Name: How to Poach Chicken The Easy Way
Prep time: 2 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 17 min
Ingredients: 1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts (boneless, skinless); 4 cups water (*); 1 teaspoon salt; 2 teaspoons peppercorns (or 1 tsp ground pepper); 1 teaspoon dried thyme (*)

Recipe

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Step-by-step directions and a short video to help you learn how to poach chicken so it turns out juicy and never dry.

If you’ve ever wondered how to poach chicken breasts without ending up with dry, rubbery meat, here you’ll learn how. It’s perfect for salads and your favorite recipes.

sliced poached chicken breast on a cutting board

Poaching Chicken

Poaching chicken means cooking the chicken gently in simmering water with aromatics (herbs/spices/or veggies) and salt. It's simple, and when done right, it yields tender, juicy chicken that’s anything but bland, which usually happens from overcooking or not seasoning it enough. It’s not better than searing or baking; it’s another way to cook chicken.

What You Need For Flavorful Poached Chicken

Well-seasoned cold water is the key to flavorful chicken breasts. It’s important that it’s cooked gradually and it has time to absorb basic seasonings like salt, peppercorns or ground pepper, and dried thyme. You can add an onion, more herbs, and spices.

How to Make Poached Chicken Breasts

In the recipe card, you’ll find all the details and a short video, which is always the best visual. Here is an overview of poaching:

Start with cold water.
The liquid will be thrown out, so no need to use broth (you can, but I haven’t found it makes much of a difference). Place the chicken breasts in a large pot, covering them with at least 2 inches of water. Then season it generously. You can also poach thighs with this method.
Bring it to a boil, turn off the heat, and wait.
The water in the pot needs to come to a rolling boil, then you’ll turn off the heat and cover the pot. Do not open the lid for 10 minutes; the chicken needs to poach (sit in the water) undisturbed. Leaving the fire on and boiling the chicken will yield rubbery chicken. It just needs to sit there in the hot water after it boils.
Remove the chicken from the pot.
Use kitchen tongs to remove the chicken breasts to a board. The internal temp. should read 165F. Now it’s ready to be used.

side by side photos of chicken breasts being poached in a large pot

Poaching Bone-In Chicken Breasts

Bone-in chicken breasts will need 25 minutes of poaching time (sitting in the water in the pot covered). There’s no need to remove the skin; in fact, I recommend keeping it on for added flavor.

How to Know When Poached Chicken Is Done

Poached chicken cooks gently and can take about 10 to 15 minutes after turning off the heat, depending on the thickness, so rely on internal temperature, not time. After about 10 minutes, quickly remove a piece, cover the pot to keep the heat in, and check the thickest part. Once it reaches 165F, it's done.

Sliced poached chicken breasts on a cutting board with a knife

How to Use Poached Chicken Breasts

You can slice, dice, or shred the poached chicken for salads, chicken meal prep, or use it in recipes like salsa verde enchiladas, healthy chicken salad, chicken nachos, or make chicken noodle soup. It’s also a great swap for rotisserie chicken in any recipe.

How to Poach Chicken The Easy Way

Servings: 6

Prep Time: 2

Cook Time: 15

Total Time: 17

Step-by-step directions and a short video to help you learn how to poach chicken so it turns out juicy and never dry.

5 from 35 votes

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Watch how it’s made:

Ingredients

1 ½ pounds chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
4 cups water, *
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons peppercorns, or 1 teaspoon ground pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme, *

Instructions

Prep:

Place the chicken breasts in a large soup pot and cover them with cold water, enough to cover the chicken by 2 inches. While you can use chicken broth, this liquid will be discarded, so I recommend seasoning the water well instead of wasting it.
Season the water with salt, peppercorns or ground pepper, and thyme at a minimum. Sometimes I throw in a few sprigs of rosemary or any other dried herbs I have around. You can't go wrong.

Poach:

Bring the water in the pot to a boil (uncovered). Then, use tongs to flip the chicken breasts over. Cover the pot with a lid and turn off the heat.
Let the chicken sit in the hot water for 10 minutes, without opening the lid. After 10 minutes, quickly remove one piece, recover with the lid to keep the heat in, and check that the thickest part has reached an internal temperature of 165F. Thicker, extra-large breasts might need up to 15 minutes.

Use & Store:

Remove the chicken breasts from the pot and set them on a large board. Allow them to rest for 5 minutes before slicing, shredding, or dicing. Serve.
Store cooled poached chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.