How to Cook Chicken for Chicken Salad

The best chicken salad begins with perfectly cooked chicken. Chicken that’s not dry, rubbery, or tasteless, right?

In this post, you’ll learn how to cook chicken for chicken salad, so you have the BEST meals!

The Best Way to Cook Chicken for Chicken Salad

You are correct if you guessed poaching is the best way to cook chicken for salads! Hands down, it’s the simplest way to achieve juicy chicken and will give your salad the perfect texture.

Whether you like chunky chicken salads or smooth textured chicken salad, you can do both with this easy poaching method!

There are a couple of other cooking methods worth mentioning, like roasting and pan-searing, which you can read about in this graph

Cooking Method	Pros	Cons
Roasting	Easy to shred	Breasts dry out easily
	Hands-off method
	Flavorful
Pan-Searing	Quick to cook	Cubed only
		Easy to overcook
		Breasts dry out easily
Poached	Juicy
	Easy
	Cubed or shredded

How to Cook & Shred Chicken for Chicken Salad

Grab a large pot, and let me show you how to make chicken worthy of being turned into an EPIC Homemade Chicken Salad.

To keep this recipe simple, I am using boneless skinless chicken breasts, but I’ll show you different cuts to use later in the post.

Now let’s get started! 

1. Boil some water
   Place a pound of boneless skinless chicken breasts into a large soup pot, and add enough cold water to cover the chicken by 2-inches. 
2. Add salt and seasonings
   Generously season the water with salt and your choice of herbs, if using. *You’ll find more details on seasoning poached chicken in the next section.
3. Simmer
   Bring the water to a low boil and use a pair of tongs to flip the chicken. 
4. Remove from heat
   Place a lid over the pot and turn off the heat. Allow the chicken to steep in hot water for 10 minutes or until it’s cooked to an internal temperature of 165F. 
5. Shred
   Remove the chicken from the water and set it onto a large cutting board. Allow it to cool for 5 minutes before shredding the chicken with your preferred method.

Yes, there is more than one way to shred chicken, and you can watch this video to see which method you’d like best:

Seasoning Chicken for Chicken Salad

Since we plan to toss the chicken in a creamy, seasoned dressing, adding spices and herbs while cooking isn’t necessary, the only essential source of flavoring is salt. 

That said, you can cook the chicken with aromatics like fresh or dried thyme, oregano, sage leaves, rosemary, peppercorns, and garlic without significantly altering the finished recipe. Just add them in with the salted water and cook as directed. 

Looking for more cooking tips to help you make better chicken recipes? I’ve got a TON of them and tasty ideas for you to try right here: 

How Much Shredded Chicken

The amount of shredded chicken you get depends on the type of cut you are cooking. The graph below displays common cuts of chicken you’d find at the grocery store and how much to expect from each. 

*These approximate estimates provide you with a general idea of what to expect, not exact amounts. 

Chicken Cut & Pack	Cooked Amount Yield
1 lb chicken breasts boneless, skinless	3 cups shredded/cubed
4 lb split chicken breasts	4 cups shredded/cubed
2 lb chicken thighs boneless, skinless	3 cups shredded/cubed
2 lb chicken thighs bone-in, skin-on	2 cups shredded/cubes
5 lb whole chicken	5 cups shredded/cubed
rotisserie chicken	3-5 cups shredded/cubed

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