I seem to always find recipes that call for already cooked chicken. I actually find myself writing many recipes that start with this too. It really is easier to make something quick if the slow-cooking ingredients, like the chicken, are already cooked. However, that chicken has to be cooked some time beforehand, whether it’s by you before you even start the recipe or by the store (hello, rotisserie chicken!).
I hate to say it, but I am a chicken snob. There really isn’t another way to say it. Chicken with fat, red spots, etc. just grosses me out, so I tend to spend a lot of time trimming it. Not only that, but I do not care for dark meat chicken. I know… it has more “flavor,” but not to me. I honestly prefer chicken breast, so that is what I cook with most.
Anyway, not too long ago, I would buy my chicken for recipes calling for cooked chicken already cooked. I found that Sam’s Club had frozen, pre-cooked chicken breasts, as well as grilled chicken in their deli section. (I am sure Costco has/had something similar, but I do not make it there nearly as often as I go to Sam’s.) That chicken was a little costly, though. Grocery stores sell rotisserie chicken too, but I wasted more chicken than I would care to admit because I did not want to use the dark meat. My grocery store sells just chicken breast meat from the rotisserie chicken, but it is way more expensive than I think it’s worth. Finally, there is canned chicken. I am not the biggest fan – I just didn’t grow up with it, so the idea is a little strange to me – but my husband likes it. So, it is a decent option.
Needless to say, I had a dilemma of what to do if I wanted to save money and make my life easier. I decided to come up with my own way to prepare the chicken ahead of time so I could easily add it to recipes. The result was my freezer shredded chicken. I found that I saved quite a bit of money by making my own cooked chicken for recipes. Not only that, but I also control the flavorings on the chicken and can eliminate the extra salt and preservatives that I am sure many already prepared chicken products have. The process does take a couple of hours, but it is well worth it.
Freezer shredded chicken does take time, but I feel that it saves time in the long run. The time I spend prepping the chicken all at once saves me time later on. When I am actually making recipes with the cooked chicken, I do not have any prep work to do on the chicken.
After I make the shredded chicken, I portion it out into ziplock bags. I try to get 2 cups into each bag because it seems that most recipes call for cooked chicken in that amount. After portioning out the chicken, I place all the little bags in a larger bag. That bag is labeled with the contents (“Shredded Chicken”), the approximate amount of chicken in each small bag, and the date. Then, the big bag goes into the freezer and the chicken is ready for me any time I need it.
When I go to use the chicken, I either place it in the fridge to thaw overnight or I simply throw it in the microwave for a few seconds to thaw it out. If the recipe calls for diced chicken, you can give the chicken a quick chop, and it’s ready to go. This chicken is not only quick, but it tastes great and does not break the bank!
As a side note, I do something similar with hamburger meat. I portion the uncooked meat into bags just like the shredded chicken (except I do about 1/2 pound portions of hamburger meat). Then, I freeze it and use it whenever I need it. Uncooked chicken can also be done in this way. I trim the chicken, put a few breasts in a bag, then use it in meals calling for uncooked chicken.
Shredded Chicken
Ingredients
- 8 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
- olive oil
- salt
- pepper
- seasoning salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400° and line a sheet pan with aluminum foil. Spray the sheet pan with nonstick spray.
- Place the chicken breasts on the sheet pan – be sure to leave a little room between each one for more even cooking.
- Drizzle a little olive oil on each chicken breast, then sprinkle them each with salt, pepper, and seasoned salt.
- Cook the chicken for 45 to 60 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked.
- Allow the chicken to cool enough to touch it, or about one hour.
- Use two forks, a mixer, or your hands to shred the chicken.
- Refrigerate or freeze the chicken for future use, or use it immediately.
Notes
- Each chicken breast yields close to 2 cups of shredded chicken.
- Seasonings on the chicken can be changed – these seasonings are meant to be versatile for use in most recipes.
