How to shred chicken

This post written by the original Ebby. 

I eat a fair amount of chicken. It’s one of the few sources of animal protein I consume on a semi-regular basis. I love chicken in tacos and burritos, soups, quesadillas, casseroles and barbecued sandwiches. 

Chicken is such a versatile meat. I’ve even heard of folks putting chicken on pizza. I tried it once. It didn’t do much for me, to be honest. So I’ll stick to the other stuff.

There was a time--long, long ago--when I wasn’t so fond of chicken. It was always too rubbery and never had enough flavor. I may as well have been eating tofu, I reckoned.

But then I learned how to shred chicken. And my entire life changed. Well, kind of. Shredded chicken just tastes so much better than the little squares of cubed chicken. It’s not rubbery and not tasteless because the spices and sauces really get in there and coat all the little cracks and crevices formed amongst the shreds.

And it's really easy. Painless.

Here's the method to the madness:

After your meat is cooked, allow it to cool for 5-10 minutes.

(Today I'm using boneless breasts, but this method works on any kind of chicken, boneless or boned. Or bone-in. Or whatever the term is for boney chicken.)

You'll need two forks. Stick one of them in the middle of the piece you're working with. Since I'm right-handed, I do this with the fork in my left hand.

Use the fork in your opposite hand to shred (I use my right hand). You can do the shredding one of two ways. Positioning the chicken so that meat is facing you, use the second fork to pull the meat forward. The first fork holds the meat steady while the second fork pulls the meat apart in shreds.

Alternatively, position the portion you are shredding away from you, and use the fork to push the meat forward.

And when you are all done you will have a big pile o' chicken!

And then you will be filled with joy and delight. Amen.