Easy Shredded Chicken

How many times do you want to make a recipe and realize one of the ingredients is cooked chicken? I used to sigh and toss those recipes aside, as I knew I didn't have time to do double cooking - who wants to cook chicken and then cook a whole meal? I also hated dicing or shredding the hot chicken. I always burned my fingers doing that, or if I waited until it was cool I could dice it but shredding it was a total pain.

Enter my kitchenaid mixer. I'll never forget the day I realized I could use the paddle attachment to shred my chicken for me. What a life saver! I can throw the hot cooked chicken breasts right in and the mixer shreds them up easily. The key is to do quick bursts of the mixer, don't just turn it on full blast or it'll throw the chicken right out of the bowl. Put a few breasts in, pulse it until you like the level of shredding, then dump it into a large bowl to the side and do the next few breasts. Repeat until it's all shredded.

SO for a while after this realization, I would boil boneless skinless chicken and then shred it in my mixer. Then I would do large batches in my crock pot, which was great, but it took all day to cook them. Still better than boiling, but not fast.

THEN I got my Instant Pot. Hello! Now I don't even have to deal with boiling chicken anymore! I can cook 5 lbs of chicken at once - I just throw it in the instant pot with some water, set it to pressure cook, and walk away.

I actually keep cooked, shredded chicken in my freezer now so I can use it in recipes as needed. I even keep some seasoned with taco seasoning. So convenient!

Whichever method you use to cook your chicken is fine. I highly recommend the Instant Pot for cooking chicken because it's so fast and easy but if you don't have one, go ahead and use the crock pot if you have time, or boil it on the stove if you are in a hurry.

Chicken Casserole

This is based on the classic recipe my mom always made for people when they were recovering from surgery or just had a new baby. It's my go-to comfort food, especially when the weather gets cold.

I have altered it to remove the cream of chicken soup, and instead use sour cream. I also use brown rice but white rice is in the original, and usually use chicken breasts instead of a whole chicken because I keep those on hand. This recipe is gluten-free as long as you leave off the breadcrumb topping.

Chicken Casserole

2-3 Chicken breasts, cooked and chopped*
2-3 boiled Eggs, chopped
1 small Onion, chopped
1 cup Chicken Broth (if you boil the chicken breasts, just cook the leftover water down and use this)
2/3 cup Sour Cream
3 cups Rice, cooked (any kind is fine, and mixing types is great too)
1/2 tbsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper
2/3 cup Mayo

Topping (optional)
4 tbsp Butter
1 cup Breadcrumbs 

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, and pour into 13x9 pan. Bake at 400* for 35 minutes or until golden brown.

* The easiest way to cook chicken breasts is in an electric pressure cooker like an Instant Pot. I'll never boil chicken again! I put frozen chicken breasts in with about half a cup of water, pushed the "Poultry" button and in 15 minutes they were cooked perfectly.

Shredding hot cooked chicken is easier than chopping it, using an electric mixer. I describe how to do that here.

Hardboiled eggs get the Instant Pot treatment now, too! Set your eggs on the IP rack, add a cup of water. Seal and cook under pressure for 5 minutes, NPR 5 minutes, then release. Your eggs will be perfectly cooked and easy to peel.

Barbecue Chicken in Slow Cooker

This is a twist on cooking a whole chicken in the slow cooker, only this time I covered it in barbecue sauce. It was delicious and we used the leftovers for sandwiches.

Barbecue Chicken in Slow Cooker

Place whole chicken in slow cooker. Cover the chicken in barbecue sauce. Add about half a cup of water and let it cook all day on low. Easy!

Homemade Barbecue Sauce

2 Tbsp Butter
1 small Onion, minced
2 cups Ketchup
1/2 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 cup Water
1/4 cup Apple Juice
1/4 cup Worcestershire Sauce
2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
2 Tbsp Molasses
2 Tbsp Honey
2 Tsp Dry Mustard Powder
1 tsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Cayenne Pepper, optional (leave it out for a "mild" sauce, and add it for a "medium" sauce)

Melt butter and saute onion until tender. Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Store in the refrigerator. I would think it would last for a month or so... except in our house it'd be gone way before that. :)

Buffalo Chicken Bites

My mom made these boneless buffalo chicken bites for a football game this past season and they were SO amazingly good, we've had them multiple times since. 

