Shredding meat is not my favorite. Many others have written and I have shared about the big jump in innovation by using a hand mixer on freshly cooked chicken to get a nearly instant shred. I have used this method many times and it is a big help. It has, however, at least one major flaw. It is difficult to get a consistent shred, some pieces with be pulverized, while other huge hunks remain. The new happy medium I have struck is a bit of a hybrid.
When I pull my chicken out of the the oven, I do a coarse shred job into large pieces with two forks. The key word is coarse. I am not spending more than thirty seconds on this. Then, I go over it with my chef’s knife to get it down to the size pieces I need for the dish. The final product still has that nice shredded edge to it, but without all the time.
Because shredded chicken and pork is really appetizing in a way that sometimes cubed meat is not.
CRANBERRY WILD RICE SALAD
Serves 3-4
1 and 1/4 cup wild rice
4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup golden raisins
4 green onions, sliced
1/4 cup pine nuts
3 tablespoons parsley, chopped
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt & pepper
Prepare wild rice according to package instructions. Whisk orange juice, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, and salt & pepper.
In a separate bowl, stir together shredded chicken, wild rice, dried cranberries, raisins, green onion, pine nuts, and parsley. Toss with dressing.
- 1 and ¼ cup wild rice
- 4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup golden raisins
- 4 green onions, sliced
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- 3 tablespoons parsley, chopped
- ¼ cup orange juice
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup olive oil
- Salt & pepper
- Prepare wild rice according to package instructions.
- Whisk orange juice, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, and salt & pepper.
- In a separate bowl, stir together shredded chicken, wild rice, dried cranberries, raisins, green onion, pine nuts, and parsley.
- Toss with dressing.
Adapted from Recipe Girl.
