Boiled Shredded Chicken and Homemade Chicken Stock (2024)

FAQs

Can you use broth from boiled chicken? ›

Boiling chicken is so easy and only requires two ingredients… chicken breasts and chicken broth! I also love to use the leftover broth in soups or to cook rice because it adds so much flavor. So make sure to keep the broth for other recipes!

Sure you can, but the broth can go cloudy. Make sure you cook the raw meat all the way through. Yes you can so long as the broth is boiling. Add the chicken pieces ( they will cook quickly) then turn down to a simmer for about 5 mins.

If you are saving the chicken for later, place it in a ziplock with the excess broth from the pan. Enjoy in any recipe that calls for shredded chicken.

I recommend shredding or slicing the chicken before to freezing. And don't throw away the cooking liquid! This method will make a lightly-flavored chicken broth, which you can use in place of chicken broth for other recipes or as the cooking liquid for rice and other grains. You can also sip it all on its own!

Thus, you end up with hard rubbery egg curds surrounded by that milky liquid which was once contained within the proteins. The same is true with chicken…if it is boiled or cooked too quickly and rapidly, or for simply too long, the proteins contract tightly and squeeze the moisture out.

Reduce heat to low and simmer until cooked: 15-20 minutes for chicken breasts, 20-30 minutes for thighs/legs/wings, and 40-60 minutes for a whole chicken depending on size. (For frozen chicken, see notes.) Remove the chicken to a plate to cool for several minutes.

Do not overcook the chicken. Overcooked chicken is tough to chew and harder to shred. Use a digital instant read thermometer to check the temperature of the chicken.

Just as when you're making stock for soups or stews, boiling will cause soluble proteins and rendered fat to emulsify into the cooking liquid. By simmering, you avoid emulsifying the fat and thus keep the stock clearer, and we found that the scum created simply settled to the bottom of the pot.

“In general, stock and broth can be used interchangeably. However, there are times when it is more advantageous to choose one over the other,” Hill admits. Because stock is made from bones, it will infuse any recipe with stronger chicken flavor than broth.

Bring to a boil on high heat and reduce to a low simmer. If scum rises to the surface of the pot (this usually happens in the first half hour of cooking), skim off with a large metal spoon. Let simmer uncovered at a low simmer for 4 to 6 hours. Check every hour or so to be sure there is still enough water in the pot.

Can I eat 10 day old chicken? ›

Raw chicken lasts in the fridge for 1–2 days, while cooked chicken lasts 3–4 days. To detect if chicken has gone bad, check the “best if used by” date and look for signs of spoilage like changes in smell, texture, and color. Avoid eating spoiled chicken, as it can cause food poisoning — even if you cook it thoroughly.

Cooked chicken can safely be stored in the refrigerator for up to two days. After that, it's best to freeze it. 1 Shredded chicken defrosts much faster than whole pieces of the bird, but you can freeze whole pieces if you prefer.

Avoid shredding the chicken too finely. The finer the shreds, the less succulent the chicken will be, and the more quickly it will dry out. Refrigerate shredded chicken in an airtight container with a half-cup of the poaching liquid (if available) to keep it moist and juicy for up to three days.

Chicken broth can be refrigerated for 3-4 days and frozen (for best quality) for 2-3 months.

You can but they won't give the stock as much flavor and body as raw bones. Most of what you want from the bones will have already been extracted. Hopefully you kept the liquid in which you initially cooked the chicken because that's where all of the flavor went.

Basic chicken stock is really just bones and water, but dressing it up with a few herbs and vegetables just increases the flavor and complexity of the stock. When I'm cooking other dishes, I often save the scraps from chopping vegetables and put them in the freezer.

The hotter you cook the stock, the faster you convert collagen into gelatin. Cooking low and slow gives you good conversion while preventing fat, minerals and other gunk from emulsifying into your stock. Boiled stock will be cloudy, greasy and have a lower yield.