Gently Does It, Perfectly Poached Chicken Breasts

Poaching is cooking food gently in a liquid just below the boiling point.  The liquid and the food vary widely.  Meat and poultry may be simmered in stock, fish in court-bouillon and eggs in lightly salted water,  fruit in wine or a sweetened syrup.  No matter what the mix, poaching produces a delicate flavor in foods, while imparting some of the liquid's flavor to the poached ingredient.  I've used poaching for eggs, fish and fruit.  I've even seen filet minion poached in beef consommé but never actually poached a chicken breast.  What for?  It just seemed a bit too timid for me.

To get to my point about poaching; my favorite thing to eat, I suppose, is chicken salad.  I've been served countless versions that I've enjoyed but my own efforts have always come up short.  I've never posted a chicken salad recipe because, I just didn't have one that was worth a doodle, in my opinion.  It wasn't about the ingredients because those vary enormously.  Everything from fruits to nuts can be used in a chicken salad - it's a salad, so use what you like.  However, the chicken itself has always been the difficulty for me.  I've used beautifully roasted chicken breasts or tenderloins in a very nice effort but missed the mark somehow.  The size and shape of the breasts vary so the cooking was uneven.  Some of it a bit dryer than others. Then the light bulb went off when I saw whole boneless, skinless, chicken breast on sale and purchased one.  The fact that it was a whole breast still connected was novel.  What was I going to do with it; and suddenly I was inspired to poach.  Poaching insures even cooking with proper technique and timing.  The chicken is tender, moist and flavorful. There is a fine line in poaching, so pay attention to time and check for just done at 160 degrees.

I've used water as the liquid here but you may use fresh chicken stock, if you prefer. I like the ingredients that flavor the poaching liquid to reflect the ingredients of the salad.

Layer in the bottom of a pan with deep sides:

1 onion (or leek, white part only) sliced thin
1 lemon sliced thin
1 bay leaf
1 tsp coarse salt
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
6 whole pepper corns
1 cup packed fresh celery leaves
1 quart of water

Bring the above to a boil, then reduce to simmer.  Making sure the chicken is completely submerged with water, add:

1- 1 1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Simmer (water should bubble around the edges and the surface quiver slightly) for 7 minutes, then cover and remove from the heat for 10 minutes.  Check the temperature of the chicken for 160 degrees with an instant read thermometer .  Remove breasts to a plate and cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator.

Just for the record, I like my chicken salad made with finely chopped celery, chives, salt and pepper and a modest amount of mayonnaise and a squeeze of lemon juice.  Perfecto!