• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to footer navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

RecipeTin Eats

Fast Prep, Big Flavours

  • My RecipeTin
  • Recipes
  • Recipes By Category
    • Mains
      • Chicken
        • Chicken mince
      • Beef Recipes
        • Ground Beef (Mince)
      • Pork
      • Lamb
      • Turkey
      • Shrimp / Prawns
      • Salmon
      • Fish
      • Salad Meals
    • Soups
    • One Pot
    • Slow Cooker
    • Sides
      • All
      • Vegetables
      • Show Off Salads
      • Rice
      • Potato
    • Pasta
      • All
      • Pasta bakes
      • Pasta salads
    • Sweet
      • Cake recipes
      • Cupcakes & Muffins
      • Cookies
      • Puddings & Cosy Desserts
      • Bite Size
      • Pies
      • Slices & Bars
      • Frosting & Icing
    • Cuisine
      • Asian
        • All
        • Stir fries
        • Noodles
        • Soups
        • Chinese
        • Japanese
        • Thai
        • Vietnamese
      • French
      • Greek
      • Indian
      • Italian
      • Mediterranean
      • Mexican
      • Middle Eastern
      • South American
    • Dietary
      • Gluten Free
      • Low Calorie
      • Vegetarian
    • Other Categories
      • BBQ
      • Breakfast
      • Burgers
      • Cocktails
      • Party Foods
      • Rice Recipes
      • Roasts
      • Sandwiches & Sliders
  • ✨Party✨
  • Collections
  • About
    • Me
    • Free Recipe Books
    • Contact
    • eBooks
      • The Food Photography Book
      • Chicken Wings Cookbook
    • Food Bloggers Central
    • Nitty Gritty
      • Policy: Use of Recipes & Images
      • Privacy & Disclosure
Home Chicken Breast

Poached Chicken – Juicy Guarantee!

By:Nagi
Published:24 Jan '20Updated:8 Dec '20
141 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

This is the foolproof way to make the JUICIEST Poached Chicken you will ever make. Guaranteed results, dead easy, cooks itself, this is a cracker of a chicken breast recipe that everyone should know!

Use the chicken for any recipe that calls for cooked chicken – sandwiches, salads, pastas, pies, wraps and burritos. Slice it, dice it, shred it. It’s so succulent, it’s going to blow your mind!

Sliced Poached Chicken breast on a cutting board

Poached Chicken 

I feel like poached chicken is a life skill that everyone should know. But depending on how you go about it, it’s either dismally dry, impossible to swallow and completely flavourless.

OR it’s unbelievably succulent, with chicken flavour you never dreamt was possible, so tender and so juicy you can literally SEE the chicken juices sparkling on the surface of every slice.

See?

Close up of the juiciest poached chicken in the world!

OK, so let’s get straight to the point – how to make this poached chicken in a way that literally cooks itself, has a huge margin for error, and yields the most incredibly succulent poached chicken you will ever have in your life!


How to poach chicken

  • Use 250g / 8.5 oz chicken breast that’s boneless and skinless
  • Place in boiling water, cover, then immediately take it off the stove
  • Leave for 20 minutes (up to 1 hour ok), then remove the chicken and slice/dice/shred
  • Prepared to be BLOWN AWAY by how juicy the breast is!

How to make the BEST poached chicken ever - unbelievably succulent, FOOLPROOF recipe!

Foolproof poached chicken in a saucepan

Barely cooking right?? *She says, smugly*

It’s not on the stove. You don’t need a thermometer. You literally walk away and just leave it, knowing that it’s fine even for up to 1 hour – which I have done countless times, lulled into a serious state of relaxation because of how much confidence I have in this recipe!


What you need to make poached chicken

Fundamentally, all you need is chicken breast. But if you’re intending to use the chicken without adding lots of other flavours, it’s nice to add some flavourings into the poaching liquid.

You can add other fresh or dried herbs and dried spices.

DO NOT add salt or other salted liquids like Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce etc. Salt will affect the temperature at which the water comes to a boil and cools, which may affect the chicken cooking through completely using this method.

What you need for poached chicken

Chicken breast this succulent and juicy is even delicious eaten plain when it’s freshly made. But here are a just a few more suggestions for what to make with Poached Chicken – the list is long, it’s a handy to have a stash!


