Making a super tasty Poached Chicken is a great thing to know how to do. It starts with creating a bright broth for it to absorb all the flavors of and cooking it low and slow.
I especially love to use this shredded chicken in my Cobb Style Chicken Salad. I like the nice long shreds, it just gives it a nicer texture.
I love to make this chicken for use in my classic Chicken Salad. While you can sometimes use a rotisserie chicken, the poached chicken has a bit more flavor and I like the tender texture of the slow poached chicken.
Ingredients
You need a couple of drivers that will infuse the chicken with delicious flavors. While you can make a poaching liquid with just about anything, I am sharing the basics here to get you started.
What you need:
- Lemons
- Garlic
- Herbs - Basil, Dill, etc.
- Kosher Salt
- Chicken Breasts
See the recipe card for full quantities.
Method
Start by bringing a pot of water to a boil, then stir in some salt, as well as the lemon slices, herbs, and garlic. Boil with the flavor ingredients for a few minutes so the water becomes infused, then turn the heat down to low and drop in the chicken.
Let the chicken rest in the poaching liquid until you use an instant-read thermometer and it reads 165˚F. Doing this with the heat on low, so the chicken cooks slowly.
Placing the lid on the pot will help keep the heat in and cook the chicken a bit faster, but low and slow makes for much more tender chicken in the end. If you boil the chicken, it will be stringy and rubbery, and no one enjoys that.
After the chicken has cooked through, remove it from the poaching liquid and let it cool. You can let it cool completely, but I like to shred it when it is a little bit warm still. It seems to be a bit easier. Let it cool just till you can handle it, then shred it by hand and let it cool completely.
You can then store it as is and use it for sandwiches, soups, or salads. This is a basic recipe that can be used in SO many ways, feel free to switch up the ingredients in the poaching liquid to compliment how you want to use the final product.
This chicken is even great used for my Martini Chicken Salad, inspired by a segment I do on Instagram. You could even use it for my Green Goddess Chicken Salad. But my favorite may be the BLT Chicken Salad, beyond delicious! Round everything out with one of my favorite cuisines to cook, Greek, with my Greek Style Chicken Salad.
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📖 Recipe
Poached Chicken
Making a super tasty Poached Chicken is a great to know. Starting with a bright broth to absorb all the flavors of, and cooking low and slow.
Ingredients
- 4 large Chicken Breasts
- 2 Lemons, 1 juiced, 1 sliced
- 1 bunch fresh Basil
- 1 bunch fresh Dill
- ¼ cup Kosher Salt, Diamond Crystal
- 2 tablespoons Garlic, chopped
Instructions
- Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil on the stove.
- Add the lemon juice, slices, basil, dill, salt, and garlic to the pot and stir to combine.
- Reduce the heat to a simmer for 10 minutes to allow the flavors to steep, forming your poaching liquid.
- Place the chicken breasts in the poaching liquid and cook over low heat for 10-12 minutes until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165˚F.
- Remove the chicken from the poaching liquid and let cool to room temp or just until you can handle it.
- Shred or dice the chicken as desired.
- Use for making chicken salad or store in the fridge until ready to use.
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