How to boil chicken breasts for shredded chicken recipes is easy and quick. All you need is chicken, spices, water and a heavy bottomed pot and in half an hour. This is the best boiled chicken.

I often boil or poach my chicken for things like chicken salad or chicken pie, when shredded chicken is what the recipe calls for. Boiling makes it easy and quick. Two things I love when it comes to cooking.

How do you boil chicken breasts for shredding?

The important part is to make sure you have a heavy bottomed pan that holds the chicken breasts nicely, as in not stacked on top of each other but also quite tightly fit in.

Make sure to use good quality chicken. Open the packet and sprinkle on your spices.

Then place the chicken spices side down in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Sprinkle the same spices on the now bare side of chicken.

Then add water to the pot to cover the chicken about 1/2 an inch above the chicken.

Set on stove over high heat, once the water comes to a boil lower heat to medium to keep a nice simmer. Cook for approx. 15 more minutes. Depending on how thick your chicken breasts are. Mine were quite thick so it took 20 minutes. Always ALWAYS use a thermometer when cooking chicken, you want it to reach an internal temperature of at least 165F this ensure it is cooked throughout. I poke my thermometer in numerous places including the thickest part of the chicken.

(I highly suggest investing in an instant-read thermometer. I get SOOO much use out of my Thermapen Mk4 (affiliate link). From cooking filet mignon, tempering chocolate, roast turkey, making caramel and more! )

It’s important to lower the temperature and not boil the chicken for the whole cooking process, it will affect the texture of the chicken and moisture. Just because you are cooking the chicken in water does not mean that the chicken will stay moist regardless of how or how long you cook it.

When chicken is done cooking transfer to the bowl of an electric mixer. Let cool in the bowl for 20 minutes then using a paddle attachment mix the chicken for 2 minutes this gives you shredded chicken.

Store in the fridge up until using.

Recipes to use this shredded chicken in:

Please let me know if you cook boil some chicken by leaving a review below!

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