The late Chef Julia Child has thirteen different ways to poach a chicken; she's seen here in her Santa Barbara kitchen
Poaching a chicken properly can produce a moist, delicious chicken that's ideal to eat as is or to make chicken salad or use in other recipes. It is especially great for anything that calls for cold chicken. While it's not as easy as roasting a chicken and it may take a couple of tries before you get the chicken just right, this is a worthwhile skill that is ideal for a beginner's cooking class. Add this to my Recipe Box.
Instructions
1. You can poach a whole chicken or just breasts. Prepare your stock by using chicken stock instead of plain or even salted water. Add your flavorings or aromatics (green onion, pepper, lemon, etc.) and preheat to 190°F to 205°F (88°C to 95°C). Be sure not to boil; there may be bubbles, but never rolling.
2. In the old Europe, they used to wrap the chicken in a layer of pork fat or a pig's bladder, but you can achieve an ideally moist chicken, by pulling up the skin and rubbing in real butter. Or use tied parchment paper to cover the chicken or pieces, making sure to cover the breast and legs entirely.
3. Lower the chicken into hot stock 190°F to 205°F (88°C to 95°C).
4. A 4.5 lb. chicken will be thoroughly cooked in about an hour and 15 minutes, but use an instant-read thermometer to be sure that the interior breast meat has reached a temperature of about 160°F (71°C) and the middle of the thigh is about 170°F (77°C). You're now ready to cool your chicken and prepare whatever recipe you have chosen
Tags: chicken just, that ideal