Nobody wants to cook chicken twice this week
Saturday you poach four chicken breasts, shred them while they're still warm enough to pull apart with two forks, and portion three cups into a quart bag. Lay it flat before it freezes and it thaws in under an hour instead of sitting as a brick until Thursday.
Wednesday night you dump the frozen chicken into a hot skillet with a splash of chicken broth and a lid, and it separates back into strands in about eight minutes. Skip the broth and crank the heat too high, and the outside strands turn stringy while the center stays cold.
Keep the seasoning plain at the freezing stage. Plain shredded chicken swings toward tacos on Monday and barbecue on Thursday without fighting last week's cumin.
Ingredients
The batch makes about 6 cups (4 dinners worth). Plan on about 30 minutes (or 4 hours in a slow cooker), then freeze.
- 3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon each garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika
- Salt and pepper
- Optional finishing sauces: BBQ, salsa, or buffalo (added later)
How to Make It
- Season the chicken and add it to a pot with the broth.
- Simmer covered 25 to 30 minutes (or slow-cook on low 4 hours) until it shreds easily.
- Shred with two forks and toss with a little of the cooking liquid to keep it moist.
- Cool completely before freezing.
Freeze It
Freeze the chicken plain, without sauce, so one batch can become barbecue sandwiches one night and tacos the next. Sauce gets added when you reheat.
- Freeze plain shredded chicken in 1.5-cup flat portions with a splash of broth
- Label by date, not by sauce, since you choose that later (best within 3 months)
- Press out air so it does not dry out or freezer-burn
Thaw and reheat on practice night
Warm a portion from frozen, then stir in whatever sauce matches tonight.
- Skillet from frozen: cover with a splash of broth, medium heat, 8 to 10 minutes, stirring
- Microwave from frozen: 4 to 5 minutes, stirring halfway
- Then sauce it: BBQ for buns, salsa for tacos, or plain over rice
- Serve with: buns, tortillas, or rice, coleslaw, steamed broccoli
Parent Tip
Pile BBQ chicken onto a baked potato for an easy no-bread version.
Make it fit tonight
Small changes that make this one fit your night
Tacos, five minutes flat
Warm tortillas, a squeeze of lime, and the chicken does the rest of the work.
Rice bowl with whatever's in the fridge
Chicken, rice, a fried egg, and the last of the shredded carrots from lunch.
Barbecue sandwich on a toasted bun
Toss the shredded chicken with barbecue sauce right in the skillet before it hits the bun.
Quesadilla, folded not stacked
Cheese on both sides of the chicken keeps the tortilla from tearing when you flip it.
Chicken and dumplings shortcut
Drop biscuit dough on top of the shredded chicken and broth for a Sunday that needs less effort.
Plan the next step
Cook a big batch
Use the planner to shred a few pounds and freeze it plain in dinner-sized packs.