Shredded Chicken

I love having cooked, shredded chicken on hand for quick meals. It goes great in salads and soups and makes a meal come together in no time. I used to cook it in the crock pot all day, and it was moist and delicious. But then, this recipe showed up and changed my life forever. It's even more delicious and takes a fraction of the time. I'll often cook four breasts at a time, then freeze them, 2 to a bag.

I strongly recommend getting a meat thermometer. They're super and cheap and make cooking meat so much easier. I hate over cooked, dry meat, especially chicken, and I haven't overcooked since I bought one. This is the one I have.

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts

3 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper

3/4 C water or chicken broth

Directions

In a large, nonstick skillet with a lid, heat the olive oil on medium high. Pat the chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Place the chicken, pretty side down and cook for 4 minutes. (This is where I season the other side.) Flip the chicken, add the water or broth, reduce the heat to low and cover with lid. Cook for about 7-10 minutes, until the inside reaches 155°. After 5 minutes or so, keep checking, adding more liquid if needed, and check the temp. Some may cook faster than others, depending on size. Remove from heat and let rest for 5 minutes. I like to shred my chicken in the KitchenAid, about 30 seconds at medium speed, watching to make sure it doesn't mix too much. I do it 2 breasts at a time, and transfer it to bags from there.