How to poach a chicken breast
Poached chicken is one of the most versatile things you can have sitting around in the fridge. Mix with a sauce and toss it in a sandwich. Add some dressing and place it on a salad. Throw it with some pasta and your done!
Chicken Caesar Salad, Chicken quesadillas, Vietnamese chicken salad… Done, Done and Done!
I love making a large batch of poached chicken in the beginning of the week. It gives me tons of dinner and lunch options through out the week. The basic recipe for poaching chicken is below, but you can easily spice it up. Add rosemary, a bay leaf and oregano for Mediterranean chicken. Add some Chile powder and Tabasco for some spicy fun. Kick up the flavor by cooking the breast in chicken broth instead of water. You get the idea. Just remember to always add salt to the water. Also, instead of boneless chicken breast you can also use split, bone-in, skin on breasts… or if you are feeling bold, chicken thighs. The bone-in cuts might need an extra 5 minutes of simmering.
Poached chicken
Ingredients:
- Chicken (Boneless chicken breast, split chicken breast or chicken thighs)
- Salt
- Liquid (Water, broth, and/or wine)
- Flavorings (rosemary, bay leaf, thyme, oregano, lemon zest, ginger, garlic, celery, onions, carrots… etc)
Direction:
- Place chicken in pan.
- Add enough of the liquid to cover the chicken.
- Add salt and flavorings.
- Bring the liquid to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.
- Simmer for two minutes, longer for bone-in pieces (~5 additional minutes)
- Remove pan from heat and cover.
- Let sit for 30 minutes.
- Place chicken in container, cover with liquid and refrigerate.
The Best of Cookography
Hi there! I think your receipe looks extremely practical, I am looking to have more options at breakfast instead of just eggs all the time. I think poached chicken will make a nice change!
can you poach chicken from frozen or do you have to thaw first?
Can someone help me?
What about high altitude cooking? I am just learning to cook and learned very early on that there is a big difference between 7,000 feet and 200 feet!
This worked wonderfully for me!
Thanks alot.
This is a very dangerous recipe. Simmering chicken for 2 min is not long enough.
The initial cooking time of 2 minutes is just to get the chicken started, the actual finishing of the chicken happens once the pan is off heat, covered and let to rest for an additional 30 minutes. There is a ton of residual heat leftover that will be more than enough to cook the chicken (however thick) through.
Its long enough if you know how to cook
2 minutes at a simmer and 30 resting is plenty. If the chicken breast is white when you slice/dice/shred it, it’s fine. I have used this method for years, and it works beautifully. It’s like boiling an egg. Get it to boiling, take it off the heat and cover for 11-13 minutes (depending on how you like your yolk) and it will be perfectly boiled every time.
I appreciate your concern for food safety, but the water in the pan holds plenty of heat to cook the chicken, and you get a much more even result this way without drying out the outer parts to get the inner parts cooked. Water is an excellent conductor of heat :)
I have never had an issue with poached chicken using this method, but if I did, I would know when I dices it or shredded it, at which point I would cook it a bit more.
[...] of cooking chicken, I really never considered poaching an option before. From reading tips on various websites, it seemed the trick to moist, flavourful meat was to throw in some flavouring agents (bay [...]
i was wondering about doing the chicken breast in orange juice. Do u think it would work?
Help me out here…am not a cook normally. When poaching chicken like this, is that sufficient to “cook” it or is more cooking (ie. baking, pan fry, etc) required? Thx!
That will cook it. While sitting in the recently boiled water it will slowly cook, and not over cook it (which will make it more like leather). Remember no one is born a cook. Trial+Error=Experience
Well, it’s very moist, but not very flavorful. I use this method to pre cook-chicken for pot-pies and casseroles. I normally use leftover roast chicken for that, but my family tends to devour most of a roast chicken in one setting. I always need another breast or two. It’s fine to use for sandwiches (chicken salad or sliced chicken) or in casseroles. If you are planning to use a recipe that calls for whole chicken breasts, I would not use this method. I would certainly not use it for a stand-alone chicken breast. You are better off roasting, BBQing, or baking it.
I love this method for when chicken breasts are on sale. I poach up a ton of them, shred them, and freeze them for later use.
I don’t cook with salt at all so I wonder why you emphasize using salt?
I don’t use salt either, I used poultry seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, and herbs. Came out GREAT! And I also add veggies, like a halved onion, carrots and celery and cook a while for great stock. Save in small containers and freeze. After frozen, release from containers and save in zip top bag. Great to have on hand in 1/2 cup and 1 cup sizes!
Try low-salt soy sauce in the water. Gives it a hint of salt.
Salt is a flavor enhancer. It is not necessary, and most people get way too much, especially through processed foods. However, it is tasty :) Also, it can perk up a dish. All people need at least a little salt in their diet. If you are not eating any garbage food, and unless your M.D. has prohibited salt, a pinch or two is not a problem.
My family eats very few processed or take-out foods. Therefore, I salt to taste. I find that if I use enough “good” seasonings (herbs, spices, pepper, etc.) I don’t need as much salt. Still, it is still something i use, especially in cooking water. Very little salt is absorbed when the salt is in the water cooking pastas or meats.
BTW, I have found that canned “foods” like Spaghettios (which I LOVE) that are labeled “preservative free” have at least 1/2 of your reccomended maximum daily sodium intake. OK for an occasional treat, but don’t let the labeling fool you. A serving of vegetables is great, but not if it gives your kids enough sodium for a day or two.
