Simple Poached Chicken

A couple of months ago, Bryan was home early from work. We were sitting in front of the TV. Out of nowhere, we realized that we were watching The Queen Latifah Show. That probably freaked Bryan out (LOL!) When we were about to change the channel, Graham Elliot (famous chef and judge from Master Chef) popped out. We were shocked to see the new Graham Elliot. He has lost A LOT OF weight. (If you haven’t seen it, google him.) Amazing! It is very good for him. Then he went on to cook this poached chicken on the show. At first, I wasn’t sure whether we would like that or not. I rarely make chicken breasts, because they are always dry and tough. We never like them. But then, when Chef Elliot finished the dish, the chicken looked moist and tasty. Bryan and I both agreed that we wanted to give this a try.

I am glad we did. This poached chicken was good. The vegetables poaching liquid gave the chicken more flavors. The tasty reduced jus was intense and earthy. It is the secret weapon to keep the chicken breast very flavorful and moist. This dish has changed my mind how chicken breast doesn’t have to be dry all the time. I hope you will enjoy the dish too!

Simple Poached Chicken (Adapted from Graham Elliot vs. The Queen Latifah Show)

2 servings

Ingredients:

–   2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (8-ounce each) (remove all fat and save for jus)

Poaching Liquid:

–   ½ large yellow onion (cut in half)

–   1½ medium carrots (cut into 1-inch pieces)

–   1½ celery stalks (cut into 1-inch pieces)

–   2 garlic cloves (peeled)

–   ½ lemon (sliced)

–   1 teaspoon kosher salt

–   1 teaspoon black peppercorns

–   3 fresh thyme sprigs

Jus:

–   chicken fat

–   ½ large yellow onion (cut in three big chunks)

–   1½ medium carrots (cut into 1-inch pieces)

–   1½ celery stalks (cut into 1-inch pieces)

–   4 fresh thyme sprigs

–   1 head garlic (cut in half crosswise)

–   3½ tablespoons dry white wine

–   1 cup low sodium chicken broth

–   kosher salt

–   ground black pepper

Direction:

1. For the jus, in a medium pot over medium-high heat, add the chicken fat, onion, carrots, celery, thyme, and garlic. Cook until everything is brown, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Meanwhile, in a large pot, combine all the poaching liquid ingredients. Cover with water until ½-inch above the ingredients. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add the chicken breasts and return to a boil. Cook for 3 minutes. Cover with a lid and remove from heat. Poach until the chicken is cooked through, about 15 – 18 minutes, flipping halfway through.
3. Back to the jus, add the white wine, scraping with a wooden spoon to deglaze the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add chicken broth. Continue to simmer for 8 minutes. Remove from heat and strain everything through a fine strainer. While straining, push some of the vegetable pulp through the strainer with a wooden spoon. Return to heat and reduce until about ½ cup. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm over low heat.
4. Once the chicken is cooked through, remove from liquid immediately. Slice into ½-inch thick slices. Transfer the chicken slices and some poaching vegetables to serving plates. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of jus over the chicken. Serve immediately along the remaining jus.

Tips:

1. The jus is the secret of this recipe. It keeps the chicken moist, juicy and flavorful. It can’t be skipped.
2. The original recipe serves the chicken with roasted potatoes. I made rice instead, which worked really well.

Source: Read