Shredded chicken (pollo deshebrado)
Gently poached, juicy shredded chicken, the all purpose base for tacos, enchiladas, tostadas and tinga.
Make this once, then cook it into 89 different dishes.
- Time45 min
- LevelEasy
- Costabout £1.76 a head
- Makesabout 850 g shredded chicken, enough for 2 batches of tacos for 4
Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.
Ingredients
Tick what you need to buy. It goes on your shopping list.
Method
- 1
Put the chicken in one layer in a wide pan. Add the onion, garlic, bay, peppercorns, coriander stalks and salt, then pour over enough cold water to just cover the chicken.
- 2
Bring to a boil over a medium heat, skim off the grey foam, then turn the heat right down so the water barely trembles. Cover and poach for 20 minutes. Fast boiling toughens the chicken.
20 min - 3
Check the thickest fillet: it should reach 75°C, with no pink and clear juices. If not, cook for 5 more minutes. Switch off the heat and leave the chicken in the hot broth, covered, for 10 minutes.
10 min - 4
Lift out the chicken onto a board. Shred it with two forks while still warm, pulling along the grain into fine strands.
- 5
Strain the broth and keep it. Moisten the shredded chicken with 100 to 150 ml of the broth, season with salt to taste and mix well.
- 6
If you are not using it straight away, cool the chicken in a shallow container within 1 hour and chill it. Use as the filling for tacos, enchiladas, tostadas and tinga.
About shredded chicken (pollo deshebrado)
Pollo deshebrado is shredded chicken, gently poached with onion, garlic and bay and then pulled into fine strands, and it is one of the most useful building blocks in Mexican home cooking. The flavour is clean and savoury, so it takes on whatever sauce or salsa you add.
The same pot of chicken becomes tacos de pollo, enchiladas rojas or verdes, tostadas, flautas, chilaquiles and tinga, where it is simmered in a smoky chipotle and tomato sauce. Cooks poach a whole batch on Sunday and use it all week.
The key is a very gentle simmer and a rest in the hot broth, which keeps lean chicken breast tender rather than stringy. The poaching liquid is worth keeping as a light chicken broth for rice or soups.
Tips
- Keep the poaching water at a bare tremble, never a rolling boil. Rapid boiling tightens the muscle fibres and makes breast meat dry.
- Shred while the chicken is still warm. A stand mixer with the paddle on low shreds 800 g of poached chicken in under a minute.
- Moisten the shredded chicken with a little broth before storing, or it dries out in the fridge.
- For richer, more forgiving chicken swap half or all of the breasts for skinless boneless thighs and poach for 25 to 30 minutes.
- Save the broth. Use it to cook Mexican rice, to thin salsas, or as the base of a quick tortilla soup.
Storing and freezing
Cool within 1 hour in a shallow container and refrigerate. Keeps for up to 3 days covered in the fridge with a little broth, or freeze in portions for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat until steaming hot all the way through.
Dishes you can make with shredded chicken (pollo deshebrado)
Pastel Azteca (Aztec Tortilla Casserole)
EFNFEnchiladas Suizas (Swiss Style Chicken Enchiladas)
EFNFTostadas de Pollo con Salsa Verde (Chicken Tostadas)
GFEFNFCaldo de Pollo con Verduras (Mexican Chicken and Vegetable Soup)
GFDFEFTorta de Pollo Deshebrado con Guacamole (Shredded Chicken Torta)
EFNFHPChimichangas de Pollo (Crispy Baked Chicken Burritos)
EFNFHPQuesadillas de Pollo Deshebrado (Shredded Chicken Quesadillas)
GFEFNFPastel Azteca (Mexican Tortilla Lasagne)
GFEFNFFlautas de Tinga de Pollo (Crispy Chicken Tinga Flautas)
GFEFNFPanuchos Yucatecos (Bean-Stuffed Tortillas with Chicken)
DFEFNFChilaquiles Verdes con Pollo (Green Chicken Chilaquiles)
GFEFNFTamales Verdes de Pollo (Chicken Tamales in Green Sauce)
DFEFNFQuestions
How long should I poach chicken breast for shredding?
About 20 minutes at a bare simmer for fillets of 200 to 250 g, then 10 minutes resting off the heat. The thickest part should reach 75°C with no pink and clear juices.
Can I use thighs instead of breasts?
Yes. Skinless boneless thighs are juicier and more forgiving. Poach them for 25 to 30 minutes until they pull apart easily.
How do I stop shredded chicken drying out?
Poach gently, rest it in the hot broth and toss the shredded meat with a few spoonfuls of the broth. Store it with a little broth too.
Can I make it in a slow cooker?
Yes. Cook the chicken with the same aromatics and enough water to cover on low for 3 to 4 hours, until it shreds easily and reaches 75°C, then shred it.
Is it gluten free and dairy free?
Yes. It uses only chicken, vegetables, herbs, salt and water, so it is free from gluten, dairy, egg and nuts. Watch any stock cubes or seasoning mixes you add later.
What do I do with the shredded chicken?
Fill tacos, enchiladas or tostadas, make chicken tinga by simmering it in chipotle tomato sauce, stir it into soup, or pile it on a rice bowl.
More base recipes
Double check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.