Andrew Zimmern's Trick For Perfectly Juicy Poached Chicken
You're probably one of the many Americans who consume an average of nearly 100 pounds of chicken each year (per Statista). And we think it's safe to say many aren't considering if they should rethink eating chicken, although perhaps you should consider eating less of it breaded and fried.
According to Registered Dietitian Rebecca Lewis, poaching is the healthiest way to cook chicken (per Women's Health). Of course, you may be thinking that poached chicken is a bit tasteless, but this way of cooking poultry was a delicious mainstay of many worldwide cuisines long before it garnered a reputation for being bland and boring.
It's interesting that the chef who became famous for a daring attitude of eating just about anything on "Bizarre Foods" has strong feelings about a plain old poached chicken. Andrew Zimmern, cookbook author, TV personality, spice connoisseur, and restaurant owner (per his website) has something to share about poached chicken. But, just what does the James Beard Award-winning chef advise?
Andrew Zimmern's perfectly poached chicken is virtually hands-free
According to Rachael, Zimmern prepares poached chicken in the simplest way possible. He shares, "When poaching a chicken, drop a whole bird in boiling stock and cook, lowering to maintain a simmer for 60 seconds and turn off the heat. 90 minutes later it will be perfect. Just cover and let it steep in the hot liquid." That long gentle bath is a good way to ensure the breasts haven't overcooked and dried out while getting the dark meat to cook through and become tender.
If you dig into Zimmern's recipes, you'll find this version of Hainanese Chicken Rice. For this dish, he amps up the basic poaching technique. First, the broth includes scallions, ginger, garlic, star anise, and cinnamon. While the chicken poaches, he prepares three complex but simple to make dipping sauces to serve with the chicken. Those components are served with rice that's received a spoonful of the chicken fat that's been decanted off the poaching liquid.
Juicy poached chicken is key to many meals
Those ingredients for Hainan-style chicken are a great excuse to hit up an international grocer and use Zimmern's top tip for upgrading your grocery store experience. If you balk at that recipe, don't fret. This version of Sichuan bang-bang chicken from The Woks of Life shares many of the flavors of Hainanese-style chicken. Plus, it uses some of the cooking broth for the sauce.
If you want something more mainstream, the list of dishes you can make with shredded chicken is virtually limitless. MasterClass suggests BBQ-pulled chicken, buffalo chicken dip, enchiladas, salads, pot pie, chili, soup, and sandwiches. You get the idea.
The sneaky best part of this technique might actually be the broth that's left in the pot after pulling the perfectly juicy poached chicken. The most obvious thing to do might be to add some vegetables and chicken for some chicken soup. Zimmern's recipe notes suggest freezing it to poach another chicken. After poaching two chickens, the broth will boast a chicken intensity, unlike an average broth or stock.