Buffalo Chicken Bites

1/4 cup Ketchup
1/4 cup Frank's RedHot Sauce
1/3 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Tbsp Mustard
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 Onion, minced (or 1 tsp Onion Powder)
1-2 cloves Garlic, minced (or 1 tsp Garlic Powder)
4 Tbsp Butter
4 Boneless Chicken Breast halves, cut into strips

Preheat oven to 450ºF. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray.

*Note* If you really like wing sauce, like for dipping as you eat, you may want to double the sauce recipe*

In a small pan, combine ketchup, hot sauce, vinegar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, onion powder, garlic powder and butter. Cook over low heat, stirring, until well combined and smooth. Let cool.

Reserve 1/4 cup sauce in a separate bowl and set aside.

Place 1/2 cup sauce into a zip bag, and coat chicken pieces. Place chicken baking sheet and roast for 7-8 minutes, then brush with more sauce. Turn chicken over, brush with more sauce and roast 7-8 minutes longer or until done. When finished cooking, toss chicken with reserved sauce. 

Serve with blue cheese dip, carrot sticks and celery sticks.

Bruschetta Chicken

This is one of my very favorite low-carb meals to make. It feels like an amazing Italian dish but without the bread or pasta. 

Bruschetta Chicken

2 lbs Tomatoes, diced (4-6 medium tomatoes)
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 Tbsp Basil
2 lbs Chicken Breast, diced
salt and pepper
1 cup Mozzarella cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 350*. Mix olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic and basil. Add diced tomatoes and stir to coat. Set aside.

Cut up chicken breast and spread in the bottom of a deep baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and mix around. Pour tomato mixture over chicken. Cover and bake for about 40 minutes or until chicken in the center is done. Pour off some of the liquid if desired. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and bake additional 5 minutes to melt cheese.

Chicken and Dumplings Gluten Free

I love chicken and dumplings, especially from Cracker Barrel. This recipe is just as good but I'm sure much more healthy, especially since I use my own homemade chicken broth.

Chicken and Dumplings

2 cups cooked and shredded Chicken Breast (Tip: if you boil boneless skinless breasts, you can put them in your mixer with the paddle attachment for a minute and it will shred them up perfectly)

4 cups Chicken Broth

1 cup Carrots, chopped
1/4 cup Celery, chopped
2 tsp fresh Parsley (or half as much dried)
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Black Pepper
1 Bay Leaf

2 cups Baking Mix (I use Pamela's Baking and Pancake Mix which is gluten-free)
1/2 tsp fresh Thyme (or half as much dried)
1 tsp fresh Parsley (or half as much dried)
1/2 tsp Salt
2/3 cup Milk

Combine chicken broth with veggies and herbs, bring to a boil, then simmer until veggies soften. Add chicken, and then bring to a boil again to cook dumplings.

Mix dumpling ingredients and drop by spoonfulls into boiling broth. Cook about 10 minutes or until dough is done all the way through.

Serve and enjoy!

Grown Up Mac and Cheese with Chicken Parm Bites

Sometimes you cook actual food and other times you eat boxed mac and cheese. And sometimes you combine them. :)

We made some Chicken Parmesan Bites. Yum!

Then we made some Grown Up Mac and Cheese. Yum!

Put them together. You can thank me later. :)

Of course, you can make homemade mac and cheese too. I do that sometimes, but probably not as often as let Annie's help me out.

Chicken Parmesan Bites

We love this recipe. We started cutting the chicken into chunks to make them all about the same size to aid in cooking, and then our kids started calling them chicken nuggets, and eating them. I don't know why they aren't as into chicken strips but whatever works!

Chicken Parmesan Bites

~1 lb Chicken Breast tenders (I used nine) cut into bite-size chunks
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
1/4 cup Almond Meal
1/2 Tbsp Oregano
1/2 Tbsp Basil
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Onion Powder
1 Egg, beaten
3 Tbsp Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all dry ingredients in one bowl, and beat egg in a separate bowl. Dip chicken pieces in egg, and then into breading. Set onto baking sheet while oil heats. Heat olive oil to about medium high. Brown breaded chicken on both sides in hot oil, then place in a baking dish. Bake until chicken is cooked through, about 20-25 minutes.

