- chicken breast
- Redmond's® Real Salt
- McCormack's® Peppercorn Medley
- aromatics of your choice
- water (or liquid of your choice)
Directions:
If your chicken is not even thickness, pound it a bit, but do not over do it and end up with thin chicken. Salt and pepper each side.
In a lidded pot large enough to have your chicken in one layer, lay the chicken on the bottom. Add your aromatics. [Again, I used lemon slices, smashed garlic, and sprigs of fresh thyme.] Gently cover the chicken until the water is a good one inch above your chicken. [Another cook I watched suggested the liquid be two knuckles.]
Put the pot on the stove on high heat and bring to a boil. As soon as it is boiling, cover the pot and turn the temperature down to low.
Let cook until the chicken reaches 165 degrees in the thickest part. Depending on how many breasts you are poaching, this might be 10-14 minutes.
Remove from the poaching liquid and let rest on a plate for 5 minutes before cutting or shredding.
You can save the poaching liquid for a broth or stock. Bring back to a boil and let it reduce a bit before saving.
Myrtle's Note: I think that I might like this method better. I had trouble bringing it to a boil on medium-high, so I plan to go straight to high next time (instructions are adjusted). I have an electric, flat top stove and the constant cycling of the burner drives me nuts. I like that there is no outer layer to the chicken, as opposed to the slightly rougher texture there was on the outside of the Inside Out Poached Chicken. I also think it is a tad bit more flavorful, although by flavor I mean the essence of flavor. I will say that with my struggle to get the chicken to boil, I clearly over-cooked this in the fact that it was 192 degrees when I checked it at 8 minutes. I do like Inside Out Poached Chicken because it is a bit more precise in method. Even so, I found this poached chicken the closest to that which you get on Panera salads. I very much enjoyed it!
Source: (the recipe, not the video) http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-poach-chicken-breasts-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-28367
