Those are the two sauces I make most often with shredded chicken. Once the chicken is cooked and shredded you simply add it to the sauce and bring it up to temp. Here's a look at the ingredient list for the Chile Verde sauce (for three chicken breasts): The Poblanos give it a unique flavor but the method is the same as the previous Tinga sauce - simply roast the ingredients and build the sauce as the chicken is cooking. This is a great sauce to make when you've got Poblano chiles in the house. The combination of the fiery sauce and the well-seasoned chicken means you've got an extremely satisfying batch of shredded chicken that can lead to all sorts of delicious meals.Ĭhile Verde is my other go-to sauce for shredded chicken. Once the chicken is shredded you simply add it to the Tinga sauce and combine well. Here's a quick look at the ingredients for the Tinga sauce (for two chicken breasts):ġ teaspoon Mexican oregano What is Mexican oregano? As the chicken is baking in the oven you can build the chipotle infused sauce on the stove-top. This is a delicious, fiery sauce that will probably taste familiar to you. Either sauce will give you an epic batch so pick the one that is calling out to you. Well, there are two sauces that I make most often with this chicken. Okay, so you've got some shredded chicken on the counter - now what?! I'm always amazed how good this chicken tastes - and it's only seasoned with salt so far, just wait 'til you add the other flavors □ Then shred them using two forks and take a taste! When the insides register 160-165F you can set the chicken breasts aside to cool for a bit, covered with foil. I bake them as is, with no spices or oil, knowing that there is a massively flavorful sauce on the horizon. Once brined you can pat the chicken breasts dry and plop them in the oven (400F) for 20 minutes or so. I usually cover it and stick it in the fridge - keep in mind that Kosher or sea salts are best for brining as they don't have any additives. In the above pic I am brining three chicken breasts in two quarts of water (half gallon) with 1/2 cup Kosher salt dissolved into the water.Ī typical brine ratio is one cup salt per one gallon of water - sounds like a lot right?! But only a small portion of the salt makes it into each chicken breast so I usually stick with that ratio.Įven 30 minutes in the brine is enough for a significant upgrade in flavor, so I do this step whenever possible. Let the chicken rest in some salted water for 30-60 minutes - this will inject seasoning (salt) and moisture throughout the chicken breasts. I used to use this poaching method all the time, but lately I prefer option #2, the brine and bake technique. The flavor and seasoning of the poaching liquid won't penetrate into the chicken as much as you might think, so it's common to add splashes of the poaching liquid back to the shredded chicken to amp it up. Set aside for a few minutes and cover with foil. Normally this takes around 20 minutes, but it will depend on the thickness of the breasts. Add salt, onion, cilantro and any other aromatics that sound appealing.īring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer.Ĭook until the insides of the chicken register 160-165F. The first is to poach the chicken.Ĭover the chicken breasts with cold water. There are two common techniques for cooking the chicken. I'll go over the two common styles for cooking the chicken, and then offer up some flavor combos that have the potential to change faces at the dinner table □ Once you find the cooking style you prefer then you can move on to the good stuff - the flavor! I've been getting frequent questions on Shredded Chicken so hopefully this post will shred any doubt you have before making your next batch!īut please keep in mind that your taste buds are the boss and there are no hard set rules here.
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