Monday, November 22, 2010

Shredded Chicken


Here's a quick post that I wanted to get make sure to add... it's perfect for busy days or seasons of life, so with the holidays nearing (and a new baby at our house!) we've been using it a lot! It's easy enough- thanks to the Crock pot!- to make it once a week and incorporate it into many different recipes. Take a look:

What to do... put 4 chicken breasts in the crock pot, add 1/4 cup water or chicken broth and cook on low for 8 hours. When it's done cooking, shred it and add some salt, pepper, and garlic powder and mix it well. Then I have a few staple meals I use this with, but feel free to get creative because the possibilities are endless! Here's a few examples to get you going:

Chicken Avocado Melts:
Cibata Rolls (I buy par-baked ones at Trader Joe's so that I can warm them up in the oven and they are toasted and crunchy.
Avocado, thinly sliced
Monterey Jack Cheese, thinly sliced
BBQ sauce
Shredded chicken

Simply toast your rolls, add some BBQ sauce, pile on the chicken and a few sliced of cheese, pop them back in your oven if you desire them thoroughly melted, then add the avocado and serve with a side salad. Makes for a simple dinner or a great left over lunch the next day.

Veggie Chop Salad with Shredded Chicken:
I go through just about every veggie in the drawer for this one. I chop romaine, brocholi, carrots, bell pepper, red cabbage or radicchio, cucumbers and avocado. Then I add some roasted slivered almonds, dried cranberries, a large scoop of shredded chicken and balsamic dressing. There is something extra flavorful about using the shredded chicken verses chopped- maybe because the shredded absorbs more of the dressing and disperses more evenly throughout the salad??? I don't know, but it sure is good- and GREEN! If you want to make it even hardier- add some kidney beans and hard boiled egg or serve it with a baked sweet potato... my personal favorite!

A few other recipes you could use it in, but there are tons out there:
Add a comment if there is something else you use it in!


2 comments:

Holly said...

I've been on a mission to hunt down a crock pot.... they are here, but hard to find! It would make the approaching swim season a lot easier.

katygirl said...

i just tried a recipe tonight. i cooked the chicken in the crock pot and shredded it. then i took a baguette and cut it in half and then cut a half in half to make one for me and one for scotty. i broiled them until they were toasted. then i thinly cut a red bell pepper and a yellow onion and sauteed it for 10 minutes. then i added 2 cloves of garlic for another min. then i added 2 cups of the chicken for 2-3 minutes. i sliced open the bread and put a little bit on each loaf and topped it with provelone cheese. then i broiled it again for about 3 minutes until the cheese melted. i added a little bit of marinara sauce and it was sooooo easy and good. there was enough for 2 more sandwiches!