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Easy Poached Chicken Breast : How To Poach… | The Modern Proper
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Perfect Poached
Chicken
SERVES: 8
PREP TIME: 10 min
COOK TIME: 15 min
CALORIES: 120
DAIRY-FREE
GLUTEN FREE
LOW-CARB
30 MINUTES
WHOLE30
KID FRIENDLY
Plain, boneless, skinless chicken breasts poached in
lightly-salted water are a moist, tender culinary
blank slate—elegant in their absolute simplicity.
Here’s how to make perfectly poached chicken.
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2/16/22, 10:26 PM
Easy Poached Chicken Breast : How To Poach… | The Modern Proper
How To Make Poached Chicken Breast
Whether you shred it up to make an indulgent, mayonnaise-laden chicken salad, or
slice into rounds and serve alongside a green salad for a ladies-who-lunch-style
supper (pass the Chablis, please), poached chicken is a fast and easy classic.
What is Poaching?
Poaching is a gentle, “moist-heat” cooking method that uses water or broth held at a
low heat—always below a boil, usually barely at a simmer—to cook foods of all kinds.
The ideal poaching temperature is between 170°F and 180°F. It’s important not to let
the cooking liquid come to a boil or even a vigorous simmer or else (for all sorts of
science-y reasons having to do with heat and moisture) you risk ending up with a
tough piece of meat. Remember, poaching is a low-and-slow cooking method.
How to Poach Chicken Breast:
Patience is the key to a perfect poached chicken breast. Here’s what you need to know:
1. Use a wide, shallow pan. Like this one.
2. Begin by placing your raw, boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the pan.
3. Cover with water. Add cold water to the pan and fill until the chicken breasts are
fully submerged.
4. Bring the water gently up to temperature over medium heat. Here’s where the
patience comes in! Remember: low and slow=moist, tender poached chicken.
5. Once you’ve reached a low simmer, reduce the heat. Turn the heat down to low
and cover the pan.
6. Wait, again. About ten minutes.
7. Check for doneness! You want an internal temp of 165°F. Once the chicken is
done, take it off the heat.
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Easy Poached Chicken Breast : How To Poach… | The Modern Proper
8. Let the chicken rest in its poaching liquid for a few minutes, if you’ve got the
time. The capacity of meat to hold water actually increases as it cools. As the
chicken rests in the cooking liquid, it will reabsorb some of the moisture it
released during cooking. This means ultra-juicy, succulent poached chicken.
How Do You Know When The Chicken Breast is
Cooked?
Wondering exactly how long to poach chicken breasts to ensure moist, tender, perfect
meat? As ever, the best way to check for doneness is to use a meat thermometer. After
about ten minutes, you’ll want to stick an instant-read meat thermometer (this is our
favorite) into the thickest part of the chicken breast. Once you get a reading of 165°F,
consider that chicken poached!
Is Poached Chicken Healthy?
Boneless, skinless, perfectly poached chicken breasts are about as healthy as any food
could be. No fat is used in the cooking process, and the chicken gets plenty of
moistness from its gentle simmer in the poaching liquid so you can use skinless
breasts without compromising any juiciness. Poached chicken breast is a lean, mean,
delicious protein machine.
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Easy Poached Chicken Breast : How To Poach… | The Modern Proper
The Best Poached Chicken...
...is one that suits exactly your own tastes! Customize this poached chicken recipe and
make all of your juicy, boneless, skinless chicken breast dreams (you have those too,
right?) come true by playing around with the poaching liquid. A plain poaching
liquid—just water and salt—yields a final product that is simple and versatile, but you
can also flavor it with herbs and spices. Our favorite add-ins include:
Fresh herbs! Think a spring of rosemary, fresh thyme, or a handful of parsley.
Aromatics! Fresh peeled garlic cloves, some onion, or even whole peppercorns.
Peeled fresh ginger is delicious, too.
Salt! This is a must—whatever else you add or don’t add, don’t skip a pinch of salt.
Broth instead of water! Swapping chicken broth for some (or all) of the water is
an easy way to intensify the savory, meatiness of simple poached chicken.
A little wine or beer! If you’ve got some around, a pour of either white wine or
beer will add dimension and complexity to the poaching liquid.
Can You Use Chicken Poaching Liquid?
Yes! Save that chicken-y liquid, especially if you tossed some herbs or aromatics.
