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Why You’ll Love My Recipe
Poaching chicken is one of the best options for keeping the meat tender, juicy, and absolutely delicious without using any added oil or fat. Instead, the chicken is cooked gently in a flavorful broth, keeping it moist and tender without extra hassle!
If you love your chicken tender and juicy, you need to try poaching it! Poaching helps maintain moisture and inject a huge kick of flavor into proteins that can otherwise be dry or bland, and at the end of your cooking time you also end up with a delicious broth that can be used to make other recipes!
Rather than buying ready-made broth to poach your poultry in, why not make your own Crock Pot Bone Broth for a depth of flavor that you can only get from real home cooking? And if you plan on making a big batch of poached chicken, consider making a pot of delicious Chicken Noodle Soup with the poaching liquid when you’re done!
Karlynn’s Recipe Notes
- Skill Level: Poached chicken is easy to make and doesn’t require a lot of babysitting!
- Total Time: You can have a batch of poached chicken ready to add to your favorite dishes in just 15 to 17 minutes!
- Variations: Try changing up the aromatics in your poaching liquid to get different delicious flavors! Swap out the thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves in this recipe for ginger, garlic, and green onion for a Chinese flavor; use lemongrass, ginger, and lime for a Vietnamese vibe; or go with garlic, bay leaves, and lemon for a savory, tangy combination!
- Tools For This Recipe: You will need a medium sized pot to make this recipe. Consider investing in a dutch oven and instant read thermometer for maximum temperature control and an easy way to make sure your chicken is perfectly cooked! You can also get a pair of tongs and a large strainer to make removing your chicken and aromatics from the poaching liquid easy.
What You’ll Need For Ingredients
Chicken: Chicken breasts are an excellent choice for a high-protein, low fat final product, however poaching is such a forgiving cooking method that you can use any part of the bird! If you’re not too worried about counting calories, go with chicken thighs or drumsticks for a more flavorful ratio of fat to protein. Chicken thighs, legs, and drumsticks are usually cheaper to get at your local grocery store too!
Aromatics: I like to use the classic flavors of rosemary, thyme, bay leaf, onion, and garlic for my poaching liquid, but feel free to mix it up! Anything you’d add to your usual chicken stock will go great in this recipe.
How To Make Poached Chicken
This is a quick overview of the recipe. The full list of ingredients & complete step-by-step instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Add the chicken, garlic, onion, bay leaf, rosemary, and thyme to a medium pot. Pour in the chicken broth so that it covers the chicken.
- Place the pot over medium heat until the broth comes to a low simmer.
- When the pot begins to simmer, turn the heat down to low and cook for 10-15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Ensure that the thickest part of the meat has reached a minimum internal temperature of 165°F.
- Transfer the chicken to a cutting board. Slice and serve as desired. Strain the broth and store it for future use.
Karlynn’s Tips and Tricks for the Perfect Poached Chicken
- Low and Slow: The key to making tender, juicy poached chicken is to make sure that your poaching liquid doesn’t get up to a rolling boil. Keep the temperature low and simmer the ingredients in the pot until your chicken comes up to a minimum of 165°F, and you’ll have delicious, tender chicken! If you’re poaching chicken thighs, waiting until they reach an internal temp of 190-195°F will get you an excellent, fall-apart, easy to shred texture!
- Don’t Toss the Broth: Don’t get rid of the poaching liquid when your chicken’s done cooking! You can use it as a starting point for a pot of soup, or as a flavor enhancer for other dishes. If you’ve go a lot on hand, you can keep it in the freezer for up to 3 months; consider pouring it into ice cube trays and storing your brothy ice cubes in a container or zip top bag. They’ll be perfect for adding a little extra punch of flavor to sauces, stir fries, and gravies!
Storage Instructions
Refrigerator: Poached chicken will keep for up to 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge. To keep it extra juicy, add a little of the poaching liquid to your container.
Freezer: Make sure that your poached chicken has cooled, then pack it into an airtight container or bag. It’ll stay good in the freezer for up to 3 months! When you’re ready to eat it, thaw the chicken in the fridge overnight.
Cutting calories doesn’t have to mean sacrificing great flavors or committing to boring meals! Everyone can enjoy tender, juicy, melt-in-your-mouth poached chicken, and it has the added bonus of being super easy to make in batches for folks who like to prep ahead!
Give my recipe for poached chicken a try and let me know your favorite ways to use it in the comments below!
Happy Cooking!
Karlynn
Poached Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds boneless chicken breasts, or thighs
- 2 garlic cloves, smashed
- 2-3 onion, slices
- 1 bay leaf
- 1-2 teaspoons fresh rosemary
- 1-2 teaspoons fresh thyme
- 5-6 cups chicken broth, enough to cover the chicken
Instructions
- In a medium pot add the chicken, garlic, onion, bay leaf, rosemary and thyme. Pour in the chicken broth so it covers the chicken.
- Place the pot over medium heat and heat until the liquid comes to a low simmer. Make sure to heat this slowly as this will make sure the chicken remains tender.
- When the pot comes to a simmer, turn the heat down to low and cook for about 10-15 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Ensure the thickest part of the meat has reached a minimum internal temperature of 165°F.
- Transfer to a cutting board. Slice and serve garnished with thin slices of lemon, cracked fresh pepper and sprigs of parsley.
- Serve with your favorite vegetable dish or slice the chicken to top off a salad!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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