Shredded Roasted Chicken for Dogs and Cats

Even the most finicky of cats and dogs will love this chicken

MetPet.com Staff Writer

There are few things better or easier than a rotisserie cooked or roasted whole chicken.  It's low in fat (except for the skin), relatively inexpensive, nutritious and a favorite with even the pickiest of cats.  Dogs simply inhale shredded chicken either on its own, mixed in with steamed vegetables or added to commercial dog kibble.

Store Bought Rotisserie or Roast-Your-Own Chicken

Take one store bought rotisserie chicken or roast a whole one yourself.  When buying a pre-cooked chicken, stick with the basic flavors: herbed, lemon, lightly seasoned or plain.  Barbeque or highly spiced flavors may cause intestinal problems with dogs.  Cats may turn up their noses on heavy spices. 

When roasting one yourself, cook it without seasonings or stuffing.  Processed foods are heavy in preservatives and spices but they are not necessary if you are preparing them fresh in your own kitchen. 

Start with a cooled chicken.  A slightly chilled chicken is firmer than a warm one and shreds easily so we leave one, uncovered in the refrigerator for a few hours. We leave the skin on and shred it along with the meat although you can remove it if your pet is on the portly side as it contains quite a bit of fat. 

To shred the chicken, all you will need are two sturdy forks.  The long-tined dinner forks work the best although any metal fork will do.  Use one fork to hold the chicken and the other one to shred it.  Starting at the breast, simply punch through the skin and pull it back.  It should come off easily along with strips of the breast meat.  If the skin pulls off in large sections, simply pull it apart separately with the forks. 

You can use your fingers to shred the meat off the bone but it is easier, faster and cleaner with forks.  Repeat this all the way around the chicken.  The breast meat and legs will shred easily while you may need a knife for the bonier sections. 

You can prepare several chickens all at once, shred them and freeze them in individual containers.  Simply place the containers in the refrigerator to slowly thaw over a day or two. 

A typical 1.5 lb chicken will yield about 4 cups of loosely packed meat.  A few spoonfuls of chicken will liven up your cat's dinner and a handful of shreds are a great training tool and treat for your dog. 

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