Poaching Chicken

I first tried poaching chicken about 4 years ago for a BBQ dip recipe that my sister-in-law made. I haven't made the BBQ dip in about that many years, but I've been poaching chicken since then for any recipe that calls for diced or shredded chicken. In my opinion, the microwave cooks the edges too much and the oven leaves the chicken breasts crispy - not the texture I want for dicing or shredding. So, this is the quickest way to prepare chicken for adding to recipes, while preserving the tender juicy texture. Of course, leftover roasted whole chicken meat is the best for flavor, but poaching is a very close second. Leftover turkey from Thanksgiving is a great substitute for any chicken recipe, too.

I usually use chicken breasts for poaching, but any boneless chicken meat can be substituted. At this time of year, turkey is often on sale and chicken thighs go on sale quite often, too. For our family, I purchase frozen chicken breasts in bulk.

This is my approximate method:

1. Thaw the chicken breast completely. Thawing overnight in the frig is best, but if you must, use the microwave to get a jump start on the process.
2. Fill a 5 quart stock pot with water*.
3a. Add 5 or 6 chicken breasts and bring the water to a boil.
OR
3b. Bring the water to a boil and then add 5 or 6 chicken breasts.
4. Skim off the foam as it is created - less mess later on.
5. Boil until the chicken breasts are done (I have to admit, I haven't timed this step, but it's usually 10-15minutes). I do check for doneness by slicing the largest breast at its thickest point. If it's still pink, place it back into the boiling water and continue poaching until no pink remains.
6. Remove chicken from the water & let it cool slightly on your cutting board.
7. As soon as you are able to comfortably hold the meat, start dicing with a knife OR shred with a fork. I shred by pushing the fork into the meat about 1/2 inch from the edge & pulling away. You can always cut the shredded portions into bite-sized pieces.
8. Measure and add to your recipe OR measure into a freezer baggie and label for later use. I usually store 1-2 cups in each baggie.

*If you have a smaller or larger pot, adjust the number of breasts accordingly. This does tend to boil over easily, so a larger pot is better!

NOTE: I'll try to remember to take a few pictures next time I poach chicken.