Poached Chicken Breast

How to Poach Chicken Breasts That Are Juicy and Delicious, Every Time

Ingredients:

• 4 cups of cold water and
• 2 large chicken breasts (about 10 oz. each)

Instructions:

Place chicken breasts and water in a sauce pan.

(This ratio of water-to-meat is important; larger breasts will take longer to cook, and smaller breasts will overcook more quickly. And if you want to cook more chicken, add another 2 cups of water per breast.)

Cold water is key here, because it allows the chicken to cook way more gradually than it would if you just dumped them into already-boiling water.

Season the water with 3½ tsp. of kosher salt.

This might seem like a ton of salt, but trust us. Only a portion of it ends up on the chicken. Seasoning your water aggressively ensures that your chicken will be well-seasoned and actually taste like…chicken. (But in a good way!)

Turn the heat to medium and bring the water to a gentle boil.

As soon as you see the surface of the water start to roll, flip the breasts over with tongs, remove the pot from heat, and cover it with a tightly fitting lid. The chicken breasts will continue to cook gently in the hot water.

Once the chicken breasts register an internal temperature of 150° remove them from the water.

This will usually take about 5-10 minutes, but remember that it all depends on how large or small the chicken breasts are. Always check sooner than later if you’re not sure—you can always cook them longer, but you can’t uncook them.

Once you’ve removed them from the water, let them rest on a cutting board for at least five minutes.