Poaching chicken yields juicy meat that shreds easily.

Shredded chicken is incorporated into numerous dishes, from Mexican-inspired enchiladas, tacos, nachos, and quesadillas to salads, soups, chicken pot pie, and barbecue chicken rolls. Although it's often baked, chicken is best cooked in water.

Poaching is a simple method that involves gently cooking food in a liquid such as water, broth, milk, butter, stock, or wine. It provides even results and prevents delicate foods from overcooking. Unlike sous-vide cooking, the food is cooked directly in the liquid. It is used with eggs, seafood such as fish and lobster, vegetables such as asparagus, leeks, and carrots, stone fruits, and poultry.

Shredded chicken requires juicy meat that is easy to separate and doesn't have a thick crust that makes it difficult to cut. Poaching, using moist heat at a low temperature, is the best method to achieve this.

Poaching is a moist-heat cooking method, similar to boiling and simmering, but at a lower temperature, generally between 71 and 85 degrees Celsius (160 and 184 degrees Fahrenheit). There are two variations: deep poaching, with the food completely submerged, and shallow poaching, with the liquid only partially covering the food.

The amount of broth depends on the size of the piece. A whole chicken should be completely submerged, while breasts or thighs can be poached in a lot or a little broth. Using less broth prevents thin cuts from overcooking, and the leftover liquid can later be turned into sauce.

For a neutral-flavored chicken that will later be seasoned for tacos or enchiladas, water is sufficient. For salads or to accompany rice, a court-bouillon is preferable: a flavorful broth typically made with water, an acid such as wine or vinegar, and aromatics like herbs and spices. When shredding the chicken, a rotating shredder speeds up the process, although stainless steel shredders can also be used.