How to Poach Chicken

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Move over, rotisserie chicken—once you learn how to poach chicken, you can make the most amazing chicken salad, scrumptious chicken tacos, and tender, velvety chicken for a week’s worth of healthy lunches.

Honest question: when was the last time you had honest-to-goodness poached chicken? Maybe never? Well then, are you in for a treat! Done right, this incredibly easy technique yields tender, soft meat that can be turned into a million genius chicken recipes. It’s a meal prep staple you’re going to love.

Unfortunately, poached chicken has been sort of pushed aside with the recent rotisserie chicken boom. Because yes, sometimes it’s just so easy to just grab a $4 bird at the store! But the truth is, it’s far from the dry, stringy stuff in a plastic box, and so much healthier.

Water being poured into a silver skillet with cooked chicken.


 

Whether you poach chicken in a skillet or in a pot, all you have to do is gently simmer the chicken in water and your choice of delicious aromatic herbs and vegetables. The chicken picks up what flavors you lay down—resulting in a delicately flavored protein that complements salads, grain bowls, sandwiches, and more.

You‘ll be so glad you have it, too. Feed some poached chicken breast to a hungry little one when they need a snack. Toss bite-sized pieces into greens with your favorite salad dressing, or shred a whole poached chicken up for BBQ or spicy Chicken Tinga tacos.

And of course, make the best chicken salad you’ve ever had. Just one of the tasty ways to use poached chicken.

What is poaching?

Poaching is a moist-heat cooking method that requires no added oil or fat. Food (in this case, chicken) gently simmers in liquid and a combination of aromatic vegetables until cooked through. It’s a softer process than boiling, which vigorously cooks food in hot water.

Years ago, poaching was very popular for dieters because the cooking method didn’t add any unwanted calories to the dish. It’s making a comeback because of its fresh, clean flavor and its simplicity. No splatters of oil, no oven to turn on, just a pot and some water.

Also, poaching isn’t limited to just chicken. It’s a great way to cook fish (looking at you, salmon), eggs, and any other delicate protein that doesn’t have a lot of tough connective tissue to break down. In other words, you wouldn’t want to poach a steak, but you would want to poach a fillet of fresh cod.

Chicken pieces being poached in water inside a silver pot.

How to Poach Chicken

Here are some tips to make poaching chicken as delicious as possible.

  • Use cold water to start. Add raw chicken to cold water and heat everything up together. Plunging the meat into boiling water leads to unevenly cooked food.
  • Find a big enough pot. Choose a pot or skillet that will fit all of the chicken you plan to cook in a single layer.
  • Add seasoning. Just because it’s fat-free, doesn’t mean you have to skimp on the flavor! Season the poaching liquid with salt, pepper, and any other flavors that you feel might compliment your recipe: bay leaf, ginger, onion, garlic, lemon…you name it! Some good ideas down below, no matter what you’re making.
  • Heat just to the boiling point, and then turn it down. As soon as the liquid boils, turn the heat down to a slow simmer so the chicken can cook gently without getting tough. It’s the secret to buttery, tender chicken.
  • Remove from the liquid. Transfer the poached chicken to a clean work surface and allow to cool before slicing or storing. If you cooked chicken with bones, remove or pull away the bones and skin and return them to the pot to make chicken broth for soup.
  • Serve it up. Poached chicken tastes fabulous hot, cold, or anywhere in between. Sliced, shredded, or cut up into bites, the chicken is ready to be used for almost anything at all.

Poaching liquid:

Most of the time, all you need to make delicious poached chicken is cool water. But you can add a cup of dry white wine to the liquid, if you like, or use bouillon or broth instead of water. This is especially effective for poaching chicken breasts, which tend to have less flavor and could use the boost.

You can also add aromatics such as vegetables, a sachet, or a bouquet garni.

A sachet bag filled with herbs, spices, and other aromatics is an easy-as-it-gets way to add flavor to simmering soups, poaching liquids, or mulled wine. Grab the kitchen twine and some cheesecloth and let’s sachet!

Winning Aromatic Combinations for Poaching Chicken

Here are some interesting flavor combos to add to the cooking liquid of poached chicken. Feel free to add more (or less) but whatever you do, get inspired!

  • Star anise, peppercorns, and sliced ginger for poached chicken, Chinese-style
  • Bay leaf, oregano, chilies, onions, and garlic for Chicken Tinga or any Mexican chicken recipe
  • Kaffir lime leaf, lemongrass, garlic for Vietnamese chicken for salads or spring rolls
  • Bay leaf, cumin, chilies for shredded BBQ chicken

Can you poach frozen chicken?

If you’ve got a package of chicken thighs or a whole bird in the freezer you’re planning to poach, make sure it’s thawed completely before poaching. Poached chicken from frozen only works when the chicken is thawed completely before cooking.

Fun ways to eat Poached Chicken

Sandwiches: Sliced thin, your own homemade poached chicken beats out any store-bought lunchmeat.

