Ingredients

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

4 c. low-sodium chicken broth (or water)

Kosher salt 

Freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Step 1In a large pot over medium-high heat, add chicken. Pour broth over chicken to cover and season generously with salt and pepper. Step 2Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to medium. Let simmer until chicken is cooked through, 10 minutes. Remove from pan and let rest 10 minutes. Step 3Shred chicken with two forks and use as desired.

The real perk? Boiling is faster and easier than working in your skillet. It’s as easy as bringing a pot of water to a boil and—when done correctly—boiling can provide a perfectly tender piece of chicken for any of your favorite shredded chicken recipes (chicken noodle soup, anyone?). Here are our four easy steps for boiling chicken perfectly every time, for any recipe. 

  1. Pick your liquid.  Sure, you could boil your chicken in water but that seems kind of boring, right? Boiling your chicken in chicken broth is how to instantly up the flavor. 
  2. Season it.  Place your chicken breasts in a large pot with a tight-fitting lid and add enough liquid to cover the chicken. Season your liquid well with salt and pepper — this is very crucial. It’s really no different than boiling a pot of pasta. If you have some carrots, onions, or fresh herbs you can add them to the pot as well. All of your flavor is going to come from what you put in the pot, so the more the merrier.  3. Bring it to a boil.  Once you have all of your flavors added, bring your water to a boil. Cover the pot and lower the heat slightly so it stays at a pretty rapid simmer. Depending on the size of your chicken breasts, they should simmer for about 10 minutes. After 10 minutes remove one piece from the pot and check. The internal temperature should be 165°. If they need more time check every 5 minutes. Don’t let them overcook or they will become rubbery. 
  3. Shred it up.  After removing your chicken from the pot let it rest about 10 minutes. This will make them cool enough to shred and help keep some of the moisture in so that they don’t dry out. Use two forks to shred your chicken or slice it up. Tried this yet? Let us know how it went in the comments below!