Recipe: Basic Poached Chicken, Allergen-Free

One of my #cook90 goals in January 2017 was to cook boneless, skinless chicken breasts, in some fashion. 

It’s taken me until NOW, October/November/December 2017 to finally try making them in some form. But I did it! And the easiest way for me to get this chicken breast ball rolling was to poach them. 

It's a super simple method and then I have lovely chicken to slice into sammies or top salads or make into chicken salad for a few days. I’ve made this recipe a few times and it’s fairly no fail. 

So, go forth and poach those chicken breasts!


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Recipe Notes:
I always go for high quality chicken. Bell and Evans  is one of my favorite brands; also Murray’s. But any brand works, use what you like.

I’ve made the poaching liquid with lemon, garlic and pepper and salt also just salt and pepper. Frankly, I liked the salt and pepper version best; it was a blank slate to then build upon once cooked but try throwing in your favorite aromatics.

I’ve made it with thicker breasts and thinner ones; regardless, once the water boils, no more than a 15 minute simmer is needed.

I use coarse ground Morton’s Kosher salt

I have a ThermoPop instant read thermometer. I love it and I recommend it! 

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Poached Chicken, Allergen-Free
Adapted from Simply Recipes & Epicurious

1lb Bell and Evanboneless, skinless chicken breasts 
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt 
[additional optional add ins: 2 cloves of smashed garlic, 2 bay leaf, 10 peppercorns, lemon juice from ½ lemon

Place the chicken in a single layer in the bottom of a pan. It's ok if the pieces overlap a little.

Cover the chicken with water until it's about an inch above the meat. Add the salt and any seasonings you'd like to use.

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, turn it down, cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes. 

The chicken is done when it registers 165F in the thickest part of the meat with an instant read thermometer. You can also cut into the chicken to see if it's cooked through. Continue cooking and checking the chicken every minute or so until the chicken is cooked.

Cool briefly, then shred or slice. Use immediately, or cool completely and refrigerate for up to 3 days. 

Enjoy!



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