Salads: make a chicken salad (or three!) to rival any deli, or add to a big bowl of leafy greens with your favorite salad dressing, like this delicious Creamy Cilantro Lime.

Or turn a pasta salad into the main event by adding chicken…maybe Greek Pasta Salad?

Poached chicken for soup: shredded chicken adds some delicious protein to gentle broth-based soups or chili, like Mexican Chicken Soup.

Plain: poached chicken can be dipped in sauce and eaten as-is, or added to a composed salad or roasted vegetable plate and drizzled with vinaigrette. A Thai Peanut Dressing might be just the thing for dipping!

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Water being poured into a silver skillet with cooked chicken.

How to Poach Chicken

Move over, rotisserie chicken—once you learn how to poach chicken, you can make the most amazing chicken salad, scrumptious chicken tacos, and tender, velvety chicken for a week’s worth of healthy lunches.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 4
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Calories 147
5 from 5 votes

Ingredients 

For Chicken Breasts:

For Whole Chicken:

  • 1 4- to 5- pound whole chicken cut in pieces
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
  • Complementary aromatics such as: black peppercorns, bay leaf, fresh herbs, ginger, garlic, onion, or kaffir lime leaf, optional

Instructions 

How to skillet-poach chicken breasts:

  • Dry the chicken with paper towels and sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper (I like ¼ teaspoon each). Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.
  • Add the chicken in a single layer and cook until golden-brown on one side, 4 to 5 minutes. Flip the chicken over, add the water and aromatics (if using), and cover.
  • Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook until the chicken registers 165 degrees when pierced at the thickest part, about 10 to 15 minutes longer depending on the thickness of the chicken.
  • Remove to a cutting board and cool slightly. Slice, chop, or shred as desired.

How to poach a whole chicken:

  • Add chicken to a large Dutch oven or stockpot. Add aromatics and salt. Fill pot with cold water, until water covers the chicken by about an inch.
  • Bring water to barely a boil over medium-high heat. Skim off any white foam and discard. 
  • Reduce water to low, cover, and continue to simmer for 20 minutes. Chicken is done when opaque through the middle and a thermometer in the thickest part of the chicken registers 165 degrees.
  • Remove chicken from pot. Shred chicken, discarding skin and bones (you should have about 4 cups chicken). See notes for how to save the remaining chicken broth.

Notes

  1. To reserve chicken broth (and you SHOULD), pour through a fine-mesh sieve. Transfer to the refrigerator and cool overnight. The next day, scrape the layer of accumulated fat off the top and discard. Divide broth into freezer-safe containers and freeze.

Nutrition

Calories: 147kcalProtein: 24gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 73mgSodium: 714mgPotassium: 419mgVitamin A: 34IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 7mgIron: 1mg
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Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.

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Comments

  1. Was just looking for a healthy poach time for some skinless-boneless that I had leftover. Had unfortunately begun poaching with my usual broth before seeing your recipe. My concoction is simple (onion soup mix and store-bought broth) but gets the desired results. Am happy that your recipe-suggested cook time of 20 mins seemed to turn out well despite fact I was doing my own thing.
    Was surprised to see you didn’t suggest –among other good ideas– using poached chicken for “vol-au-vent” casserole which I am making. I just dice up cooked chicken, sauteed diced onions & celery, mix in some niblets corn, then pour in a can or two of cream-of- mushroom soup, and simmer-off until somewhat thickened. All the while THAT was going on, the vol-au-vent shells were being baked/warmed (I use frozen store bought) for eventual matching-up with the filling. That covers starch & protein but my familly getting health-conscious now so a side of beneficial veggies (usually steamed beans or brocolli) is appreciated.

    1. Thank you so much for the recommendation, Ray! I’m going to try it out, sounds delicious! – Meggan

  2. So I guess if you do the skillet poaching you are not going to have any liquid left to have for stock, you would have to do the traditional poach? I usually do meal prep chicken in the oven after marinating in whatever flavor profile herbs and aromatics I need for a specific recipe, but would love to try this for the stock, instead of saving chicken carcasses like I normally do. I mean to have tender meat for recipes AND stock from the same process, that’s fabulous! Thanks in advance for a response. Love your recipes! Keep cooking and so will I!5 stars

    1. Hi Dawn, there should be enough broth left over if you use the skillet method. I would suggest poaching the whole chicken in the Dutch oven though, that would yield more broth for you to use in other dishes. Thanks for the question! – Meggan

  3. This has become my go-to cooking method when I need shredded chicken quickly. Thank you for sharing!5 stars

    1. Hi Sue, I have two methods for poaching chicken: 1). Skillet-poached which I learned from America’s test kitchen. You brown chicken breasts in a skillet, then add a little bit of water, cover, and cook until done. 2). Traditional poaching where you submerge a whole chicken in a pot of simmering water and aromatics. I have both recipes in the post, so I’m sorry for the confusion on this. You certainly wouldn’t have to brown the chicken breasts, but I think it always tastes better if you do! Thanks. -Meggan