Poached Chicken

This post may contain affiliate links. See my privacy policy for details.

Chicken is one of the most versatile meats there is, but are you a little tired of simply roasting it? Why not learn how to cook it a bit differently by poaching it instead?

Rather than buying ready-made broth why not make your own Crock Pot Bone Broth for that depth of flavor that you can only get from real home cooking? You could use any leftover chicken you might have to make this Chicken Noodle Soup!

Poached Chicken

Chicken is one of the best meats and sources of protein that you can choose when looking to make healthy adjustments to your diet. However, it is not the only thing to consider the way that you cook your chicken is just as important.

There are tons of different ways that you can prepare and cook chicken and when planning your healthy diet you are going to want to choose the ones that maximize the benefits that chicken has over other types of meat.

Poaching chicken is one of the best options as there is absolutely no need to use extra oil or fat. Instead, the chicken is cooked in flavorful liquid that turns everything into deliciousness.

Poached Chicken Breasts

When poaching chicken you can use any part of the bird, you could even try using a whole chicken cut into pieces. Your choice is mainly going to be based on how you intend to serve your poached chicken, your taste, and whether the nutritional value of the dish is important to you.

Chicken breasts are considered to be the healthiest part of the chicken as they are high in protein and low in fat. This is the reason why they are so popular for diets and especially when bodybuilding.

The downside to chicken breasts is that they are not the most flavorful part of the bird, and some people also find them to be too dry when compared to things like thighs and wings. However, others enjoy the texture of white meat and find it to have a much cleaner mouth feel.

If you are looking to maximize the health benefits of chicken and want to reduce the level of fat in your diet, then chicken breasts are going to be the best option when choosing chicken.

Poached Chicken Thighs

Chicken thighs have a much higher ratio of fat to protein than breasts and, as a result, have more flavor.

It is also harder to overcook thighs, which can cause dry, chalky texture that often puts people off eating chicken breasts.

So, if flavor and extra juicy texture are important to you then opt for thighs when poaching chicken.

What To Do With Your Leftover Chicken Broth

The leftover chicken broth is going to be packed with flavor from the vegetables and the chicken. It is therefore a shame to throw it away wasting all of that delicious flavor. Rather than tipping the broth down the drain, you can instead freeze it and use it at a later point for the base of a soup recipe.

When freezing a large quantity of broth you are going to want to make sure that you store it in an airtight container that is suitable for freezing. Your broth should last for several months in the freezer ready to make a quick and healthy soup!

Alternatively, you could freeze your broth in ice cube trays leaving you with small stock cubes that you can use individually to enhance dishes and gravies.

All you need to do is pour the leftover broth into ice cube trays, freeze them for a day, and then remove them from the tray and store them in a container or ziplock bag. Your broth cubes will last for months and are a great way to make sure that broth never goes to waste!

How To Use Your Poached Chicken

The nice thing about poached chicken is that it can be used as a healthy protein base for a wide array of dishes. Here are just a few of the ways you could use your poached chicken to make a complete meal.

• Serve It With Vegetables For a Healthy Low Fat Meal

Poached chicken is one of the best meats that you can eat when you are trying to pack large quantities of protein into your diet while also keeping fat to a minimum.

For a complete meal, try serving your chicken with steamed or boiled vegetables. Things like carrots, broccoli, and peas work particularly well as they are quick to prepare and nutrient-rich.

• Chicken Salad

If you are looking for a way to incorporate your patched chicken into lunches why not try using it as part of a salad?

Salads are ideal for packed lunches as they store well in containers and in most climates can last for a few hours out of the fridge.

When using poached chicken in a salad you can either shred it into pieces or cut it into cubes depending on your preference. Alongside the chicken, you are going to want some greens. You could keep it simple with some shredded iceberg or for extra flavor try a bag of mixed leaves.

Once you have the two basic components of your salad you can really get creative adding different toppings each day. Bacon pieces, slices of tomato, Parmesan cheese, and cucumber all work well in a chicken salad.

• Chicken Sandwich

For a quick meal using your poached chicken, why not turn it into a sandwich? All you need are two slices of bread, a little mayo, iceberg lettuce, and slices of tomato and you have yourself a quick, healthy, and delicious sandwich!

• Use In Soup

Rather than storing the leftover broth in the freezer, you could use it straight away to make chicken soup. Once you have the broth separated from the vegetables and chicken bring it back up to boil in an empty pot, you can then add any veggies that you might want in your soup like potatoes.

Around five minutes before serving your soup add back in the chicken, either shredded or in pieces, and allow it to come back up to temperature before serving!

Looking for more delicious Chicken recipes? Try these out:

• Instant Pot Chicken Breast

• Smothered Chicken

• Classic Apricot Chicken

Happy Cooking

Love,

Karlynn

Pin this recipe to your DINNER RECIPES Board and Remember to FOLLOW ME ON PINTEREST!