Easy Shredded Chicken

If you like to cook in bulk, you'll love this! You can cook up a whole batch of boneless skinless chicken breast and have it shredded and ready to throw on a salad, in soup, or season up for whatever you'd like to eat.

Use your mixer! I use my kitchenaid mixer but a hand mixer will also work. I can throw the hot cooked chicken breasts right in and the mixer shreds them up easily. The key is to do quick bursts of the mixer, don't just turn it on full blast or it'll throw the chicken right out of the bowl. If you're doing a large batch, put just a few breasts in at once, pulse it until you like the level of shredding, then dump it into a large bowl to the side and do the next few breasts. Repeat until it's all shredded.

You can cook large batches of chicken in a crock pot, but it takes hours to cook them. Still better than boiling, but not super fast.

THEN I got my Instant Pot. Hello! Now I don't even have to deal with boiling chicken anymore OR waiting on the crock pot! I can cook 5 lbs of chicken at once - I just throw it in the instant pot with some water, set it to pressure cook for 15 minutes, and walk away.

I actually keep cooked, shredded chicken in my freezer now so I can use it in recipes as needed. I even keep some seasoned with taco seasoning to use on a taco salad or in a lettuce wrap. So convenient!

Some recipes from this blog that you can make with precooked shredded chicken:

Chicken Fajita (P3)
Chicken Apple Slaw (P2)
Chicken Spinach Tomato Soup (P2)
Enchilada (just sub chicken for beef) (P2)
Chicken Soup (P2)
Chicken Chili (P2)
Chicken Salad (P3)

http://www.myhcgcooking.com

P3 Low Carb Gluten Free Pizza Soup

P3 Pizza Soup with Zucchini Noodles

3 Tbsp Olive Oil
3-4 cloves Garlic, minced
2 small or 1 large Onion, diced

2 cups Chicken Broth or Vegetable Stock
2 cups Water
2 14oz cans Tomato Sauce
3 Zucchini, noodled (see note below)
1 Tbsp fresh Oregano or 1 tsp dried
2 Tbsp fresh Basil or 2 tsp dried
Salt and Pepper to taste

Parmesan Cheese, grated, for garnish

I use this really cool kitchen gadget to make noodles out of zucchini, cucumbers, potatoes, etc.  It's really nice if you like veggies chopped up on a salad.

Heat olive oil and saute garlic 2-3 min. Add onion and saute 4-5 min. 

Add broth, water, and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to low and add zucchini, oregano and basil, s&p.  Simmer for 30-40 minutes - the longer the better. Top each serving with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

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P2 Chicken, Spinach, Tomato Soup

Thanks to my friend Kristen for this recipe and the beautiful picture!

If you count the tomato as a fruit, it's not even rogue on HCG Phase 2.

Chicken, Spinach, Tomato Soup

8 oz fat free Chicken Broth

2-4 cups Water (depending how thin you like your chicken broth)

15oz can Diced Tomatoes

2 cups fresh Baby Spinach, washed and chopped

1 portion cooked, chopped Chicken (I used 1/2 chicken breast)

1/2 tsp minced Garlic

1/2 tsp Basil

1/2 tsp Oregano

Salt and Pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients into saucepan over med-hi heat, adding spinach last; it only needs to simmer for 2-3 minutes. 

The original recipe calls for mini-tortellini, which you can easily cook separately and add to the soup if desired (for the rest of the family not on protocol). 

http://www.myhcgcooking.com

P2 Tomato Soup

This is super easy and so yummy!  You could even dip your melba in it to pretend it's grilled cheese.  Well, maybe not, but whatever.  It's an idea. :)

Tomato Soup

1 clove Garlic, minced
1 can Diced Tomatoes
1/4-1/2 tsp Oregano
1/4-1/2 tsp Thyme
1/4-1/2 tsp Parsley
1/3 cup Cottage Cheese (I used low-fat, technically rogue on HCG P2)

Drain a little juice from the tomatoes into a saucepan and saute the garlic for a minute.  Dump in the tomatoes and spices and simmer for 5 minutes.  Add cottage cheese and blend until smooth.  An immersion blender works great for this if you have one.  If not, transfer the soup to your blender to puree. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

http://www.myhcgcooking.com

P2 Chicken Soup - Comfort Food!

Whether it's cold outside, you aren't feeling 100%, or you just want some good ole comfort food, it's hard to beat homemade chicken soup! This is an easy one to make in bulk so you have some meals ready to go in the fridge or freezer.

Chicken Soup

3.5 oz Chicken Breast, diced
1/2 cup Celery, sliced
1/2 small Onion, diced
1 cup fat-free Chicken Broth
Water, to taste
1 tsp Oregano
1 tsp Basil
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Onion Powder

(you can add any seasonings you like - try Bragg's, Chili Powder, Tobasco, etc. and let me know what you liked best!)

Heat chicken broth in sauce pan.  Add onion and celery and cook for about 5 minutes.  Add seasonings and chicken, let simmer until chicken is done.  Taste and add water as needed until it's just right.

I quadrupled this recipe so I have 3 more meals ready to heat.  I ordered a bulk package of gladware containers - these for meals like this, and some smaller ones for freezing meat portions.

http://www.myhcgcooking.com

P2 Chicken Chili

Using diced chicken in chili made for a nice change in this meal.

Chicken Chili

3.5 oz Chicken breast, diced
1/2 cup Onion, diced
1 clove Garlic, diced
1/2-1 cup Water
1/2 cup Tomato Sauce
1 large Tomato, diced
1 tsp Cumin
1/2 tsp Chili Powder, to taste
1/2 tsp Cilantro
Salt and Pepper to taste

In a medium sauce pot or pan, cook chicken with onion, garlic and water until chicken is done. Add water as needed to keep things moving around. Add tomato sauce, diced tomato and spices. Allow to simmer until tomatoes are cooked and the mixture thickens.

http://www.myhcgcooking.com

P2 Cabbage Meatball Soup

I just threw this one together and looooved it!

1/2 cup Water
1/2 cup Fat Free Beef Broth
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1-2 Tbsp tomato sauce, optional
2 cups Cabbage, chopped or shredded

Mix water, broth and spices. Cook cabbage in broth until done.

Mix meatballs and bake while cabbage is cooking:

Meatballs

3.5 oz ground beef
1 Tbsp bread crumbs
1 tsp milk
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp basil
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp garlic salt
pinch pepper

Preheat oven to 425. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Form into small balls (I get 8-10 in a batch.) Place on baking sheet and cook 7-9 minutes or until done.

Drain meatballs on paper towel and add to soup. Super simple! Salt and pepper to taste.


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P3 Broccoli Cheese Soup

This recipe was born from the need to use up a bunch of fresh broccoli, and the need for a quick dinner. It was ready in 10 minutes, and a hit with my husband and both kids. I actually had to whip up a second batch because the kids wanted more. Amazing.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

4 cups (or 1 carton) chicken broth
4 cups broccoli florets
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup shredded cheese

Pour broth into a large saucepan and add broccoli. Bring to a boil and cook about 5 minutes, until broccoli is tender but still a little on the crunchy side. Scoop out some of the smaller pieces and set them aside. Put the rest into the blender (or use an immersion blender) and puree. Add reserved broccoli, cream and cheese. Serve.

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