{{ :recipes:poached_chicken.jpg?direct&200|}} ====== Perfect Poached Chicken ====== /* Description */ Poaching can be the best way to gently cook superlean modern chicken breasts, but the standard approach isn’t foolproof and offers little in the way of flavor or pizzazz. We took the guesswork out of poaching by starting the chicken breasts in cool water, bringing the pot to 175 degrees over medium heat, and then removing the pot from the heat and cooking entirely with gentle, residual heat. We used lots of water (4 quarts) to ensure plenty of reserve heat, which would do the cooking, and raised the breasts off the bottom of the pot with a steamer basket for even cooking from top to bottom. To up the flavor ante, we added salt, soy sauce, sugar, and garlic to the poaching liquid for meaty, rich-tasting breasts. Finally, to boost tenderness, flavor absorption, and juiciness, we took an unusual approach and brined the breasts directly in the poaching liquid before turning on the heat and cooking them. The result is supertender, juicy chicken breasts that pair well with simple sauces. {(rater>id=100|name=Perfect Poached Chicken|type=rate|headline=off)} |**Preheat:** °|**Yield:** 4 servings|| |**Prep:** 0:05|**Wait:** 0:30|**Cook:** 0:45| ====== Ingredients ====== * 4 (6- to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed * 1/2 cup soy sauce * 1/4 cup salt * 2 tablespoons sugar * 6 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled ====== Directions ====== 1. Cover chicken breasts with plastic wrap and pound thick ends gently with meat pounder until 3/4 inch thick. Whisk 4 quarts water, soy sauce, salt, sugar, and garlic in Dutch oven until salt and sugar are dissolved. Arrange breasts, skinned side up, in steamer basket, making sure not to overlap them. Submerge steamer basket in brine and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. 2. Heat pot over medium heat, stirring liquid occasionally to even out hot spots, until water registers 175 degrees, 15 to 20 minutes. Turn off heat, cover pot, remove from burner, and let stand until meat registers 160 degrees, 17 to 22 minutes. 3. Transfer breasts to carving board, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice each breast on bias into 1/4-inch-thick slices, transfer to serving platter or individual plates and serve with vinaigrette (see below). ====== Notes ====== To ensure chicken cooks through, don't use breasts that weigh more than 8 ounces each. **Serve with [[Warm Ginger-Tomato Vinaigrette]]** http://www.thebittenword.com/thebittenword/2014/03/perfect-poached-chicken-breasts-with-warm-tomato-ginger-vinaigrette.html /* Nutrition block - remove the slash-asterisk and asterisk-slash from just above and below the following block */ /* ====== Nutrition ====== |Calories (kcal): ||Fat Calories (kcal): |Cholesterol (mg): | |Fat (g): |Saturated Fat (g): |Mono Fat (g): |Poly Fat (g): | |Protein (g): |Carbohydrates (g): |Sodium (mg): |Fiber (g): | */ {{tag>Recipes Kid-Friendly MainDish/Poultry AmericasTestKitchen }} /* Recipe Tags - Copy and paste tags from the list below to the tag list in the above line, replacing the "TagsNeeded" tag and separated by spaces. */ /* ---Recipe Types--- Appetizer Beverage Beverage/Cocktail Bread Bread/Muffin Bread/Quickbread Brines-Marinades-Rubs Breakfast Casserole Canning-Freezing Condiment AmericasTestKitchen CrockPot Dessert/Bar-Brownie Dessert/Cake Dessert/Cake/Frosting Dessert/Candy-Chocolate Dessert/Crisp-Buckle Dessert/Cookie Dessert/Custard-Curd Dessert/IceCream Dessert/IceCream/Topping Dessert/Pie Dip-Spread Entertaining Grilling-BBQ Holiday Kid-Friendly MainDish MainDish/Beef MainDish/Poultry AmericasTestKitchen MainDish/Pork MainDish/Seafood Pasta Pizza Roast Salad Salad/Dressing Sandwich Seasoning Side Snack Soup Stew-Braise Stir-Fry Vegetarian ---Recipe Cuisines--- American American/Cajun-Creole American/Southern American/TexMex Asian Asian/Chinese Asian/Indian Asian/Japanese Asian/Korean Asian/Thai Asian/Vietnamese European European/Belgian European/Czech European/Dutch European/English European/French European/German European/Greek European/Polish European/Irish European/Italian European/Portuguese European/Russian European/Scandinavian European/Spanish European/Swiss Latin Latin/Brazilian Latin/Mexican MiddleEastern MiddleEastern/Ethiopian MiddleEastern/Jewish MiddleEastern/Lebanese ---Recipe Sources--- 365Recipes 365Recipes/Grilling 365Recipes/Chicken 365Recipes/Pasta AmericasTestKitchen AmericasTestKitchen/CooksCountry AmericasTestKitchen/CooksIllustrated BetterHomesGarden Bon Appetit Chowhound FineCooking FoodWine GoodEats Gourmet HDawson AMarcos DMarcos JMarcos KMarcos JPhalen ---Recipe Ratings--- 5★ 4★ 3★ 2★ 1★ No★ ---Recipe Alerts--- RecipeNeeded RecipeIncomplete RecipeWrong RecipeFails TagsNeeded */ ~~DISCUSSION~~