This is the foolproof way to make the JUICIEST Poached Chicken of your life. Dead-easy and guaranteed to work every time, 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.
This is a reader-favourite recipe included by popular demand in my debut cookbook “Dinner”!
Poached Chicken
I feel like poached chicken is a life skill that everyone should know. But depending how it’s executed, on the one hand it can be like chewing on chipboard: dismally dry, impossible to swallow and completely flavourless.
On the other hand – the successful hand – it’s unbelievably succulent, with chicken flavour you never dreamt was possible, and so tender and 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.
And a few final ideas for other things to make with poached chicken:
Burritos
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
This recipe features in my debut cookbook Dinner. The book is mostly new recipes, but this is a reader favourite included by popular demand!
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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!
This might convince me to use breast chicken. I don’t usually buy breast because it always turns out DRY. If you cook it a smidgen too long, you end up with a mouth swab. I’m sure this is the answer! THANKS!!
Isn’t Dozer a lucky boy to have a lovely big pool to play in? And doesn’t he love it?
This IS the answer for you! You must try it Mary!!
Wow what a great shot of dozer flying into the pool to rescue his toy great photography ❤️❤️❤️🐶🥰🥰🥰
😂 Thanks Carol!
OMG Darling DOZER rescuing his toy 😆!!!
This recipe changed my cooking life! I hate dealing with raw meat. It’s so easy to stick the chicken in the pot, forget it, then shred/cube/fry later when it’s cooked.
Yes definitely!!
Can I do a family pack of 6 (or more) breasts in a large pan as long as they are a single layer or would they cool the water down faster? Also, my new digital thermometer says safe internal temp for poultry is 165F (also current USA Dept of Agriculture guideline). What is your source for temp recommendation?
Oh! And to answer your other question – I’ve done 6 using a large pot. As long as they are in a single layer, even if snug, then it’s fine! N x
Hi Barbara! 165F is the temp for dark meat for chicken ie thighs, drumsticks. Breast is white meat so it’s 66°C / 151°F 🙂 N x
Me again…. I know white meat is done sooner. Also, just found a reference that 145-150 for 2-3 minutes is as safe as 165 for 30 seconds, which is apparently what USDA guideline is. Can’t wait to use this method as I just stopped using chicken breasts years ago since I never got it right. Thanks Nagi!!
Nagi – I love your healthy, lower calorie recipes!!! Please continue to post (and identify) healthy low calorie recipes.
Will do Nancy! Thanks so much for the feedback 🙂
Hi Nagi. Love your recipes, loved watching Dozer in the pool. He is one very happy boy. The clip is sensational. Well done Nagi.
😂 Thanks Mary!
Love it! Love it! Love it!
Great slo-m0 Dozer pool action.
Now I’ve seen this, I (and no doubt many other Dozer followers) will be expecting more Dozer video clips. xx
Yes please. He! He!
It’s awesome isn’t it Jayne, I can’t stop watching it 😂
Since one of my favourite dishes in the big wide world is Hainanese Chicken Rice when prepared properly, methinks you understand I am smiling ! Thank you for the post since you use far smaller quantities of the bird than the one or two whole ones which go into my pot Adam Liaw style . . . and give so many extra ideas of how a good organic bird may be used ., . .
Definitely Eha, poached chicken is so versatile! N x
I’ve been using your poached chicken method ever since I saw it on an Asian recipe you posted years ago! It’s so easy and foolproof. I always use it when making chicken salad or enchiladas! Thanks Nagi!
Yes! It’s just so easy!! N x
This looks terrific. If you freeze the poached chicken, would you freeze in poaching liquid, sliced or whole?
Hi Jacqui, freeze it without the poaching liquid, best to freeze whole 🙂 N x
Hi Nagi, Do you put any salt?
Hi Karen, not in the poaching liquid. And then depending on how I’m using the chicken – I’ll season to taste 🙂
Oh yum, can’t wait to try this, looks so healthy, but wait….I want to pour the mushroom sauce over the chicken, I will just want to inhale the whole dish myself!! BTW, love the pics of Dozer and read what your fur baby is up to!
Perfect with mushroom sauce – one of my favourites!!!
Love this idea! I usually poach by still boiling the chicken for awhile (yes, came out dry sometimes). I also added capers & pat of butter for flavoring in the water-kind of a liquid chicken piccata bath😉 This was so good.
You can totally use any flavours – that’s why I love the versatility of this recipe 🙂
Great shot of Dozer. Brilliant piece of photography!! I bet he enjoyed getting his toy..
I can’t keep him out of the water!!
Definitely going to try this to make my hot buffalo chicken dip, and not buy the rotisserie chicken from the market..freshest is the best! Thanks so much for this post Nagi! Loving Dozer!!!!
Sounds amazing Diane!!
What is Hot Buffalo chicken dip please? That sounds so interesting. I grew up not far from where Hot chicken buffalo wings originated!
Hi Audrey…Nagi’s Nacho Cheese Dip & Sauce is my go to whenever I need a yummy cheese sauce, for just about anything. My go to for hot buffalo chicken dip is Jennifer Segal’s (Once Upon a Chef)…it’s the best I’ve made.
Awesome video !!! were you in the pool when you took that???
Did you use your cell phone???
😍
I was in the pool – and my phone doesn’t come anywhere near the pool as it’s not waterproof. This was taken using a go pro 🙂
No salt?
I don’t salt it as seasoning will depend on how it’s being used 🙂
I’ve also done this with a whole chicken. You take it off the heat and leave it in the pot until the pot is cool to the touch. Wonderful juicy chicken!
Perfect! Nothing beats juicy poached chicken 🙂
never thought of that…thanks for the idea
Will this method work with thighs which I much prefer. Much tastier. Breast is bland and as your vid shows needs flavourings and sauce.
Hi John, this method is not suitable for thighs unfortunately. You can add any flavourings to the poaching liquid to flavour the breast 🙂