Simple Poached Herbed Chicken Recipes

POACHED CHICKEN WITH GARLIC-HERB SAUCE

Steps:

• Fill a large pot halfway with hot water; add 1/2 teaspoon salt, the fennel wedges and carrots. Bring to a boil; cook until the vegetables are crisp-tender, 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon. Reduce the heat to low.
• Add the garlic, scallions, fennel fronds and chicken to the pot and gently simmer until the chicken is cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes. Fill a bowl with salted ice water. Transfer the chicken to the ice water using tongs; let sit 30 seconds, then remove to a cutting board.
• Using a slotted spoon, transfer the garlic, scallions and fennel fronds to a blender; add 1/3 cup of the cooking liquid. Add the green beans to the pot, remove from the heat and let sit 5 minutes; drain.
• Add the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, parsley and basil to the blender and puree; season with pepper. Cut the chicken into pieces and serve with the vegetables; drizzle with the herb sauce.

SIMPLE POACHED HERBED CHICKEN

Steps:

• place chicken in a stockpot or pan large enough for the chicken and other ingreedients to be completely covered with liquid.
• place carrots, celery, and onion around chicken in pot.
• combine chicken broth, bullion, and enough water to cover veggies and chicken in pot.
• add herbs (red pepper flakes, garlic powser, celery seed, bay leaves and seasonal fresh herbs).
• bring to a rolling simmer, reduce heat and simmer gently 1 hour.
• remove chicken from liquid, set aside to cool.
• increase heat to rolling boil for ten minutes or until reduced to desired thickness.
• remove from heat and strain broth into jar. Broth can be stored in refrigerator for up to one week, or in the freezer indefinitely.
• Using two forks, shred chicken into bite-sized pieces. Use in salads, wraps and sandwiches, or pastas.

BASIC POACHED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Remove the gizzards, heart, neck and liver from the chicken. Pull off any excess fat from the edges of cavity. Rinse the chicken in cold water, pat dry on paper towels and rub with the lemon juice. Place in a large, deep pot and cover with cold water to a depth of two inches. If necessary to fit the chicken comfortably in the pot, it can be split in half. Rinse the gizzards, heart and neck and add them as well. Reserve the liver for another use. It should not be added to poached chicken, because it will make the stock bitter. It can be frozen. The excess fat can be sauteed slowly in a small skillet to use for frying or it can also be frozen for future use.
• Bring the water with the chicken to a boil.
• While the water is coming to a boil, cut the root and top ends off the onions but do not peel them. The skin will enhance the color of the soup. Trim the roots and most of the green off the leeks and trim the root ends off the carrots. Cut or break the celery if necessary to fit it into the pot. Add the garlic. Tie the parsley and dill together in a piece of cheesecloth.
• When the chicken has come to a boil, reduce the heat to a steady simmer and skim the surface of the water, removing the scum as it accumulates. Do this for at least five minutes, until relatively little scum reappears.
• Add the vegetables, herbs and peppercorns. Continue simmering the chicken and vegetables slowly, skimming the surface from time to time, for one hour, until the juices of the chicken run clear when the thigh is pricked with a sharp fork. If necessary, additional water can be added to the pot during the cooking.
• Remove the chicken from the pot, allowing it to drain well. Set it aside, covered, in a shallow bowl.
• Pour the contents of the pot through a colander set into another large pot or a deep bowl that holds at least six quarts. Clean the original cooking pot. Pour the soup through a large, very fine strainer into the cooking pot. If you do not have a large very fine strainer, use a large strainer with a coarser mesh and line it with a clean linen napkin.
• Bring the soup to a gentle simmer and allow it to cook for 20 to 30 minutes, until it has reduced and concentrated somewhat. Do not allow it to come to a boil or it will turn cloudy. When the soup tastes rich enough, season it with salt.
• While the soup is simmering, retrieve vegetables you wish to serve with it and cut them into one-inch pieces. Remove the skin from the chicken and cut it into serving pieces.
• Serve the chicken and vegetables in bowls, with the hot soup spooned over them. If desired, noodles or rice can be cooked separately and added to the soup as well.

POACHED CHICKEN, CRUNCHY VEGETABLES, AND HERB DRESSING

Steps:

• For the dressing:
• Drain and rinse the almonds in fresh cold water, then pound them with the herbs, the garlic clove and a little salt. Slowly pour the olive oil into the mixture, stirring to combine.
• For the chicken:
• Put the chicken breasts into a pan of cold water with the reserved herb stalks (from the dressing), the garlic and the salt. Bring the water to a simmer, turn off the heat and immediately cover the pan. Allow the chicken to sit in the hot poaching liquor for 20 minutes, until cooked through.
• Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil and blanch the green beans for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, then cool under cold running water. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
• Preheat the broiler. Shave the fennel bulb with a mandolin or peeler into this slices and do the same with the carrot and zucchini. Add to the beans. Put the tomatoes on a non-stick baking sheet and under a preheated broiler for 2 to 3 minutes until softened. Add to the bowl.
• Remove the chicken breasts from the poaching liquor. Thinly slice them and add to the bowl of vegetables. Toss together and season to taste with salt and pepper. Arrange the chicken and vegetables between plates and serve with the herb dressing and lemon wedges.