knife. Best ways to shred chicken fast using a mixer, blender, food processor!


Ingredients

  • cooked shredded chicken breast (and/or chicken thighs)

Instructions

  1. Shred chicken using a mixer, you can use a hand mixer or Kitchen Aid mixer to shred chicken. Place cooked chicken breast into mixing bowl and shred on low speed until chicken is fully chopped.
  2. Shred chicken using a blender, place chicken a high powered blender and shred on low, increasing speed until chicken is shredded. Use tamper to push chicken down into blades. You may need to turn blender off and give it a little shake to move the chicken around a bit to get all the chicken shredded.
  3. Shred chicken using a food processor, place chicken in the food processor and take care not to overprices the chicken. If any large chunks remain, remove from food processor and shred by hand or remove shredded chicken and place larger chunks back into food process for a quick shred.

Notes

Nutrition info based on 4 ounces shredded chicken.

For how to cook chicken in the Instant Pot, check out this post.

What To Make with Shredded Chicken?, check out this post.

  • Category: How To
  • Method: Slow Cooker
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 4oz shredded chicken
  • Calories: 135
  • Sugar: 0g
  • Sodium: 193mg
  • Fat: 3g
  • Saturated Fat: 1g
  • Unsaturated Fat: 0g
  • Trans Fat: 0g
  • Carbohydrates: 1g
  • Fiber: 0g
  • Protein: 28g
  • Cholesterol: 90mg

Keywords: how to shred chicken breast, how to make shredded chicken breast, best way to shred chicken

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Kristina LaRue, RDN

Hi I’m Kristina LaRue, RD (registered dietitian nutritionist), Peloton addict and mama to two active and hungry boys. On Love & Zest, you’ll find healthy-ish recipes that fuel the whole family. I’m all about veggie-filled breakfast, meal prep recipes, healthier sweets, and easy weeknight dinners made in the Instant Pot or sheet pan.

Did you make one of my recipes?? Leave a review in the comments and tag @loveandzest #loveandzest on Instagram!

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Filed Under: poultry, weeknight Tagged With: healthy, poultry, recipe, shredded chicken, slow cooker, weeknight

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Comments

  1. Ellen says

    October 24, 2015 at 9:34 pm

    Love this recipe! I’ve been cooking up a pot regularly and freezing in meal portion baggies. So far, I’ve used in Chop Suey, Sweet and Sour, Pulled chicken and Love and Zest Chicken Fajita Stuffed Sweet potatoes which are awesome! Makes meal planning so much easier when the “protein” is already cooked and ready to go!

    Reply
    • Kristina LaRue says

      October 31, 2015 at 3:00 pm

      So glad to hear it! Thanks Ellen.

      Reply
  2. Lotusgrl says

    April 8, 2014 at 9:45 am

    Shredded chicken sounds so yummy. I’d suggest using low-sodium broth (or just water) for lower salt intake. I prepare chicken in water (and sometimes tomatoes) in the CrockPot, and it seems to do well without the broth.

    Reply
    • Kristina LaRue says

      April 8, 2014 at 10:26 am

      Great point! I always use low sodium broth for myself..while encouraging my athlete to use regular broth. Love the chicken in tomato idea, thanks for sharing!!

      Reply
  3. Katie | Healthy Seasonal Recipes says

    April 4, 2014 at 8:07 am

    Now that Jase has been packing lunch (since we got a copy of your book in November) I have a hard time having enough left-overs for my own lunches. This is just the kind of tip I needed today. Oh, and I am totally dying for a pressure cooker. This recipe is yet another great way to use one.

    ★★★★

    Reply
    • Kristina LaRue says

      April 4, 2014 at 8:52 am

      YAY! It’s so cool to me that he loves the book. 🙂 Get the pressure cooker– changed my life! Makes the best beans too– in 20 minutes. I have a Sitram and you can find my review here: http://www.foodandnutrition.org/March-April-2014/Not-Your-Grandmothers-Pressure-Cooker/

      Reply
  4. Emily @ Zen & Spice says

    April 2, 2014 at 11:09 am

    Great post! I like to prep chicken ahead of time too. I use BBQ sauce and make pulled chicken for lunches!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Best Kitchen Gadgets and Tools | Love & Zest says:
    April 28, 2019 at 12:13 pm

    […] Vitamix Blender. People seem to either be team Vitamix or team Ninja these days and I’m personally all aboard the Vitamix train. This blender is so powerful and works wonders for shredding chicken breast! […]

    Reply
  2. Healthy Shredded Chicken Recipes | What To Make With Shredded Chicken? says:
    April 2, 2019 at 2:36 pm

    […] shredded chicken recipes but here’s a little guide around the blog if you’re wondering How to Shred Chicken (without using and fork and knife!), How to cook a whole chicken in the instant pot, or the fastest […]

    Reply
  3. Instant Pot Easy Shredded Chicken | How to Cook Chicken in the Instant Pot says:
    April 25, 2017 at 11:49 am

    […] slow cooker shredded chicken breast. Hi, Instant Pot Easy Shredded […]

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  4. Instant Pot Chicken and Yellow Rice | a simple gluten free weeknight dinner recipe | love & zest says:
    March 31, 2017 at 5:00 am

    […] and the Instant Pot is also my new favorite way to cook simple shredded chicken. Goodbye slow cooker hello Instant Pot. I made this amazing Lemon Chicken Salad today from raw […]

    Reply
  5. Easy Pumpkin Mac n Cheese | Simple Weeknight Dinners says:
    October 22, 2016 at 5:01 am

    […] leftovers can help when you’re in a bit of a time crunch. It is so easy to use your leftover slow cooker chicken from Tuesday’s dinner and toss it with pasta and sautéed onions for Wednesdays dinner. The best […]

    Reply
  6. Okra Succotash - love & zest says:
    May 24, 2016 at 9:37 am

    […] a pan that has enough room for sautéing and to cook everything in one pan! If you want to cook simple shredded chicken really quick– you need this pan. Just pop the lid on and it cooks up so fast. Why have a slow […]

    Reply
  7. Vegetarian Sofritas Burrito Bowls - love & zest says:
    May 3, 2016 at 7:22 pm

    […] recipe is my new jam. I’ve made it back to back nights– veggie style and with shredded chicken because the hubs prefers meat. I was happy when my intern Kristy shared her authentic sofritas […]

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Thanks for stopping by Love & Zest. I’m Kristina LaRue, RDN (registered dietitian nutritionist), Peloton addict and mama to two active and hungry boys. Here on L&Z, I share healthy-ish recipes that fuel the whole family. I'm a fan of adding veggies to everything and recipes that make mom life easier.
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