Chopping chicken meat with a food processor is a quick and convenient method; once cooked and still hot, cut it into pieces and transfer it to the container of the appliance. Start it at minimum speed and then gradually increase it to medium-high level; leave the robot in action for a minute or so to get perfect shredded chicken! If you don't have this appliance, you can use a whisk for similar results; however, if the meat contains bones, it is better to proceed with forks.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: with a food processor
Step 1. Prepare the chicken
You can only chop it with the food processor if it is hot. There are many ways to prepare meat before shredding it, for example you can cook it in the oven for 30-40 minutes at 200 ° C. If you don't want to turn on the oven, you can boil the chicken or fry it in a pan with oil.
- To boil it, put it in cold water and heat everything up to a boil; reduce the heat to low, put the lid on the pot and wait 90 minutes.
- To brown the meat, put it in oil at a medium-high temperature for a minute, turn it over and reduce the heat to low; cover the pan and cook the chicken for 10 minutes.
- Regardless of the method you decide to use, always respect the security protocol; for example, always use antibacterial soap to wash cutting boards and other surfaces that have come into contact with raw meat, as well as wash your hands thoroughly after cooking the chicken.
- Choose the right cut of chicken. To mince it with the food processor you must first remove the bones; boned breasts and thighs are best suited.
Step 2. Get the right food processor
Not all appliances are suitable for this job; in general, planetary mixers - equipped with the correct accessory - are the best solutions for shredding this meat. The other robots are also useful, but the planetary machines are the most used and of proven effectiveness.
Step 3. Cut the chicken pieces in half
Although it is not absolutely essential, know that if you cut the meat into small pieces, the appliance has less difficulty in reducing it into shreds; dividing the breasts and thighs into two parts, you favor the processing without spending too much time slicing and reducing them into cubes.
Step 4. Turn on the robot
Place the hot chicken in the mixer bowl and insert the leaf accessory into the rotating arm. Set a slow speed (usually by turning the knob to the second position) and once the meat begins to break, gradually increase it to a medium-high level (between 4 and 6). Continue for about a minute or until all the meat is shredded.
Method 2 of 3: Using Chicken Strips
Step 1. Freeze them
If you've made up a large amount, you can store leftovers in a sealable container and freeze them for future defrosting when you need them. By shredding a large amount of meat, you save the time and effort of making the food processor every time you need to make a dish with shredded meat.
Remove the chicken portion you intend to cook from the freezer and let it defrost for a few hours
Step 2. Make slow cooker chicken strips
Cut a large onion into cubes, sprinkle 2 kg of chicken with a spoonful of aromatic herbs and garlic or according to your taste; put the onion on the bottom of the slow cooker and add the meat afterwards. Set the appliance to maximum temperature and cook for 2-3 hours; alternatively, you can reduce the heat and extend the time up to 4-5 hours. At the end, remove the chicken from the pan, serve the tender and tasty strips accompanied by steamed broccoli and rice.
This recipe makes for eight servings
Step 3. Try some chicken shredded sandwiches in barbecue sauce
In a large bowl, mix 5 ml of soy sauce with the same amount of Worcestershire sauce, 4 ml of apple cider vinegar, a pinch of red pepper flakes, one of garlic powder, one of onion powder, 80 ml of ketchup and 5 g. of brown sugar.
- Transfer the sauce to a medium-sized pan along with 250 g of chicken strips; heat everything over medium heat for 3-4 minutes and then reduce the heat to low. Cover the pan and continue cooking for 50-55 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Toast some bread or sesame burger buns on a cast iron skillet; spread some mayonnaise on the bread and add a generous spoonful of chicken strips. Accompany the dish with green beans and corn.
- Be careful not to overcook the meat, or it will dry out.
Step 4. Make chicken tacos
Get some tacos or tortillas; you can use hard or soft ones indifferently. Pour 10 ml of seed oil into a small non-stick pan and heat it over medium heat; add a tablespoon of chopped onion and fry it for two minutes. Mix in half a kilo of chicken strips, a pinch of cumin, one of chili powder and 60 ml of tomato sauce.
- Mix all the ingredients, turn on the stove over high heat and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to low and continue simmering for about three minutes.
- Take a spoonful of rags and place it in the taco; garnish with cheese, mushrooms, cilantro or diced peppers to suit your taste.
Method 3 of 3: Emergency Techniques
Step 1. Tear the meat into small pieces
Unlike the food processor method, the others require you to shred the chicken a little in advance; shred or cut the meat into pieces no larger than 2-3 cm per side.
Again, there must be no bones
Step 2. Shred the meat with a fork
Stick a piece of boneless chicken with two forks after placing it on a plate or in a bowl; both cutlery must have the tips pointing downwards. Push a fork into the meat with firm pressure, insert the second one near the first and pull it in a straight line to tear the meat.
- Don't pull it up in the same direction you put it in; instead move it horizontally following the plane of the plate or bowl. By pulling the second fork away from the first, you can tear off a large portion of meat.
- You may notice that the chicken is fibrous and breaks up into thin strips, but this is completely normal.
- Stick it again with the second fork and repeat the process. When you've torn off most or all of one side, remove the first cutlery you used to hold the meat in place and stick it in another area.
- Continue like this until the entire cut is shredded.
Step 3. Use a hand mixer
Place the pieces of meat in a sturdy pyrex or glass bowl; most of these containers are large enough for two chicken breasts or two thighs. Put the whisk of the appliance in the bowl and turn it on at minimum speed; hold the bowl steady with one hand and move the whisk with the other. Do this until all the meat is chopped (usually less than 60 seconds).
- Do not lift the whips as they turn, or else scatter chicken bits all over the kitchen.
- Once the meat is cut into small pieces, turn off the whisk and remove it from the bowl.
- If you have to work more than two pieces of chicken, chop them into batches. For example, mince two cuts and then transfer them to a plate or container; then add more meat previously torn by hand and work it with a whisk.
