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!
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?
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!
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.
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
- 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)
- 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!
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
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Poached Chicken - Foolproof, perfect, AMAZINGLY juicy breast
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:
- 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.
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
The pool filter is working overtime!
My chicken breasts were huge (10 oz) and this method worked beautifully! I left them in the cooking liquid for 45min. Moist as can be😀
Hi Nagi
Would sealing the chicken in a vac pac bag be of any benefit?
Thanks K
I really don’t see the need to Kaye!
Hello Nagi. I hope you and Dozer are well. I have adopted you method of poaching chicken some time ago and it does work every time. I did it tonight with a couple smashed garlic cloves, a few slices of ginger, two smallish smashed lemon grass and lemon juice. I might add the chicken breast I used was over 400 grams. Got it from my local Coles. Huge.
Amazing! Just like you say – turns out perfect every time and I LOVE how super easy it it is. Thanks for another great recipe Nagi!
Can chicken thighs be used instead of chicken breast. If so, is the cooking method the same?
Hi Caroline – this one is solely for breasts 🙂 N x
My hubby hates chicken breasts but is trying to eat healthier (white meat, less carbs, etc). To my pleasant surprise, he and the kids gave this recipe thumb-ups! We cooked extra for lunch the next day and served it with rice and soy sauce and ginger. It seemed even juicier after one night! Thanks as always Nagi!
AMAZING! I was skeptical because I don’t like “boiled” chicken. I’ve used many of your recipes and techniques so I gave it a try. I will not cook chicken any other way again. It’s juicy and tastes like chicken! This will be perfect for my chile verde and tamales. Thank you, Nagi.
You’re totally converted now Edith! N x
Does this work in any sizes like tiny chicken breasts?
Hi Nagi, I have used your recipe for poached chicken countless times and it has changed my life! Always thought poached chicken to be dry, but this was so juicy!
I wondered if I could use this method with coconut milk?
Thanks, Dx
Hi Danielle, I’m so glad you loved it! Leave this with me I’ll do some testing – N x
Another beautifully simple recipe (or method), from you, Homegrown lemon, garlic, and bay leaf, free-range pastured chicken perfectly poached. I put the poaching liquid in the fridge and drink it on fasting days – a nutritious and delicious side-benefit!
Nagi this recipe is amazing. Changed my life. Ur recipes are always amazing and I love the videos that come with it. My wife loves the food I cook for her of ur website. Made the Swedish meatballs this week and it was super!!!!
Dear Nagi, I followed the recipe to the letter and the chicken turned out very rubbery. The same happened when I tried to make your Pad Thai recipe 🙁 Any idea what could have gone wrong? I make tons of your recipes always with huge success, so thank you very much <3
Hi Nadja, that doesn’t sound right at all! How much does your chicken breast weight? N x
Thank you for your reply, Nagi! They were three chicken breasts (two big and one tiny), and weighed 600 grams together. Oddly, the meat of the tiny piece was more chewable than the other two’s.
So convenient meal for so many meals when I get busy
Thank you
You’re so welcome Ai! N x
I remembered this method from years ago from my mom. I just didn’t remember the details, time etc. what I do remember is juicy yummy bites of chicken as my mom was cutting it up. Kind of like a licking the beater thing! Anyway thank you for the method & for bringing back great foodie memories.
That’s lovely Deb, thanks so much for letting me know ❤️