Can You Shred Chicken in a Blender: Simple 4 Step Process

Can you shred chicken in a blender? You can! There are 4 simple steps to follow that will help you get the job done quickly and efficiently.

In this blog post, we’re going to go over can you shred chicken in a blender, why should you shred chicken in a blender and reasons to use a blender for shredding chicken.

The best part is that all these steps can be completed with just one kitchen appliance: your blender. If this sounds like something that would interest you, then keep reading.

How to Shred Chicken in a Blender

Shredding chicken in a blender is a simple process. It involves cooking the chicken, letting it rest, and then adding to the blender. Simple!

Let’s go over each of these steps one by one so that you can familiarize yourself with the process and get great results every time.

Step 1: Cook the Chicken

The first step is to cook the chicken. Shredding raw, uncooked meat can be dangerous and result in undercooked or even uncooked pockets of meat within your shredded mixture. To avoid this, you should always thoroughly cook your meat before shredding it.

To cook the chicken, you can boil it, steam it or roast it.

Boiling is the most common method of cooking chicken for shredding purposes because not only does boiling make the meat moist and tender, but also very easy to shred.

You may want to season your water before adding in your chicken so that you’ll get more flavor throughout once shredded. A simple way to do this is with some salt, pepper, and maybe even a little bit of garlic.

Once you’ve cooked your chicken for about 20 minutes or so, check that it is fully cooked. You can do this by cutting into one of the larger pieces and seeing that it is white all the way through. Chicken breast and thigh will take about 20 minutes to fully cook, and larger pieces of chicken will take longer.

You can also use a meat thermometer to check the temperature of the cooked chicken. Once it hits 165 degrees Fahrenheit or 75 degrees Celsius at the thickest point, you can remove it from the heat.

Step 2: Let the Chicken Rest

The next step is letting the chicken rest. This allows all of those juices to settle and redistribute throughout your meat, making for a much more flavorful and juicy final product compared with just immediately shredding after cooking.

To let it rest, simply cover it in foil or plastic wrap and set it aside on the countertop until it comes down to around room temperature.

Step 3: Remove any Bones from the Chicken

While this step is optional, it can be a good idea to check for any bones left in your chicken before shredding. You can also remove the bones before cooking if it is easier.

To do so, simply look over each piece of cooked meat and remove any tiny bones that you may see with tweezers or pliers. This will ensure that no one gets injured from accidentally ingesting these sharp pieces.

While you can grind chicken bones in a blender, you really don’t want ground bones in with your chicken meat. It’s going to give your final product a gritty texture and could even result in some cuts from the bones.

Step 4: Add the Chicken to the Blender

The final step is to add the cooked chicken meat into your blender and blend it until you’ve reached a shredded consistency. A high-powered blender such as a Vitamix works best for this.

You may have to do this step in batches, depending on the capacity of your blender. You can also shred chicken breasts or thighs separately so that you don’t accidentally blend them all together into one mixture.

Why Shred Chicken in a Blender?

While there are many kitchen appliances that will help you prepare shredded chicken for various recipes and dishes, blenders tend to be very easy-to-use options because they’re small enough not to take up too much room but still powerful enough for most jobs.

They’re versatile tools that can quickly turn cooked meat like chicken breast into moist, tender pieces with ease. Plus, using your blender as opposed to other appliances such as food processors or stand mixers makes clean-up a breeze.

Shredding chicken in a blender is also a great time saver. Instead of having to shred chicken by hand, you can quickly prepare a large batch for recipes and ingredients in just a few minutes.

Another reason why people choose blenders is that they allow them to make shredded meat from larger batches of cooked chicken at once rather than only being able to do small amounts at one time with your hands or cutlery.

They’re also great if you want your final product moist and tender instead of dry or hard – perfect for making dishes such as soups, stews, tacos, and more. Plus, many who enjoy eating Paleo-friendly meals may find that it’s easier to blend the meat first before cooking on their stovetop cast iron pans.

How Can I Store Shredded Chicken?

Once you’ve shredded your chicken, it’s important to store it properly so that you don’t lose any of the flavor or moisture.

You can store your shredded chicken in the refrigerator for up to three days in an airtight container. If you’re planning on using it for more than three days, make sure to freeze the chicken instead. You can store shredded chicken in the freezer for up to four months.

Labeling is also important when freezing large batches of food at once since many foods tend to look alike after being frozen – especially white meats like this one. You don’t want any mix-ups when you go digging through your freezer later down the road.

While most people tend to use freezer bags for storing cooked meat like chicken breast, they’re not always ideal because they can cause freezer burn if left in there too long. A better choice is reusable containers with lids made from silicone or BPA-free plastic.

These are all great options because these materials won’t affect the taste of your food and they’ll also help prevent freezer burn due to their airtight seal. Plus, they can be reused over and over again which makes them very cost-effective compared with using disposable bags all of the time.

If you’re using pre-cooked chicken meat, make sure to heat it back up before serving. You can do this by putting the shredded pieces in a skillet or saucepan with some water and cooking over low heat for around five minutes – just until everything is heated through. Then add it to whatever recipe you are preparing – this will save you so much time!

What Other Equipment can I use to Shred Chicken?

Using a blender to shred chicken is by far the easiest method, but there are other pieces of equipment you can use. While these methods may not be as easy or fast as using a blender, they are still much faster than shredding the chicken by hand.

Using a Stand Mixer to Shred Chicken

First, debone and skin the chicken breasts. Then put them inside of your mixer’s bowl along with any other seasonings you want to use. Set your stand mixer on its lowest setting until everything is fully shredded – this should take around five minutes.

Using a Food Processor to Shred Chicken

First, remove the skin from your chicken breasts and debone them if needed before putting them inside your food processor’s bowl with any seasonings you want to use.

Set the food processor on its lowest setting until everything is fully shredded – it will only take about one minute for smaller batches or two minutes for larger ones. Then transfer the finished product into an airtight container and store it in the fridge if not using immediately.

Can you Shred Chicken in a Blender – Final Thoughts

Shredding chicken in a blender is simple and fast. This can be useful if you are trying to save time or need finely shredded chicken. You can use it in any dish that calls for cooked, chopped chicken meat.

The best thing about this method is that it can be done as a last-minute decision. In the morning you can throw chicken breasts in your blender and shred them for dinner later or put some through at lunchtime to have shredded meat later on.

So give your blender a try the next time you are making shredded chicken. It can save you time and be a very useful alternative to shredding with your hands or two forks!