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Poached chicken on a cutting board, with one breast sliced up.
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4.84 from 12 votes

Easy Poached Chicken

Poached chicken is a great option for easy, healthy, and tender chicken, with no cooking oil needed. And if you'd like, add some aromatics for extra flavor! Watch how I poach chicken in the video below!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: How To poach chicken, poached chicken, poached chicken recipe
Servings: 2 servings
Author: Lisa Bryan

Ingredients

  • 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts you can always cook more with a larger pan/pot
  • water or broth
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

  • Place the chicken breasts into the pot. Add in cold water until the breasts are covered by about an inch of water, and season with salt. If you'd like to add aromatics like lemon slices, onions, garlic or herbs, you can add them now.
  • Bring the water to a gentle simmer over medium heat. If you see some white froth accumulate on the surface, that's just fat from the chicken. You can optionally skim it off if you plan to save the liquid. Otherwise, don't worry about it.
  • Once it's gently simmering, cover the pan, and reduce the heat to low.
  • Let the chicken simmer for 10 to 15 minutes (depending on the size/thickness of your chicken) or until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Remove the chicken from the water and let it rest for a few minutes before using or storing away into containers. You can also dice it or shred it for weekly meal prep.
  • If you'd like to save the poaching water, which is a light chicken broth, strain the liquid through a fine mesh sieve and store in glass containers in the fridge or freezer.

Video

Notes

  • This recipe yields about 2.5 cups of shredded or diced chicken, for average sized chicken breasts.

Nutrition

Calories: 129kcal | Protein: 24g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 72mg | Sodium: 1294mg | Potassium: 418mg | Vitamin A: 34IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 1mg