I think the hold time will depend on how well the pot retains heat. Aluminum probably cools off fastest, if anyone still uses aluminum. Heavy stainless will hold heat a lot longer.
Very good point, vessels do matter.
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Another note to add: Make sure you keep the liquid and freeze as homemade chicken broth. I like to add more veggies to the poaching liquid so that the broth is a little richer when it’s done. I sometimes boil the liquid after I take the chicken out, adding the veggies then. Works well.
Boiling the poaching liquid will kill any bacteria if it’s been sitting off the heat for more than 1 hour. This will also reduce the amount of water to concentrate those yummy flavours in the pot!
[...] an even stronger lime flavor) 1 cup (30 g) cilantro, chopped 1 cup (240 ml) mayo 4 chicken breasts, poached and coarsely shredded (or about 3 cups of any shredded chicken, such as leftover roast chicken) [...]
actually, if this thread is still alive, I, too, wonder if you store the now-cooked chicken in the water in which it was cooked.
also, how long, theoretically, would they last in the fridge?
thanks.
Thanks for this. I used this twice last spring, once bone-in and once boneless. I couldn’t remember how to do it, and your link is the first one that came up when I searched for “how to poach a chicken breast” in Google; I recognized it as the same one that I used last time.
This is the same page/method I used last time and it was perfect, for those who are nervous about the time/temp, this definitely cooks the breast all the way through. If you’re nervous, when it’s done, cut it in half, and you’ll see there is no pink.
As a side note: Bone in for me worked better at about 4 minutes total simmer, then the 30 minute standing time.
Thanks for reporting back Julie! I like using bone-in because I think it gives the chicken a little more flavor.
Hi – jus wanted to check before I make this that the liquid you place in container before putting in fridge is the same liquid you used for poaching? Thanks!
How MUCH salt?
Good question. The is no fixed amount since you are going to be using a different amount of liquid depending on how much chicken you have and the shape of the pot. I would say a good ratio would be 1/2 tsp per quart.
how come poaching only takes a few minutes while boiling can take up to an hour?
I firmly believe that boiling should be reserved for pasta, tea and coffee. Only. Other foods are destroyed, both nutritionally and taste-wise, by boiling. The only time I boil a chicken is when I use the picked-off carcass to make stock.
The cooking time is not really 2 minutes. It’s 2 minutes at a simmer and 30 minutes (covered) in the hot water. Trust me, it works every time.
I am of Scottish extraction, and I recall horrible meals of boiled whatever that robbed the ingredients of both flavor and nutrients.
Thank you!
[...] Poach the chicken and let it cool. When it is cool enough to handle, remove skin and bones and shred. [...]
I found your method of poaching through google a few months ago and I now use it pretty regularly…works great! Thank you!
Another detail; According to the Prentice Hall Dictionary of Culinary Arts, Boiling is (obviously) 212F, simmering is 185F-205F, and Poaching is 160F-180F.
Hi, everyone! I’m a little nervous about this . . . seems like two minutes is not very long! But I will try it! I guess I have an instant read thermometer and I can alway check the thickest part for i think 160.
Letting the chicken sit in the hot water for 15-30 minutes is what cooks the chicken. It brings the chicken to a high enough temperature to kill all the bacteria, but it doesn’t heat up the chicken enough to over cook it. Anything great than 150-160 will kill all the bacteria.
Correction. For poaching you do NOT simmer. There are three different kind of fully submerged liquid cooking: poaching, simmering and boiling, and they all require different temperatures. To say that poaching is the same as simmering is the same as saying that simmering is the same as boiling. So, a simmer is where the bubbles are small and gentle right? And a boil is where the bubbles are large and rolling. A poach is less than even a simmer. A poach is where tiny bubbles are forming on the surface of the pan, but are not large enough to rise to the surface. This will render a much more tender chicken breast. Also, don’t bring the water to a boil or a simmer, just gently up to a poach.
I tried this. Cut one of the boneless breasts after about 25 minutes and it seemed pink so I let it sit in the liquid 5 more minutes. Parts of it seemed tough when I diced it to use in a pasta dish. Other parts seemed nice and tender. Did I overcook it? How do you compensate for the variation on thickness in a breast so it all is cooked properly?
You are technically correct. However, if you are tending to multiple children while poaching chicken, simmering for 2 minutes and covering it off the heat for 30 is close enough. It’s not really poaching, but it works fine :)
That’s so funny. I was just browsing around to make sure I was poaching my chicken right, and you were the second google link that came up. Hi Luke.
Yea, I may have been playing it way to safe letting it sit for 30 minutes. I would definitely check way before then. Thanks for the advice!
i followed the directions to a t – fearing that the breasts would be overcooked, i stopped letting sit after 20 minutes instead of 30 but they were still a bit dry. I would experiment until you get it right. maybe let it sit for 10, 15 minutes, check to see if it’s done…instead of letting sit for the full 30 minutes. everything else was great, thanks
Thanks for this clearcut, simple recipe! I’m doing 3 breasts now thanks to you!
[...] is one of the many dishes I made from a big batch of poached chicken I cooked up earlier in the week. It is an original creation that I sort of threw together, and it [...]
[...] is one of the many dishes I made from a big batch of poached chicken I cooked up earlier in the week. It is an original creation that I sort of threw together, and it [...]