What to make with Poached Chicken

  • Sandwiches – use sliced like cold cuts, or diced and used in a mayonnaise based filling (such as diced avocado, egg, mayonnaise, finely sliced celery, chives, red onion or green onion, mustard, salt and pepper);
  • Make your own Salad – slice, shred or dice and add to salads. Make your own – try it with the Honey Mustard Dressing (pictured above), French Dressing, Balsamic, Italian, Caesar, or a creamy Yogurt Dressing (5 varieties!);
  • Chicken Salad – Use it in any main course salad calling for cooked chicken, such as Chinese Chicken Salad, Thai Chicken Salad, Lemon Chicken Salad or Mexican Chicken Salad;
  • Add chicken into one of these salads to transform them into a meal:

Add poached chicken into one of these salads

Asian Slaw in a salad bowl with Asian Dressing, ready to be served
Asian Slaw – healthy, crunchy Asian Cabbage Salad
Noodle Salad (Lunch Idea for Work) in a glass container
Noodle Salad with Sesame Peanut Dressing (Work lunch idea!)
Close up of juicy Coleslaw in a glass bowl
Coleslaw
Shredded Red Cabbage, Carrot and Mint Salad
Pea, Cabbage, Parmesan and Mint Salad
Brussel Sprout Salad - the combination of brussels sprouts, bacon, apple and hazelnuts is a magical combination! recipetineats.com
Brussels Sprout Salad
Greek Lemon Orzo Salad (Risoni) - All the fixings of a Greek Salad tossed through orzo / risoni and dressed with a gorgeous zesty lemon vinaigrette. recipetineats.com
Greek Lemon Orzo Salad (Risoni)
This Israeli Couscous Salad is fabulously addictive! Tender, flavour infused beads of couscous tossed with spinach, tomato, cucumber, herbs and a fresh lemon dressing. Summer in a bowl! recipetineats.com
Israeli Couscous Salad
This Roast Pumpkin, Spinach and Feta Salad with a Honey Balsamic Dressing is a magical combination. Terrific side or as a meal. recipetineats.com
Roast Pumpkin, Spinach and Feta Salad
Close up of a fork picking up a no mayo Lemon Potato Salad.
Lemon Potato Salad
Close up of forkful of Green Bean Salad with Cherry Tomatoes and Feta
Side Salads
Pasta Salads and Rice Salads
  • Add into a pasta or rice salad;
  • Soups – add protein into soups, or use in place of chicken in the recipes (except recipes where cooking the chicken forms part of the broth flavour). Here are some suggestions:

Soups for poached chicken (shred or dice)

Close up of chicken and rice soup in a rustic beige bowl, ready to be eaten.
Chicken and Rice Soup
Soul warming Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup. Simply and utterly divine. recipetineats.com
Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup
Overhead photo of Laksa in a rustic bowl, ready to be eaten.
Laksa Noodle Soup
This Chinese Corn Soup with Chicken takes just 15 minutes to make - with no chopping! It's just like what you get at Chinese restaurants! recipetineats.com
Chinese Corn Soup with Chicken
It's a miracle - this creamy soup is super low cal, low carb, gluten free and unbelievably tasty. The secret: peeled zucchini, cauliflower, onion and garlic cooked then pureed. Imagine the possibilities! recipetineats.com
Super Low Cal Healthy Creamy Vegetable Soup
Quick Taco Soup with Pulled Pork
White Chicken Enchilada Soup being ladled out of a pale blue casserole pot.
White Chicken Enchilada Soup (or Turkey!)
Ultra Tasty Healthy Vegetable Soup - My version of the Zero Weight Watchers Points soup. This has 0.4 points but it's countless times tastier! recipetineats.com
Healthy Vegetable Soup (Extra Tasty!)
Close up of Chinese spoon scooping up Hot and Sour Soup from bowl
Hot and Sour Soup
Why settle for a bland Lentil Soup when you make a standout one? Just a hint of spices and finishing it off with lemon zest makes all the difference! www.recipetineats.com
Lentil Soup (seriously amazing!)
{350 calories, super easy} Foolproof method to make perfect poached chicken for this delicious noodle soup!
Foolproof Poached Chicken Chinese Noodle Soup
Corn Chowder - the world most easy soup recipe, ever!
EMERGENCY Corn Chowder Soup – Easy Soup recipe!
Close up of Cream of Vegetable Soup with Noodles (no cream!) in a pot, fresh off the stove ready to be served
Soups
  • Serve with Sauce – One of my favourite ways to serve it as a meal is with a simple sauce, like this Honey Mustard Sauce pictured below. Either make a salad (the sauce is really just a dressing, so it’s made for salads!), or serve it over mashed potato or rice, or for low carb options, try creamy mashed cauliflower or cauliflower rice!

