Poached Chicken Breasts are the secret to making the best chicken salad, delivering tender, flavorful bites in every forkful. The poaching method keeps the chicken moist while allowing it to absorb the seasonings, creating the perfect base for your favorite salad mix-ins.
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What is Poaching?
Poaching is a moist-heat cooking technique where food is submerged in liquid and kept at 165°F, just below boiling. This gentle method ensures the chicken cooks slowly, resulting in tender and juicy meat.
If you've ever made chicken salad with rotisserie chicken, you might have found some parts a bit tough. But with poaching, every bite of the chicken is silky smooth.
Why Shredded Chicken is Great For Chicken Salad
Chicken salad should be moist but using leftover or rotisserie chicken can leave you with tough, dry pieces. For consistently creamy chicken salad, try poaching a few chicken breasts or thighs—you'll notice the difference immediately.
Poaching keeps the chicken tender and moist, ensuring a soft texture throughout. Unlike roasted chicken, which can have dry, hard surfaces, poached chicken creates a silky smooth bite.
To enhance the flavor, add vegetables like celery and carrots to the poaching liquid. This not only infuses the chicken with subtle flavors but also elevates the taste of the final salad.
Poaching is simple: fill a pot with water, simmer the chicken until it reaches 165°F (73°C), and make sure the juices run clear when pierced with a fork.
What You Need
- Boneless chicken breasts
- Carrots
- Celery
- Garlic
- Onion
- Parsley
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- Cold filtered water
- Place the chicken, carrots, celery, garlic, onion, parsley, salt, and pepper in a large pot or saucepan, then fill the pot with water.
- Pour enough water or broth to cover the chicken by about 1 inch and season with salt and pepper.
- Bring the liquid to a gentle simmer over medium heat but avoid boiling. Reduce heat to low.
- Cover the pot and let the chicken cook gently for 10-15 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 165°F (75°C).
- Remove the chicken from the liquid, let it rest for a few minutes, then shred or chop for chicken salad.
Equipment Needed
- 4 to 6-quart pot with a tight-fitting lid
- Cutting board
- Sharp knife
- Vegetable peeler
- Skimmer
How to Shred Chicken with a Fork
- Before shredding, let the poached chicken cool slightly so it’s easier to handle and prevents the meat from tearing too roughly.
- Place the poached chicken breast on a cutting board or stable surface. Hold it firmly with one fork.
- Using the second fork, gently pull the meat away, shredding it into thin strips. Continue pulling in the direction of the muscle fibers to create even strands.
- Shred finely. Shredding the chicken allows the creamy dressing to coat each piece evenly.
Poached Chicken For Chicken Salad
Our top pick for poached chicken is Chicken Salad! Try our Chicken Salad with Grapes recipe—it's so good you'll wonder why you haven't been making it forever. The combination of creamy and crunchy textures is irresistible!
- Chicken Salad Sandwich: Mix poached chicken with mayonnaise, celery, grapes, and almonds, then spread on your favorite bread.
- The Gotham Salad: Created at Bergdorf Goodman in New York City, this dish features poached chicken breasts, bacon, Gruyere, ham, beets, chopped eggs, and a homemade pink dressing, making for a delicious dinner-sized salad.
- Chicken Caesar Salad: Toss poached chicken with romaine lettuce, Caesar dressing, croutons, and Parmesan cheese for a classic meal.
- Grandma's Chicken Soup: Add poached chicken to chicken soup with noodles, carrots, celery, and onions for a comforting bowl of homemade goodness.
Storage
Once the chicken has cooled, store it in an airtight container along with some of the cooking liquid or water to keep it extra moist. You can store poached chicken either whole or sliced.
The vegetables used during the poaching process are edible and can be enjoyed after the chicken is cooked.
If the chicken is shredded, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, or freeze it for up to 2 months for later use.
FAQ
Poached chicken has 222 calories per 6 oz. serving.
Celery leaves have a tremendous amount of flavor. When making chicken soup or a short broth, rinse and add the leaves for additional flavor.
If you pull a piece of the chicken from the liquid and the juices run clear when pierced with a fork, the chicken should be finished. The USDA recommends cooking all poultry, including chicken, to an internal temperature of 165 ºF.
The broth has a subtle flavor. You can use it to cook rice, steam vegetables, or reduce it by half to use as the base for a soup.
"📖 Recipe"
Poached Chicken Breasts for Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts, (or thighs)
- 2 carrots peeled and sliced
- 1 celery stalk trimmed and sliced
- 1 garlic clove peeled
- 1 onion peeled and thinly sliced
- handful fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 8 cups filtered or spring water or chicken broth
Instructions
- Place the chicken, carrots, celery, garlic, onion, parsley, salt, and pepper in a large pot or saucepan, then fill the pot with water.
- Pour enough water or broth to cover the chicken by about 1 inch and season with salt and pepper.
- Bring the liquid to a gentle simmer over medium heat but avoid boiling. Reduce heat to low.
- Cover the pot and let the chicken cook gently for 10-15 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 165°F (75°C).
- Remove the chicken from the liquid, let it rest for a few minutes, then shred or chop for chicken salad.
