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!
Nagi — You never let me down even though I’m not always great at following directions. I first poached the chicken in water with flavorings — great results, but thought to try it with commercial chicken broth for a quick more flavorful soup base. Added bay leaves, crushed garlic and tarragon and unbreaded chicken breast cutlets. Moist poached chicken, flavorful broth, Happy Woman!
I’m so pleased this popped up today. I’ve started poaching chicken breasts for my pup (with blanched vegies etc added pre serving), and couldn’t remember your foolproof method for keeping it juicy. Essential as I freeze it once cooked as she’s only small(ish). Perfect timing. Jeze says thank you.
Excellent! The instructions for high altitude poaching were spot on. The flavor and tenderness are incredible. The minimal amount of time makes this a perfect last minute cook.
Thank you!
Made this tonight with just bay leaves (I’m on a gut friendly diet). This came out so well. The chicken was juicy and so tender. This will be my go to recipe going forward. Thx for a fab recipe.
Life-saver! After my partner, who does most of our cooking, came home from gallbladder surgery, they were only able to eat small amounts of food at a time, but needed protein. I, in the meanwhile, needed to set myself up for easy meals for the week while still working a full-time+ schedule. Your recipe really made a difference when it counted!
Absolutely great recipe. Incredible result. Delivers the juiciest chicken.
Is there a reason why I wouldn’t be able to use the poaching liquid for soup or boiling pasta or rice?
Also, would boneless chicken thighs work or will I get food poisoning?
Came out unbelievably soft and moist – Great for a healthy chicken salad
Jeff Smith, The Frugal Gourmet, 1981 PBS tv program.
Oldie but goodie!
Hi Nagi, your poached chicken recipe is saving me because I’m on a low fat diet for gall stones. However, I use Mt Barker free range breast and it’s hard to find them under about 350 gm. Can I still use this method?
Nagi you are brilliant! Poaching chicken has always been a disaster until now. Now I have Perfect chicken which I put in my child’s lunch box for extra protein.
This is my weekly go-to recipe for poached chicken. I use the chicken in sandwiches, I make curried chicken salad and chopped chicken sandwiches (with thyme, garlic and mayo). I put chicken pieces in my soups. I make hot chicken sandwiches and chicken à la king and any recipe that requires pre- cooked chicken. The list goes on. This recipe is reliable and always produces soft, juicy chicken. Thank you, Nagi!
Hi, the first time I made this I left 600g of chicken breast off stove for 45 minutes. It was ok but not juicy.
Today, I did 600g for 20 min and it was perfect! Yay!
It could be because I have Scanpan brand saucepans with a copper strip bonded around the base, they retain heat longer.
Sheer brilliance as always Nagi and so simple! Love it x
I’ve made this a few times but I find the free range chicken breasts are consistently easy over 300g each. Today mine were 370g, 490g and 415g. In the past I’ve let it boil for a few minutes before turning off the stove but I was wondering what your recommendation would be.
This works perfectly everytime! I usually use the lemon/bay leaf/garlic combo but can anyone recommend good asian based flavourings that would work other than ginger and garlic?
Maybe garlic, fresh ginger and a bit of 5 spice powder in the water?
Maybe garlic, fresh ginger and a few dashes of 5 spice powder?
How about some whole spices like cinnamon stick/anise/clove? A little orange peel would be nice with those too…
Deliciously juicy and super easy chicken, love this and have made and used in so many of your poached chicken recipes. Can’t believe all the money misspent on previously buying overpriced, dry supermarket poached chicken breasts until I found this recipe! Nagi, you legend. X
I have been frustrated with getting tough baked chicken for a long time. Decided to try this method. The chicken was perfect and super tender. I will never use another method. Thank you so much!
I like to add some crushed spring onion and a couple smashed slices of ginger. The texture of the chicken is so velvety.
Nagi, love your recipes, but in America the safe cooking temp for chicken is 165*F. (This is a National standard here) Not 151* as you stated. (I also was a health inspector and have a degree in Foods and Business.). Once cooked to 165* then can hold at 140*.
She puts it in BOILING water which is 212f or 100c she then returns it to the boil and takes it off the heat letting the residual heat cook the chicken to a safe temperature. There is absolutely nothing wrong with her techinque.
OK Rodney, agree that boiling water is safe! 212* is way more than 165*!
It was this that I was talking about in her comments:
“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.
She mentioned 151* there,
Nancy, I think you’re misreading the recipe there. Nagi isn’t saying cook until it reaches 150. She is saying poach the chicken – then, AFTER it is cooked, the heat will have fallen to 150 and that is when to remove it from the water. Safe cooking temps are the same in Australia.
I just tried this: it’s brilliant! Thank you!
Do yourself a favour and cook this. It’s perfect.