Tender Poached Chicken
This poached chicken recipe uses chicken breasts, water, salt, and your choice of aromatics like onion and garlic. It's a simple way to cook tender chicken that can be used in various dishes.
- Prep
- 5 minutes
- Cook
- 45 minutes
- Total
- 50 minutes

Ingredients
Instructions
In a large saucepan, combine water and salt, stirring to dissolve the salt.
Add chicken and aromatics to the water.
Set the saucepan over medium-high heat until the water temperature reaches between 150°F and 160°F (65°C to 71°C) on an instant-read thermometer.
Adjust the heat to maintain the water temperature in the 150–160°F range. (It's okay if the temperature fluctuates a little, but try to keep it above 150°F and below 170°F.)
Cook the chicken until the thickest part registers 150°F (65°C) on an instant-read thermometer, about 30 minutes to 1 hour. (Timing is influenced by the temperature at which you hold the poaching liquid and the size of the chicken breast used.)
Remove chicken from the broth and let it cool.
Strain broth through a fine-mesh strainer.
Refrigerate chicken either submerged in cooled broth or the two components separately in airtight containers until ready to use.