Pouring honey mustard sauce over perfectly poached chicken

Close up of fork stabbing piece of Poached Chicken breast with Honey Mustard Sauce

More sauces for poached chicken – here are some more sauce options for poached chicken. Some of these recipes have another protein in the recipe – just skip that part and make the sauce!

  • Ginger Shallot Sauce – this uses this poached chicken recipe! Tastes like Hainanese Chicken.
  • Creamy Mushroom Sauce
  • Lemon Cream Sauce
  • Chimichurri Sauce
  • Honey Garlic Sauce
  • Pesto!
  • Spanish Romesco Sauce
  • Creamy Peppercorn Sauce

And a few final ideas for other things to make with poached chicken:

  • Burritos
  • Chicken Pot Pie
  • Chicken Lasagna
  • Enchiladas
  • Chicken Tacos
  • Toss into stir fried noodles or fried rice
  • Make a giant Baked Frittata, add into Quiche or make Mini Quiches
  • Chicken Rice Casserole – stir it in at the end
  • Pasta! Use in place of cooking chicken in any pasta recipe (like this Creamy Chicken Pasta) or add it into a meat free one for an extra hit of protein

And with that – I’m out! I hope this poached chicken becomes a staple recipe for you like it is for me. 🙂 – Nagi x


Watch how to make it

Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.

Sliced Poached Chicken breast on a cutting board

Poached Chicken - Foolproof, perfect, AMAZINGLY juicy breast

Author: Nagi | RecipeTin Eats
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 25 mins
Total: 35 mins
Dinner
Asian
5 from 30 votes
Servings2 breasts
Tap or hover to scale
Print
Recipe video above. Forget every other method you've used. This recipe GUARANTEES the juiciest chicken breast you've ever made in your life. No special equipment, no fancy gadgets. It's dead easy and foolproof. Use for anything that calls for cooked chicken. Slice it, dice it, shred it, pile onto sandwhiches. HIGH ALTITUDE locations - please see note 4

Ingredients

  • 2 chicken breasts , boneless skinless, 250g/8.5 oz each (Note 1)

Optional flavourings (Note 2)

  • 1 lemon , quartered
  • 1 bay leaf , dried or fresh
  • 2 garlic cloves , minced

Instructions

  • Take chicken out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking.
  • Fill a saucepan with water so the chicken breast will be well submerged with at least 2" / 5cm of water above it in a single layer (can be snug but do not stack).
  • Add Flavourings, if using (squeeze in lemon juice, add used lemon).
  • Bring water to boil.
  • Place chicken breast in water, place lid on, bring back up to the boil. IMMEDIATELY remove saucepan from stove and set aside for 20 minutes (it's fine up to 45 min to 1 hr, won't overcook).
  • Remove chicken from water. Slice and be amazed how perfectly juicy and tender the breast is!! Or chop/shred and use as desired.
  • If reserving for later use, cover loosely to cool then refrigerate whole - see Note 6.

Recipe Notes:

