Poached chicken breasts are so easy to make! They are moist and delicious and make great chicken salad, enchiladas, and the meat can be diced or shredded to top your salads. This recipe is perfect for Keto, Paleo, and the Kaufmann Phase One diet.
Poaching is a moist heat cooking technique where food is submerged in a liquid and kept at 165 degrees F, just below the boiling point. By poaching chicken, the meat cooks slowly and absorbs the flavors of your aromatics, producing tender, juicy meat every time.
What You Need
I use carrots, celery, onions, parsley, salt, and pepper to flavor the chicken. However, you can add any vegetables and herbs you have on hand. For example, you can also add a parsnip, shallots, or dill. Traditionally, white wine is used in the poaching liquid, but I don't find it to be necessary.
- 2 pounds boneless chicken breasts
- Carrots
- Celery
- Garlic
- Onion
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Fresh parsley
- Cold water
How to Poach Chicken Breasts
- Place all ingredients in a 7 or 8-quart pot.
- Cover with water, so it is completely submerged.
- Bring the liquid to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Lower heat to medium so it is barely simmering and let it cook for 10 minutes.
- Turn off the heat, cover the pot, and let it stand for another 10 minutes.
- Remove the chicken from the pot and reserve the broth for a light soup or keep the chicken submerged in the broth to keep it moist until you're ready to use it.
How to Shred Poached Chicken
Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, place it on a flat surface. With two forks, shred the meat with the natural grain of the meat. Meat is in strings, and you want to pull strings apart. You can also use your fingers if the chicken isn't too hot.
If you like this...
To put this recipe to work, try Chicken Salad with Grapes.
Another great chicken recipe is Best Ever Roasted Chicken. You can make a moist whole chicken with ease. Forget the supermarket rotisserie chickens, this is easy to prepare, juicy and delicious!
Poached Chicken Breasts
Ingredients
- 2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts
- 2 carrots peeled and sliced
- 2 celery stalks trimmed and sliced
- 3 garlic cloves peeled
- 1 onion peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon pink salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- handful fresh parsley
- 8 cups filtered or spring water
Instructions
- Rinse the chicken and place it flat in the bottom of a 7 or 8-quart soup pot. Add remaining ingredients and add water to cover by 3 inches.
- Bring the water to a boil over high heat. Skim foam from that has risen to the top with a big spoon. Lower the heat to medium so the water simmers, right below the boiling point. (Smaller, gentler bubbles will form on the surface.)
- Cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until meat is opaque and the juices run clear when pierced with a fork.
- Turn off the heat, cover the pot, and let it stand for another 10 minutes.
- Remove the chicken from the pot with a skimmer and place it on a cutting board to cool for a few minutes.
- Shred the chicken with two forks or dice into ½-inch pieces.
Nutrition
Nutrition Information
The nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and it comes from online calculators. Although we try to attempt to provide accurate information, these figures are estimates only.