How to Poach Chicken

Sometimes it's how well you execute a basic technique that determines the success of a recipe. For example, no matter how marvelous a dressing you have, a chicken salad that has dry, stringy chicken just can't match one with moist, tender meat. What's the difference? Proper poaching! This guide to how to poach chicken shares the secrets you need to get your chicken ready for use in any recipe that requires perfectly poached poultry!
Table of Contents
Poaching Chicken Tips
1. Match seasonings to ultimate recipe.
2. Don't use salt.
3. Watch the time so you don't overcook.
4. Save the poaching liquid for use in soups and gravies.
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Sometimes it's how well you execute a basic technique that determines the success of a recipe. For example, no matter how marvelous a dressing you have, a chicken salad that has dry, stringy chicken just can't match one with moist, tender meat. What's the difference? Proper poaching! This guide to how to poach chicken shares the secrets you need to get your chicken ready for use in any recipe that requires perfectly poached poultry!
Poaching Chicken Tips
1. Match seasonings to ultimate recipe.
2. Don't use salt.
3. Watch the time so you don't overcook.
4. Save the poaching liquid for use in soups and gravies.
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- Susan MacDowell
Introduction
- The key to successfully poached chicken is to cook the chicken just as long as it needs to be cooked, but no longer.OChef: How to Poach a Chicken It may seem odd, as you're cooking it in liquid, but chicken that's been boiling too long will be dry and stringy. The second secret is to make sure the chicken remains submerged at all times.eHow.com: How to Poach Chicken Chicken that's above the water line will also dry out, becoming tough and chewy.

What You'll Need

Chicken
- Usually breasts, but all parts of a chicken can be successfully poached
Poaching liquid
- Generally water, but this can be altered to include wine, beer, chicken stock or juice
SeasoningsMarthaStewart.com: Poaching, Steaming, and Braising Chicken
- These also vary by recipe, but may include peppercorns, bay leaves and parsley

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Fill a pot with enough water to totally immerse the chicken.
- You can substitute other liquids for all or part of the water.
Add seasonings that dissolve, such as garlic powder, directly to the water.
Whole herbs and spices should be placed in a bouquet garni (bundle) before being added to the pot.Wikipedia: Bouquet Garni

You want the flavor from the seasonings in the chicken, but you don't want your chicken covered with little flecks of herbs that you'll need to scrape off. What to do? French chefs have long used a bouquet garni to solve this problem!Wikipedia: Bouquet Garni

The technique is much simpler than the fancy French name implies. A bouquet garni is simply a bundle of herbs loosely tied together with a string. It is boiled with the food it is seasoning and then discarded when cooking is complete.

Cut a square of cheesecloth large enough to contain the herbs your using.
Place the herbs in the center of the cheesecloth.
- If you don't have cheesecloth, you can improvise a bouquet garni by placing the herbs and spices inside a tea ball. The larger ones, designed to brew a pot of tea, work nicely.
Whole spices, such as peppercorns, cloves, juniper berries or cardamom can be placed in the center of the bundle.
Gather up the edges to form a pouch.
Tie the bundle with kitchen string to secure.
Voila! You have a bouquet garni.

Place the chicken in the prepared liquid.
- Double check to make sure it's completely submerged.
Bring the liquid to a boil.HowStuffWorks: How to Cook Chicken
Turn the heat down to a simmer.Cooking.com: Steps for Poaching Chicken
- Turn the heat down as soon as it comes to a boil, as continued boiling can toughen the chicken.Food Network: Culinary Q&A: Poached chicken breast
You can weight the chicken with a plate to keep it submerged.eHow.com: How to Poach Chicken
Cook until done.
- Authorities disagree on how long this will take. Sara Moulton of the Food Network maintains that breasts can cook in 5 minutes, while Jamie Oliver states that a whole chicken may take 1 over an hour.Food Network: Sara's Method for Poaching Chicken JamieOliver.com: Using the Whole Chicken Most sources recommend about 15-20 minutes for pieces with an additional 10-15 minutes required for a whole chicken.
- The most reliable way to be sure the chicken is ready is to use a meat thermometer and cook until the temperature of the chicken is 165 degrees.Chowhound: Poaching Chicken or Fish
Turn the heat off, and allow the chicken to cool in the liquid.Food Network: Culinary Q&A: Poached chicken breast

The Minimalist (NYT): Poached Chicken Takes FlightThe Minimalist (NYT): Poached Chicken Takes Flight (June 14, 2000)
- An Asian cuisine-inspired poached chicken recipe that cooks the chicken in rose wine.
Martha Stewart: Poached Chicken with Grainy Mustard SauceMartha Stewart: Poached Chicken with Grainy Mustard Sauce
- Martha uses the poaching liquid, mustard, apricots and pineapple to make a flavorful sauce for poached chicken.
Epicurious.com: Cold Poached Chicken with Chinese Garlic Sauce Recipe at Epicurious.com </ref>
- Scotch is added to the poaching liquid for this chilled dish!
Real Simple: Balsamic Poached Chicken </ref>
- A recipe using balsamic vinegar in the poaching liquid.
Yankee: Poached Chicken Breasts with Lemon-Dill Cream Sauce </ref>
- This simple recipe from Yankee Magazine includes a number of additional uses for poached chicken.

That's it! A simple technique that will enable you to have perfectly poached chicken ready whenever you need it.
Poaching is particularly useful in the summer months, to ready chicken for the barbecue. By poaching ahead of time, you'll cut the time you need to stand at the grill in half and guarantee that the chicken will be fully-cooked, moist and delicious.