Herb Infused Poached Chicken …

This is my new “thing”.  You see I’ve only recently discovered the amazing properties of poaching meat.  Probably because it just sounds so boring.  I mean, how exciting can cooking something in water really be?  Well actually, it’s beyond exciting, especially when you consider that you don’t need to add any extra fat to cook it in (although admittedly I do add a tablespoon of oil to mine for added flavour), and when you realize that you can add any myriad of flavours imaginable into the water which will infuse into the chicken as it poaches.  But on top of all this, poaching chicken is like killing two birds with one stone, because you create your own homemade chicken stock at the same time!  So you can see why poaching is my  “new thing”.

Feel free to make up your own flavour infusion combinations for your poached chicken.  The below is ideal for meals that are perhaps French or Italian inspired.  But really the options are as endless as your imagination.

I use this method to cook chicken now any time I want to make a chicken salad.  And perhaps my favourite is to wrap a tortilla around the chicken and add some red pepper humus and matchstick vegetables.  Healthy and delicious.  If you are interested in making your own fresh flour tortillas (go on it´s worth it!) then have a look at my blog post here.  And watch out for my blog post in a couple of days for roasted red pepper humus and then how to put it all together to make the most delicious (and healthy) wraps ever!

Herb Infused Poached Chicken

Serves 6

Ingredients

1. 6 chicken breasts (skinless)
2. 1 spring onion
3. 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
4. 1 lemon cut into slices or wedges
5. 1 sprig of rosemary
6. 1 sprig of thyme
7. handful of sage leaves
8. handful of peppercorns
9. 1 tsp salt
10. 1 tsp olive oil

Instructions

1. Pop the chicken breasts into a pot just large enough so that they can sit in one single layer.
2. Add all the other ingredients as well as enough cold water to completely cover the chicken.
3. Place the pot over a medium heat and bring to the simmer. Simmer for one minute.
4. Remove the pot from the heat and leave to cool for about 1 1/2 hours, keeping the lid on.
5. Remove the chicken from the stock and use as desired. Keep the stock to use another time in your cooking. I freeze mine for later use.