Stir Fry Chicken and Peppers

One of the stand-by meals from my childhood that my husband requests often.


Chicken and Peppers (or whatever veggies you like - I add extras)

Mix the following sauce in a glass bowl:
1 clove Garlic, minced
1 Tbsp Oil
2 Tbsp Bragg's, Tamari or Soy Sauce
1 tsp Cornstarch
1/4 tsp Salt
1/8 tsp Black Pepper

Cut up chicken breast into bite-sized pieces - I use about 5-6 chicken tenders - mix with the sauce and let it marinate while you prepare the other stuff.

In another glass bowl/cup, mix the following sauce:
1 tsp Cornstarch
1/4 cup Cold Water
1/4 tsp Sugar, Honey or Agave
2 Tbsp Bragg's, Tamari or Soy Sauce 

Heat 3 Tbsp oil in wok or large pan on medium high. Stir fry veggies - the basic veggies for this are a diced green pepper and a diced onion but you can use whatever you like.  Broccoli, Carrots and Snow Peas are all great. Remove veggies  to a separate bowl. Stir fry the marinated chicken in the pan until the chicken is done. Throw the veggies back in, and pour in the sauce.  Heat until thickened.  Serve over rice.

Chicken Fajita

Meals like this remind me that I don't have to have a tortilla to enjoy Mexican food. It's delicious and satisfying, and best of all low-carb! Plus if the rest of your family insists on the traditional meal, they can use the same filling in a tortilla, so you can avoid the carbs for yourself without having to make two different meals. Score!

Chicken Fajita

Cooked Chicken - I just boil some chicken breast until done, then shred or chop.  You can also use leftover chicken if you happen to have cooked extra.


Tomatoes or salsa
Cheese, optional
Sour Cream, optional

Veggies of choice:
Onion, sliced or chopped
Bell Pepper, sliced or chopped

You can also use zucchini or squash if you like. Anything goes!

Mix cooked chicken with fajita seasoning of your choice, or just some garlic powder, cumin, and chili powder.

Saute veggies in butter or olive oil until done, about 15 minutes.

Top shredded chicken with sauteed veggies, chopped tomatoes or salsa, and cheese if desired. Serve!

Oven Fried (Baked) Chicken

This chicken was so successful my kids scarfed it up and said it tasted like their favorite restaurant chicken. Score!


Oven Fried Chicken

Place thawed chicken breast tenders in a bowl of milk.

Mix in large zip bag or bowl:

1/2 tsp Salt
1 Tbsp Season Salt
3/4 tsp Pepper
1 cup Flour
2 tsp Paprika

Preheat oven to 400*. Cut 1/2 stick of butter into a few pieces and place in a 9x13 pan. Melt butter in pre-heated oven. Spread melted butter around the bottom of the pan. Lightly spray the pan with cooking spray if needed, so that the whole pan is greased.

Shake excess milk off of chicken and completely coat each piece with the seasoning mix. You can either shake the chicken in the bag, until coated, or dip each piece in the bowl until coated.

Place each piece of chicken in the pan. Cook for 20 min. Turn each piece of chicken and continue cooking for 20 more minutes, or until cooked through.

Jamaican Jerk Chicken Marinade

My husband compiled some jerk chicken recipes and came up with this. Delicious!We love to serve it with Caribbean Sweet Potato Salad.

Jamaican Jerk Chicken Marinade

1 medium Onion, peeled
1 small Red Onion, peeled
1 Jalepeno Pepper, seeded if you don't want it too spicy
2 cloves Garlic, peeled
3/4 cup Bragg's Liquid Aminos or Tamari or Soy Sauce
1/2 cup Vinegar
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Lime Juice
2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
1 Tbsp dried Thyme
1/2 tsp ground Nutmeg
1/4 tsp Red Pepper
1 tsp ground Cloves
1/4 tsp ground Cinnamon
1 Tbsp fresh Cilantro

*optional*1/2 tsp Frontier Caribbean Citrus Seasoning

Blend all ingredients well. Marinate chicken pieces at least an hour. This amount of marinade will cover 2 breasts and 4 drumsticks easily.