Strain, then refrigerate (if you’re going to use it soon) or freeze the ultra-light
poaching liquid and use it as you would store-bought chicken broth. It will be lighter
in flavor than traditional chicken broth, but (of course!) much more flavorful than
water. Try using it in place of water the next time you cook rice or quinoa, or use it as
a delicately-flavored soup base.
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Easy Poached Chicken Breast : How To Poach… | The Modern Proper
Our Favorite Poached Chicken Recipes:
This poached chicken recipe is one that we use over and over again—sometimes
multiple times a week. Having poached chicken breasts in the fridge, ready to use at a
moment’s notice, is probably our number one meal prep tip. Shred it, slice it, melt
cheese on it—however you use it, it’s a busy cook’s best friend. Here are a few of our
favorite ways to use poached chicken:
Low-Carb Chicken Divan. Creamy, cheesy, and broccoli-y, our healthy version of
the retro fave wins everytime.
Quick and Easy Chicken Noodle Soup. Comfort in a bowl.
Chicken Street Tacos with Mango Slaw. Tacos are obviously the greatest way to
use just about anything, but poached chicken is a surprisingly perfect taco filling
—its clean and delicate flavor is the perfect base for all your favorite taco toppers.
Tikka Masala Soup. Fragrant with the spices of India, this creamy soup warms
from the inside out.
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Easy Poached Chicken Breast : How To Poach… | The Modern Proper
Tools You’ll Need to Make Poached Chicken:
A shallow, wide pan.
An instant-read meat thermometer.
Patience. But only a little.
Did This Perfectly Poached Chicken Make it
Into One of Your Dishes?
Be sure to post a pic to Instagram and tag @themodernproper and
#themodernproper. We’d love to see how it turned out and fully expect to hear how
much you loved it!
Perfect Poached Chicken
SERVES: 8
PREP TIME: 10 min
COOK TIME: 15 min
CALORIES: 120
2 large chicken breasts (about 1.5 lbs total)
2 quarts water or broth
1 tbsp salt
1. Place chicken breasts in the pan.
2. Add cold water (roughly 2 quarts) and salt to the pan until the chicken breasts are
fully submerged.
3. Bring the water to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Turn the heat down to low
and cover the pan.
4. Simmer for ten minutes.
5. Check for doneness! You want an internal temp of 165°F. Once the chicken is
done, take it off the heat.
6. Let the chicken rest in its poaching liquid for a few minutes. As the chicken rests
in the cooking liquid, it will reabsorb some of the moisture it released during
cooking.
Yields 2.5 cups shredded chicken
Nutrition Info
Per Serving
https://themodernproper.com/perfect-poached-chicken
Amount
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2/16/22, 10:26 PM
Easy Poached Chicken Breast : How To Poach… | The Modern Proper
CALORIES
120
PROTEIN
20 g
CARBOHYDRATES
0g
TOTAL FAT
3g
DIETARY FIBER
0g
CHOLESTEROL
35 mg
SODIUM
334 mg
TOTAL SUGARS
0g
Perfect Poached Chicken
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REVIEWS
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Avg: 5
SHIRLEY HAYWARD
I thought I followed the directions, but the chicken was
rubbery and I wonder what I might have done to cause that.
It took a long time to come to a simmer because I was lower
than medium heat to start out with. It did finally boil just a
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2/16/22, 10:26 PM
Easy Poached Chicken Breast : How To Poach… | The Modern Proper
bit before I noticed and turned it down. I also noted that
after the ten minutes that the temperature of the chicken
soared past 165 degrees. I have poached chicken many
times, without a detailed recipe. Sometimes it turns out nice
and other times it comes out like these breasts, rather dry
and rubbery. I would be so grateful if you could help me to
understand how to cook them consistently. Thank you.
I think you just overcooked them as you said the temperature
soared past 165°F. I like to just keep a close eye on the
temperature and pull them right at 165°F. When they overcook,
they get dry and rubbery.
ANNA TAYLOR
Hi! Could I make this ahead of time and freeze it? And if so,
how long do you think it would be good in the freezer for?
You bet! I like to keep my cooked shredded chicken in the freezer
for only a month or so. I am sure it's ok for a few months after
that, but I personally like to use mine up fairly quickly.
Cherish your loved
ones and feed them
well.
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