WHY THIS METHOD WORKS - This recipe works consistently every time because the chicken starts off in boiling water which is 100°C/212°F no matter which country, what stove, and what pot you're using! Chicken cooks at 65°C/150°F, so while the boiled water is at or above this temperature, the chicken is cooking. Once it falls below this temperature (as the water cools off the stove), the chicken stops cooking and thus prevents the breast from overcooking, yielding a guaranteed perfectly cooked juicy chicken breast every single time!
1. Chicken breast size and cook times
  • 250g/8.5oz each chicken breast - leave in water 20 minutes
  • 300g/10oz each breast - take out of fridge 30 minutes prior, leave in water for 25 to 30 minutes
  • Larger than 300g/10oz - are you sure they are CHICKEN breasts?? ?
  • 220g / 7oz or smaller - recipe works fine but is not quite as juicy, but still juicier than normal simmering method. Can pull out of water earlier using a thermometer - cooked breast is 66°C / 151°F, check at 16 minutes. 
  • Up to 45 minutes, and I still do not notice any loss of juiciness in the breast
  • Around 1 hour, I notice that it is slightly less juicy - but still way juicier than the usual methods of poaching!
  • Frozen chicken - must be fully thawed before using.
2. Flavourings are optional, they provide a subtle hint. Good if you plan to eat without adding tons of extra flavour eg slice and use on sandwiches. Feel free to add more fresh or dried herbs or dried spices.
DO NOT add salt or anything with salt in it (sauce or powders). Will affect boiling point and cooling rate of water = might affect chicken cooking through properly.
3. Pot - Big enough so breast lies in single layer. If scaling recipe up, use larger pot. I've done 6 breasts in a large pot.
4. High altitude locations: The higher above sea level you are, the lower the boiling point of water. This means that if you are located in a high altitude area, the recipe needs to be amended to boil water with chicken in it before taking it off the stove, to ensure the chicken cooks through. I recommend using a meat thermometer to check chicken for doneness - start by boiling for 1 minute, take off stove for 20 minutes, check temperature (cooked breast 66°C / 151°F). If undercooked, remove chicken from water, bring back up to boil, put breast back in and take off stove. Check internal temp every few minutes. Then next time you make poached chicken, increase or decrease boiling time prior to taking off stove!
5. Slicing tip - for the most tender bite, look for direction of grain and cut 90 degrees across the grain (see video).
6. STORAGE - Remove from water. Best to store whole, uncut, for juiciest chicken. Airtight container in fridge for up to 4 days. It's incredible how juicy it is even cold, straight from fridge.
Freezing - not as juicy but can be frozen. Thaw and use.
7. Nutrition per chicken breast (250g/8.5oz)

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 250gCalories: 285cal (14%)Protein: 53g (106%)Fat: 6g (9%)Saturated Fat: 1g (6%)Cholesterol: 160mg (53%)Sodium: 290mg (13%)Potassium: 925mg (26%)Vitamin A: 75IU (2%)Vitamin C: 3mg (4%)Calcium: 13mg (1%)Iron: 1mg (6%)
Keywords: poached chicken, poached chicken breast
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @RecipeTinEats.

Life of Dozer

The pool filter is working overtime!

Previous Post
Thai Lettuce Wraps (Larb Gai)
Next Post
Fish Fingers recipe

Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative!

Read More

Free Recipe eBooks

Join my free email list to receive THREE free cookbooks!

Related Posts

Overhead photo of Leftover Turkey Pot Pie, fresh out of the oven

Garlic Bread Leftover Turkey Pot Pie

Close up of Chicken Breast in Creamy Mushroom sauce in a skillet, fresh off the stove

Chicken Breast in Creamy Mushroom Sauce

Bowl of Chicken Satay Curry (Malaysian) served over Jasmine Rice

Chicken Satay Curry (Malaysian)

More Chicken Breast

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Cooked this? Rate this recipe!




141 Comments

  1. Jenny Hurley says

    January 24, 2021 at 3:16 pm

    my chicken was moist but a bit pink – is that safe to eat

    Reply
  2. Sara says

    January 23, 2021 at 5:25 am

    5 stars
    Did this for the third time tonight, seems fool proof! I always do 6 at a time and put half in the freezer, they thaw really well. Thank you!

    Reply
  3. Stephanie says

    December 15, 2020 at 2:38 pm

    Game changer!

    I eat a lot of chicken in salads for lunches and just made this for one today!

    So moist and juicy.

    thank you!

    Reply
  4. Suzie says

    December 1, 2020 at 4:54 pm

    Genius recipe Nagi. I was a bit sceptical and thought the chicken might look a bit pink when I sliced it. But it was perfect and so tender.

    Reply
  5. Michelle Jenkins says

    November 17, 2020 at 4:22 pm

    Made this this afternoon and it worked a treat. Chicken breasts were nice a moist. After poaching the chicken and removing from the pot, I added a bit of salt, bought the liquid back to the boil and cooked some white rice to make a warm rice salad dish for tonight using the chicken, rice, steam veg, cashew nuts with a little dash of soy sauce. Thanks Nagi.

    Reply
  6. Jay says

    November 14, 2020 at 2:14 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious and easy!!! Thanks

    Reply
  7. Tracy says

    November 10, 2020 at 7:31 pm

    Mind = blown! I didn’t really like chicken breast until I tried your magic poaching method! Thanks Nagi 🙂

    I’m spreading the word… And it has raised a question about poaching a whole chicken. Any thoughts on that? I’ve googled a bit but found no consensus yet.

