Chicken Poaching

First Stop:  Poached Chicken

Today I poached chicken for the first time.

As much as I love to cook, I must admit that I've never poached chicken.  Frankly, it has always scared me.  Today, my love for chicken salad and stumbling across a new recipe gave me the necessary motivation to make me face my fears.  Above is the pre-poached pot o' chicken breasts.  Below is the process I followed.

I googled various sources for methods of poaching chicken.  I always google before I start cooking, even if it's a recipe I've made for years.  You never know when you may learn something new, or dare I say - better.

The sites consulted:
http://www.cookography.com/2007/how-to-poach-a-chicken-breast
http://www.justbento.com/handbook/recipe-collection-mains/the-easiest-always-moist-poached-chicken
http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/poached-chicken/

I've always said the biggest hurdle any cook needs to overcome is fear.  Fortunately (or unfortunately depending on the perspective), I've spent a significant amount of time in the culinary field which gives me some knowledge in regard to food safety guidelines.  The comments on Cookography scared me, but as long as you maintain a temperature above 160 this method can work.  The cavalier Rachel Ray always makes me feel more confident in my culinary endeavors.  I love that lady, and I have no doubt her technique works.  Just Bento, in my opinion, most likely is the best technique offered of the three sites I visited.  Of course, I didn't strictly follow any of the three methods listed above.

What I did:

* I placed the chicken in a large pot and filled it with enough water to cover the breasts.  If you're doing this, you can use water, wine, vinegar, lemon juice, chicken or vegetable broth, a combination, etc.  I would have used broth, but I was out.  Water it was.

* I gave the pot a pinch of salt, about a teaspoon of tarragon, a pinch of rosemary, black and red pepper, parsley, dried garlic and onion powder.  You can use whatever herbs appeal to you.  This chicken was destined for chicken salad, and I think tarragon is a great flavor for chicken salad.  Give it a try sometime.

* I turned the heat up to medium and watched the chicken slowly turn white.  As the bubbles barely began to surface, I was careful not to let the pot come to a rolling bubble or a constant simmer.  I adjusted the heat up and down for about 30 minutes to keep it at this "almost simmering" stage.  This is because I didn't want the chicken to get too tough.  If you cook it too high, it will toughen up and punch you in the jaw.  If you cook it too low, you'll get salmonella and go to the hospital.  If you keep the temperature right at "poaching" temperature (between 160 and 180 degrees F), you save yourself a trip to the hospital.

The smell was amazing!

Next Stop:  Chicken Salad

Now, I almost never follow a recipe to the T, but I was almost entirely true to this one.  With my first cooking blog comes many firsts: first poaching, first (almost) following of a recipe in its entirety.  After all, Brenda Lee's recipe sounded amazing as is.  I found it posted on www.allrecipes.com, and I highly suggest visiting the site sometime.  It's a great resource.

The recipe consulted:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Sunflower-Chicken-Salad/Detail.aspx

• 2 cups cubed cooked chicken breast meat (This is about equal to 2 chicken breasts.)
• 1 cup cubed Cheddar cheese (I used shredded, mild cheddar.)
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced celery
• 1/2 cup seedless green grapes, halved
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise (I used mayo made from Olive Oil.)
• salt and pepper to taste (I used 2 twists of a sea salt grinder and 2 twists of black peppercorn.)

Obviously, I used my freshly poached chicken to make this recipe.  I cubed and partially shredded the chicken rather than simply cubing it.  I think it gives it better texture, but that is up to individual preference.  I used shredded mild cheddar, not because I was against cubed cheddar, but because I had about the perfect amount left over from a bbq this past weekend.  Fortunately, I also had leftover sunflower seed kernels from the same party (Thank you, Will).  Finding ways to utilize left over ingredients often results in tasty new recipe discoveries.  Be adventurous!

The olive oil mayo made me nervous, but like I always say, push through the fear.  It will make you a better cook!  I only recently began using mayo made from olive oil because it is supposed to be healthier than traditional mayo.  Although, I'm beginning to question that assertion.  It may be lower in fat and calories, but it's higher in sodium.  In some cooking, I like the olive oil mayo, but in other recipes, I find the difference in flavor interrupts what I would have achieved with traditional mayo.  For the record, my favorite all-around mayonnaise by far is Duke's.

Mayo with Olive Oil vs. "Real" Mayo:
http://eatthis.menshealth.com/content/mayo-olive-oil-vs-real-mayo

Duke's Mayonnaise:
http://www.dukesmayo.com/

When all was said and done, the flavors came together beautifully, even with my concerns about the flavor difference in the mayonnaise.  My poaching fears have been conquered, and I have a new staple in my recipe book.

Many of the ingredients used to complete this recipe (e.g. spices, produce) were purchased at the historic Soulard Farmers Market in St. Louis, Missouri.

Soulard Farmers Market:
http://www.soulardmarket.com/

Until next time, eat and shop local!