When temperatures are steamy or even if they’re not but you don’t feel like cooking, poached chicken gives you a number of meal options. In classic French cuisine poaching is done stove top. Usually, one would poach a whole chicken in a large stock pot. It’s a wonderful technique that renders a good amount of moist chicken for salads, burritos, and more. You also get a light broth that can be reduced to strengthen and use in soups or sauces. But a large steaming stock pot is enough to heat up the kitchen.
Could acceptable results be attained in the microwave? Happily, the answer is yes.
The microwave is your best friend when it’s too hot to cook.
Easy Microwaved Poached Chicken
Ingredients:
- 1 lb of chicken (boneless thighs)
- 1/2 C each - chopped onion, celery, carrots
- 2 cloves garlic
- two sprigs each - fresh fresh thyme, fresh rosemary
- 5 sprigs parsley with stems
- 8 peppercorns
- 2 allspice berries
- generous pinch - three fingers - dried tarragon
- 1 TBSP sea salt
- 1/2 C of wine
- chicken broth or water to cover
Technique:
- Place all ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl, cover with plastic wrap and puncture in a couple of spots to let steam to escape.
- Microwave for 6-8 minutes depending on strength of oven. You're looking for chicken to become opaque. Remove from the microwave but leave in liquid until it cools completely. Refrigerate if you like. Fat, if any, will congeal and you can skim the resulting broth.
- Once the chicken is cooled, you can shred it for wraps or chop it for chicken salad. Save that broth, too. You can reduce it to strengthen it and use in sauces or add to soup.
How to use Poached Chicken
What to do with that lovely poached chicken? How about chicken salad? Homemade chicken salad, with homemade mayonnaise of course, is a fantastic option. Throw it in a top-split bun and it's a cool lunch. Then again why not have a healthy alternative. This is not your everyday mayonnaise-based salad.
Wheat Berry and Chicken Salad
A good quality rice cooker (try Zojirushi or Panasonic - with fuzzy logic) extends your warm weather meal options, too. Wheat berries, barley or brown rice all can be made in a good quality rice cooker. Grains can be the basis for really satisfying, healthy summer dishes. Fuzzy logic makes the cooking fuss-free and renders perfect tender grains, every time.
Make two cups of wheat berries, toss with toasted nuts, and a sherry vinaigrette. Add chopped fresh thyme and parsley, chopped or shredded poached chicken. Other additions could include dried fruit such as dried cherries or dried blueberries. Try pistachios and golden raisins.
Make a chopped salad of red and green bell pepper, cucumber, red onion, halved cherry tomatoes and include wheat berries for substantial meal that won’t weigh you down or heat up your kitchen. Serve with your perfectly poached chicken.
Jacqueline Church - Award-winning writer, speaker, teacher on topics at the intersection of gourmet and sustainable food issues.
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