    Reply
  8. Cindy says

    November 2, 2020 at 4:46 pm

    5 stars
    Just realised I should finally rate this, as this is the third time I am making it. Flavourful and healthy – great recruits.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      November 2, 2020 at 5:52 pm

      Perfect Cindy!! Thanks so much 🙂 N x

      Reply
  9. Helen says

    November 1, 2020 at 1:28 pm

    Hi Nagi – I plan on cooking your poached chicken with the honey mustard dressing. There are mustard seeds in the sauce on the video but not in the recipe?

    Reply
  10. Cathleen says

    October 11, 2020 at 10:35 am

    Hi Nagi. If we do have a chicken breast bigger than 300 grams, do we chop it in half? I have one that is 400 grams! Thanks, Cathleen

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 12, 2020 at 8:10 pm

      Is that even a chicken Cathleen?! I would cut in half lengthways to ensure it cooks. N x

      Reply
  11. Katherine Clarke says

    October 8, 2020 at 2:39 pm

    Perfect! Will be adding to the teach to the kids life skills cooking course!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 9, 2020 at 9:11 am

      Excellent Katherine!! N x

      Reply
  12. Kate says

    October 7, 2020 at 6:04 pm

    Hi Nagi,

    Thanks for all of your fabulous recipes. Could you please tell me why you can’t start the chicken in cold water and what to do if you don’t have half an hour to leave it out of the fridge. Thanks very much.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 8, 2020 at 9:23 am

      Hi Kate, timing will be off if you start in cold water (different pots would take different times to boil), you don’t want the chicken to be fridge cold as it won’t cook through evenly – N x

      Reply
  13. Luanne says

    October 6, 2020 at 5:11 am

    5 stars
    Just perfect-and so versatile. I want to share with my daughter but she has 3 tweens that eat like 6! Is it safe to cook more breasts with more water in a wider pot?
    Gosh I love your recipes, always my go to when looking to try something new.
    Cheers!

    Reply
  14. Aimy says

    October 2, 2020 at 10:40 pm

    I wanted to make this to shred over an Asian dish I’m making, would it be beneficial to throw some garlic and ginger in there? Is there any other flavours you can think of that would compliment something Chinese?

    Reply
  15. Claude Robinson says

    October 1, 2020 at 6:15 pm

    Hi Nagi. Claude again. Do you recommend freezing the poached chicken?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 1, 2020 at 6:26 pm

      Hi Claude, you definitely can! N x

      Reply
  16. Katie Wells says

    September 25, 2020 at 5:11 am

    5 stars
    This is the best! I used chicken tenders, all I had, and I live in hide altitude. But it worked perfectly left in 12 minutes and they were perfectly done. I have never had luck cooking chicken breast they have always been dry and chewy.
    Thank you!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      September 25, 2020 at 1:59 pm

      That’s so great to know Katie! N x

      Reply
  17. Sharon says

    September 19, 2020 at 1:31 pm

    5 stars
    You are a genius! OMG! The chicken was fabulous. Thank you 🙏🏻

    Reply
Older Comments

Primary Sidebar

Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative! Read More

Free Recipe eBooks

Join my free email list to receive THREE free cookbooks!

Meet Dozer

Official taste tester of RecipeTin Eats! Meet Dozer
As Featured On

What's for Dinner?

Close up of beef enchiladas in a baking dish, fresh out of the oven

Beef Enchiladas

Butter Chicken served over basmati rice in a bowl, ready to be served

Butter Chicken

Overhead photo of 2 black bowls with Chinese Chicken Salad with Asian Dressing, ready to be eaten

Chinese Chicken Salad

Salisbury Steak recipe in skillet.

Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy

Vietnamese Coconut Caramel Chicken - 7 ingredient magic. The coconut fragrance is heavenly! recipetineats.com

Vietnamese Coconut Caramel Chicken

Fast prep. Big flavours!

Never miss a recipe

Back to Top
  • Related
  • RecipeTin Japan
  • Food Bloggers Center
  • Help
  • Contact Us
  • Image Use
  • Privacy Policy & Terms
Site Credits Developed by Zao © RecipeTin Eats 2021 · All Rights Reserved Back to Top