A few months ago, I fell down a rabbit hole while trying to learn about poaching. I was editing a recipe with questionable instructions for poaching chicken breasts. While the recipe’s method and suggested internal temperature made me cry fowl, it prompted me to realize that I knew virtually nothing about the science behind poaching.
I couldn’t even define it with certainty. I’ve always just kind of ..
. winged it. Poultry puns aside, knowing how to poach can set you up for success in cooking delicate proteins.
While you can poach many things, including eggs, fruit and fish, you’ll get the most mileage out of the technique with boneless, skinless chicken breasts. For hot summer days when you want to cook without heating up the kitchen, poaching is hands-off, unfussy and anything but intimidating. Use it to make chicken salad or to add to grain bowls or greens for a lunch or supper that comes together in minutes.
Having quick, easy access to cooked, nutrient-rich protein can be the deciding factor between a nourishing meal and less healthy takeout. What is poaching? When I chatted with a few friends and colleagues, there was no consensus on the technique. Some partially submerged the chicken, then simmered it on the lowest heat.
Others brought the liquid to a simmer, turned off the burner, and then poached in the residual heat. Poaching is a vague term dating back to medieval times, Harold McGee, author of “On Food and Cooking,” told me in an interview. Broadly spea.