Poaching chicken is a great way to infuse flavor, quickly cook chicken, and be more hands-off for 15 minutes. This is my preferred way to make chicken for salads, fresh rolls, Asian-inspired tacos, and sandwiches, honestly, it goes well with many things. I use tamari in this recipe because I prefer the taste, but feel free to use a combination of light soy sauce and dark soy sauce, or take another recipe for Soy Sauce Chicken, like this traditional one from The Woks of Life https://thewoksoflife.com/soy-sauce-chicken/ and sub the soy sauce for tamari.
When searching for poached chicken recipe online you may find some recipes that use a whole chicken, if you are wanting to poach a whole chicken, do not use this recipe, it is not written to accommodate poaching a whole chicken. We prefer to use chicken breasts, but you could easily substitute boneless chicken thighs.
Jump to:
Tamari Poached Chicken
Equipment
- 1 Stovetop
- 1 4 qt pot with lid
- 1 Measuring cups
- 1 Measuring spoons
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Chef knife
Ingredients
- 4 cloves of garlic skin removed
- 1 small shallot quartered
- 2 teaspoons minced ginger
- 1 cup water
- 3 tablespoons tamari
- 1 lime, zest only
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon honey or pure maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 large chicken breasts about 1.5 lbs
Instructions
- 30 minutes before cooking, remove chicken breasts from the refrigerator.
- In a pot over medium-high heat, add the garlic, shallot, and ginger. Let cook for about 1 minute. Add one cup water, tamari, toasted sesame oil, honey, and red pepper flakes. Bring poaching liquid to a boil. Allow poaching liquid to boil for 5 minutes.
- Add chicken breasts in a single layer at the bottom of the pot. If the chicken isn't covered, add additional water or broth until chicken breasts are fully covered by the liquid, but no more than a inch of liquid above the chicken. Bring poaching liquid back to a boil and immediately lower to a simmer. Place lid on pot and let chicken breasts cook for 15 minutes. Remove pot from heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Remove poached chicken breast and set aside for at least 10 minutes before slicing.
- Take pot of poaching liquid and return to heat. Bring poaching liquid to a boil, and lower to a fast simmer. Cook liquid for 10 minutes, while chicken rests. Poaching liquid should reduce down by two-thirds. Turn off heat. Remove garlic cloves and shallot, discard. Slice chicken on the bias into ¼ - ½ slices and return to poaching liquid. Lightly toss chicken in the reduced poaching liquid. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. Use chicken immediately or store for later.
Leave a Reply