Building Block 4 - Pulled Chicken

By ccavaletti

Ingredients

• 4 lbs skin-on, bone-in chicken breasts
• 4 lbs skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs
• 2 Tbsp EVOO
• 2 lemons, cut into wedges
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• salt and pepper

Details

Servings 12
Preparation time 15mins
Cooking time 65mins

Preparation

Step 1

1. Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 400. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment. Place the chicken breasts on 1 sheet and the thighs on the other. Drizzle with the EVOO and squeeze the lemons on top. Sprinkle with the paprika and thyme; season with salt and pepper. Toast until the skin is crisp and the juices run clear when the pieces are pierced with the tip of a small, sharp knife, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes.

2. Remove the chicken skin, then pull and cut the meat off the bones. Tear the meat into shreds. (Save the bones, skin and any juices from the pans to make broth if desired; see recipe in this cookbook.)

FREEZE IT:
Divide into 1-1/2 cup portions and transfer to resalable plastic sandwich bags. Squeeze out the air and flatten the bags. Seal and store flat in a 2-gallon freezer bag.

USE IT:
Thaw at room temperature for about 1 hour, or pop into the fridge in the morning and let thaw all day. (The microwave can be used in a pinch)

CHANGE IT:
> Use hot or smoked paprika instead of regular.
> Add a little bit of sesame oil in addition to the EVOO.
>Substitute limes for the lemons.
>Swap in tarragon for the thyme.