Grill chicken until done. :)

Honey Chicken Kabobs

Honey Chicken Kabobs

1/4 cup Olive Oil
1/3 cup Honey
1/3 cup Braggs or Tamari or Soy Sauce
1/4 tsp Black Pepper
2 cloves Garlic, crushed
8 skinless, boneless Chicken Breast halves - cut into 1-inch cubes

Veggies such as quartered onions, bell peppers, fresh pineapple, etc. 

Mix marinade in ziploc or other airtight container.   Marinate chicken at least two hours in the refrigerator.   Thread chicken and other veggies onto skewers. 

 

Cook for 12-15 minutes on a hot grill until chicken juices run clear. 

Chicken Noodle Soup

There's nothing like a bowl (or mug!) of chicken noodle soup when you aren't feeling 100%. Homemade bone broth helps boost the immune system, too.

Chicken Noodle Soup

4 cups Chicken Broth (click here for how I make mine from scratch)
1 cup Cooked Chicken, chopped or shredded (if you cook a whole chicken you can use the meat and make the broth from it too)
1 Onion, diced
Garlic (optional - I add it if we are getting sick, 1-4 cloves depending on your taste)
2-3 Carrots, sliced
1 Tbsp Dill
1 tsp Basil
Salt and Pepper to taste
Egg Noodles, cooked

In a medium sauce pan, heat some broth on medium heat and cook the onions until translucent. If you're using garlic, you can add it here. Throw in the carrots and seasoning and cook for about 10 minutes. Add the rest of the broth, bring to a boil, and then lower the heat to simmer for 30 minutes to an hour, until the carrots are done.

Cook noodles separately and when you're ready to serve the soup, put a spoonful in the bottom of the bowl, and ladle the soup over the noodles. This will keep them from soaking up too much liquid and getting mushy, and you can save the leftover soup and noodles (separately) to eat another time.

Homemade Chicken Broth

After I cook a whole chicken, I throw all the stuff we didn't eat into a pot (or back into the crock pot!) to cook into broth. Just fill the pot (or crock pot) with water and all the bones, skin, and other bits that were left from the chicken. Bring to a boil and then turn it down to let it simmer for a few hours. You can add herbs or just leave it as is. If you use the crock pot, you can leave it on low overnight.

When it's done, pour it through a sieve into a large bowl. Add ice to cool it before transferring it to your storage containers. I usually use freezer zip bags which are easy to label, and easy to thaw out when I want to use it.

Not only do you get to feed your family homemade broth instead of processed, but you can tell it's full of good gelatin when you refrigerate it, unlike the cartons and cans of processed broth that are always thin liquid.

Whole Chicken in a Slow Cooker

I used to think it was a really big deal to cook a whole chicken, but it's really pretty simple and very frugal when you consider that you can get a couple of meals out of the chicken meat, plus several quarts of homemade broth.

It couldn't be any easier - just put the chicken in the slow cooker, seasoned however you like (I just use a little salt and pepper since I do different things with the meat and don't want it to have one particular flavor). Add a small amount of water (like 1/2 cup) and let it cook all day on low. It'll be ready when you are, falling off the bone.

I take all of the meat off and either serve it with veggies for dinner, or save it all for other recipes. You can also freeze it if you like.

Tomorrow I'll talk about making broth with the leftover bits you don't want to eat. Don't throw those away!

Barbecue BBQ Chicken Pizza

Pizza is a really common dish in our house because it's so easy to make and everyone likes it. I had the idea to try something a little different and it turned out SO good.

Barbecue Chicken Pizza

Pizza Crust - see recipe and full instructions here

Cooked Chicken, chopped or shredded
Barbecue Sauce (you can make your own but I used a bottled sauce)
Shredded Cheese
Veggies for topping (I used onion and bell pepper)

Plan ahead by an hour and make the crust (you can make freeze the dough if you want to make it way ahead!)

Preheat oven to the highest setting it will go (mine is 550*)

Roll dough into a circle on parchment paper.

Mix chicken and sauce in a bowl, and spread over pizza crust.

Top with shredded cheese and any veggies you like.

