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Poached Chicken is the New Grilled Chicken
Recipes | March 15, 2015
If you’re familiar with my Nutrition Guide you know I try to add protein into my meals at least 3 times a day. Sufficient protein intake is not only important for muscle growth and recovery, but also for making enzymes, hormones, and other body chemicals and tissues. Our nails are hair are mostly made of protein!! Maybe if I had more protein as a kid I wouldn’t have to have extensions 🙂
Protein is always the hardest thing to add to your meal, because of the limited sources. Even if you’re not a vegan or vegetarian, you’re always stuck with just a few choices in form of animal proteins that are not always readily available. That’s why I love poached chicken. It takes only 15 minutes to make yourself juicy protein out of lean chicken breasts that you can store in the fridge for at least 3 days and use for quick recipes, snacks, and salads. Besides that, it’s easier and less messy then trying to grill your chicken breasts that won’t be as good and as juicy in your salad as the poached chicken.
Instructions
Pick a pot in which the chicken breasts can be completely submerged in water. Fill the pot half way up with cold water and bring to boil. Don’t add any salt or seasoning, just plain water. Once you see the water boiling, add the whole chicken breasts and make sure they are completely under water (or you’ll have to flip them after 5 minutes which is an unnecessary extra step since you should have plenty of water and a big enough pot).
Cook the chicken breasts in boiling water for 7 minutes, then turn the heat off and keeping the pot covered, leave the chicken in the hot water for another 8 minutes. Even though the water is not boiling, the chicken should continue to cook.
Take the chicken out on a plate and cover with aluminum foil and let it cool down. Do not cut into the chicken until it cools down because it’s actually still cooking inside. This technique ensures that your chicken is fully cooked through without losing any moisture, keeping itself juicy and delicious. You can season the chicken with any spices you want when it’s done and add it to any dish or salad. I will continue to post recipes that contain the poached chicken to show you how many variations of healthy meals you can create out of your precooked, stored and easy to make protein.
You can try your first poached chicken with this fun recipe: Chicken Salad on Apple Slices (FM)
Private Member |
This is brilliant. I can’t wait to try this. I had been buying frozen chicken breasts, and tbh I had been cooking them from frozen, which didn’t help, but I think the fact that I grilled them made them very tough. I love this idea of poaching a few breasts and storing them. To shred the chicken like in the photo, did you just tear it up with your hands? I think when I try this I will add a little bit of sodium free stock for extra flavour.
Private Member |
lake tahoe, nv, usa
Yea, I just used a fork and my hands to shred it. It falls apart really easily 🙂
Private Member |
If you have a Kitchen Aid you can throw the whole chicken breasts in and then turn on using the paddle mixer. Shreds in a couple minutes, super easy! 🙂
Private Member |
I have been doing this off and on for awhile and it does save so much time. You probably do too, but I always use the leftover water for a broth “stock” for a soup the next day.
Private Member |
los angeles, ca, usa
This is a great idea! Does it apply to all different sizes of chicken breast, or should I increase the cooking time for very thick/large chicken breasts?
Private Member |
lake tahoe, nv, usa
I did cook large chicken breasts this way and it worked even for small ones. I believe that even one more minute in the boiling water makes a difference so for the big breasts, I would leave it cooking for 8 minutes instead of 7 but no longer than that.
Private Member |
Definitely trying this!
Private Member |
This is awesome. The chicken is tender. Thanks for sharing
Private Member |
seattle, washington
Add you can use the Chicken Broth as well. I’ve been doing this for years.
Private Member |
I totally agree.
I often cook my breast chicken this way.
Even better, is to cook the whole chicken in a lot of water and after 1h or so, you remove the chicken, take all the piece of meat apart and put back in the water, the bones and all the non-eating parts and add a carrot, a piece of celery, 1 or 2 onions, garlic, some herbs and let it cook slowly overnight and get an awesome broth !!
Private Member |
This way of cooking the chicken is such a great idea. I can’t believe I never really knew how to poach chicken before!
By the way, I hope it’s okay to ask, how do you do your hair extensions..? I am curious because I have pretty bad hair, haha. They look amazing and I never would have known!
Private Member |
Thank you so much for the recipe! I never thought chicken could be so delicious =)
Private Member |
Made it for a dinner today. I can’t believe how juicy and good it is, plain dry chicken boiled in water.
Thank you
Bohdana