This post was written in a paid partnership with Manitoba Chicken Producers. As always, all opinions are my own and I only promote products and services that I use and love.
Back-to-School may look a little different this year, but what won’t change is the fact that we still need to eat dinner every night.
Prepping shredded chicken in a large batch and freezing it unseasoned is a quick and easy supper solution that can be transformed into a variety of meals.
Having some quick options for lunches and dinner can make the transition from summer vacation to back-to-school a little easier.
How to prepare shredded chicken
Fill your slow cooker with chicken thighs or breasts and let it cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-6 hours. When the chicken shreds easily with a fork, it’s ready. If you’re using boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, add a small amount (1 cup or so) of vegetable or chicken broth to the crock pot for moist, tender chicken.
Food Safety Tip: Before you start shredding, use a meat thermometer to check for doneness. Cooked chicken pieces should be cooked to a reading of 165 degrees Farenheight.
You can even shred large quantities of boneless, skinless chicken in your stand-mixer with the paddle attachment if you’re pressed for time.
Bone-in or boneless?
Preferred cuts of chicken for this method are boneless, skinless breasts or thighs because they shred easily, whereas bone-in varieties require a little more effort when shredding. The advantage to using bone-in varieties is that you can save the bones to make soup stock. Simply add them to the ingredients of this Slow Cooker Vegetable Broth and you’ll have 9 cups of chicken broth ready to use in soups and other recipes.
How to portion and freeze it
I like to either portion by cup or by piece, for example 2 cups or 2 breasts. Freezing in smaller portions allows you to take out as many bags as you need for a recipe, rather than freezing the whole batch in one bag and having too much.
It’s important to label your bags with the amount, cut and date.
Food Safety Tip: Store cooked chicken in the fridge for 3-4 days or 2-3 months in the freezer. Head to manitobachicken.ca for other helpful storage tips.
Why cook it unseasoned?
Cooking the chicken unseasoned, allows you to use it in a variety of recipes, depending on the other ingredients you have on hand and your mood. You could substitute the grilled chicken in this Asian Grilled Chicken Salad – Three Ways with shredded chicken for lunch or dinner.
How to use the shredded chicken
Here are some delicious recipes from manitobachicken.ca that call for shredded chicken.
Take your meal prep one step further
If you have extra time to dedicate to your meal prep, prepare these recipes ahead of time. Then, freeze them so that you can simply heat and serve.
Food Safety Tip: Do not re-freeze cooked chicken that has already defrosted.
Freeze the quesadillas between two sheet pans to prevent the tortillas from curling. Store them in a freezer bag or large container.
For the taquitos, you can freeze them on a sheet pan first, then store them in a freezer bag or container.
For the Char Siu, combine the chicken with the sauce and store in a freezer bag. Reheat on the stovetop or in the slow cooker.
Don’t forget to write the date and the name of the recipe on the bag!
A few more ideas
A few more simple ideas that use shredded chicken are:
- On a pizza (try BBQ sauce, chicken, red peppers, mushrooms and cheddar cheese)
- In a quesedilla (try pesto, chicken, sundried tomatoes & mozzarella)
- In a sandwich (try adding 1/2 pkg. dry ranch dressing mix to 4 cups shredded chicken, 1/2 cup buffalo sauce and 2 Tbsp. butter. Heat through and serve over toasted buns.)
How will you use your shredded chicken? Tag us on Instagram and show us your creations @toobusylivin204 @mbchicken
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