Bake for about 9 minutes until cheese is bubbly and bottom of crust is brown.

Foil Packet Dinners

Did you ever go camping, maybe in scouts, and make foil dinners that cook on the campfire? We love this meal so much we make it at home, sometimes on the grill and sometimes just baking in the oven.

It's so easy to do, and everyone can have his own packet made just the way he likes. My husband likes bell peppers and corn in his, plus a ton of black pepper. I prefer the basics - green beans, potatoes and carrots with my hamburger patty. The kids don't want any green beans so theirs is customized for them.

Foil Packet Dinners

Meat (if desired) - hamburger patty or chicken tenders or boneless/skinless breast work great
Cut up veggies - diced potatoes, snapped green beans, sliced carrots, chopped onion, frozen corn, etc.
Seasoning - salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, anything you like can go in

Lay out one large sheet of foil for each person. You can make a layer of onions first, or just set the meat right in the middle. Add veggies around meat. Sprinkle with seasoning. Bring up the sides and add just a little bit of water to help steam the veggies, and seal well. Use a sharpie to write the name or initial of each person on the packets.  Grill on indirect heat, or bake at 350* for 45 minutes to an hour.

Check the veggies for doneness and continue to cook until they are fork-tender. Serve! We love to dip our meat and veggies in homemade ranch dressing.

Enchiladas (Chicken or Beef)

Enchiladas (Chicken or Beef, Dry or Wet)
Meat:      * Chopped Cooked Chicken or Turkey - about 2-3 breasts worth, or      * Shredded Beef - try a chuck roast cooked in the crock pot, then shredded
10-12 10" flour tortillas
2 1/2 C grated cheese (cheddar, colby jack, whatever you like)
Sauce:
1 C chopped onion
1 tsp minced garlic
2 T butter/margarine
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce (reg size, not small)
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp basil
Saute onions and garlic in butter. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, cumin, salt, oregano and basil. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 min. Remove from heat.
For Dry/Crunchier Enchiladas (pictured):
Mix meat with sauce. Divide among tortillas, add cheese, roll and place seam-side down in greased 9x13 pan. Brush top with olive oil or spray with cooking spray. Bake at 350 for 15-20 min. For Wet/Softer Enchiladas: Dip tortilla in sauce to coat and soften. Place some chicken and cheese on tortilla, roll up, and place in a greased 9x13 pan, seam side down. Repeat with all tortillas until the pan is full. You can turn them sideways if they fit better. Pour remaining sauce over all, cover with foil and bake at 350* for 20-30 min. Remove foil, top with cheese, and bake additional 5 minutes until melted. Bulk Cooking: If you like to "feed your freezer" you can make the sauce in a large batch with the "lunch lady" cans of tomatoes and sauce.  If you use those, multiply the rest of the ingredients by 8 and you'll have eight times as much sauce to freeze.

Fried Chicken Tenders with Rice and Gravy

Well this was amazing. I don't eat fried yumminess all the time and actually I can't even remember the last time we made this for dinner, but my husband was wanting it so I "let" him make it. ;)


Fried Chicken Tenders


~9 Chicken Tenders, thawed
1 cup Flour
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Pepper


If you'll want rice with the meal, start it first. I use a rice cooker and I love brown rice with this meal but white rice is fine if you prefer.


Heat oil in pan on medium-high heat.  Mix flour, salt and pepper in a zip bag. Add chicken and coat well.  Drop a little flour into the oil and if it sizzles, it's probably hot enough. Carefully add chicken to pan.  After a few minutes, check a piece of chicken to see if it's turning brown, and if it is, turn the other pieces to brown on the other side. The key here is to turn the chicken as little as possible. More turns means more chance the breading will separate from the chicken.

When done, drain on paper towels.

For gravy, drain most of the oil, leaving just a little bit and dump the remaining flour into the pan.

Stir it into the oil and drippings, scraping up all of the goodness from cooking the chicken.

Add some milk. This part isn't measured, so start with less than you think you'll need and add more to thin it out as needed.

Stir well. I recommend using a slotted spatula for this part as it helps bring the gravy together. Stir and cook until it thickens and gets nice and bubbly.

The rice should be done by now. :) 

Serve!