Buzz
If you've spent any time reading about cooking, you’ve probably encountered numerous lists praising the versatility of chicken. By now, you’re likely familiar with what this humble bird can do for you, so another rigid chicken meal plan might feel redundant. My simple request: the next time you buy a whole chicken, try poaching it.
Poaching is an underrated technique, and chicken is perfect for it. All you need are basic tools: a mixing bowl, a big pot with a lid, a mesh strainer, and containers for the broth. It’s a foolproof process—unlike roasting—and provides more benefits: juicy, flavorful meat from the whole bird, a gallon of rich broth, a carcass you can use again for stock, and possibly even some rendered fat. Missing the crispy skin? Simply press the soft poached skin between two baking sheets and roast it for crispy cracklins. The process takes about five hours in total, but just thirty minutes of hands-on work means you can easily fit this into a lazy day and still have plenty of free time.
Take some time to plan out your meals around poached chicken.
The key to getting multiple meals from a single chicken lies in the planning. Start by making a weekly meal plan, beginning with a large dish featuring poached chicken, and shop for the ingredients accordingly. I highly recommend these recipes:
Nong’s Khao Man Gai
Chicken noodle or matzo ball soup
Chicken & dumplings
Red-cooked chicken
Avgolemono
For your first meal, choose either dark or white meat to maximize leftovers. Beyond that, it's up to you. If you’re craving chicken salad sandwiches, save the breasts for last and gather bread, mayo, and crunchy veggies. If you’d prefer to start with white meat and save the dark meat for something like enchiladas, make sure to have tortillas, melty cheese, beans, and enchilada sauce ready. Don't forget that you'll have a gallon of both broth and stock to work with, so stock up on ingredients for soups, stews, and risottos. And for your stock, make sure to grab root vegetables and aromatics—parsnips are highly recommended.
Essential items for your weekly chicken poach:
Cuisinart Stainless Steel Stock Pot
Stainless Steel Bouillon Strainer
Rubbermaid Food Storage Container Set of 5
Poach the chicken and make some delicious stock in the process.
Remove the chicken from its packaging. Take out any giblets and trim off the excess skin around the cavity. If you like, render the trimmings; toss the giblets or save them for another recipe.
Cover the chicken with plastic wrap and allow it to reach room temperature, which will take about one to two hours. (Starting with a chicken at room temperature and cooking it in room temperature water ensures it cooks evenly, so don't skip this step!) While waiting, prep the other ingredients—I made khao man gai, so I sliced some ginger, chopped the head off a garlic bulb, and measured my salt and sugar.
Once the chicken is at room temperature, place it in a bowl (or colander) in the sink and sprinkle a handful of salt over it. Rub the salt all over, including the cavity, then rinse it well. This salt scrub might sound odd, but it helps remove any leftover skin debris, resulting in a clearer, tastier broth. (Skip this step if you're using a kosher chicken.)
Lower the chicken into the pot with the cavity facing up. First, fill the cavity with warm water, then add enough water to cover the chicken by a few inches (usually about a gallon). Check that the cavity is full and gently adjust the chicken so it rests breast side up.
Add your seasonings and cover the pot. Bring it to a full boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat and let it simmer gently for 25-30 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the chicken to steep in the broth, covered, for two to four hours. The long steeping results in tender, flavorful meat and a rich broth without the impurities from boiling the chicken.
Once the chicken has cooled to your preference, carefully remove it from the pot. I find it easiest to insert a long-handled spoon into the cavity, tilting it so you're looking down the neck instead of up the other end, then slowly lift the chicken out, using tongs or another spoon for extra support. This ensures that the liquid inside the cavity drains back into the pot.
Place the chicken on a cutting board to rest while you strain the broth. Use half of the poached chicken meat and as much broth as needed to prepare the rest of your meal. After dinner, pick the carcass clean and save everything: the meat for future meals, the skin, bones, and carcass for stock. If you're not in the mood to strain hot liquids, make the stock the next day.
Enjoy the fruits of your labor!
If you've never had poached chicken, you might be skeptical about what's on your plate—especially if you made khao man gai or red-cooked chicken, which showcase the poached meat. How can chicken cooked in water possibly be delicious, let alone indulgent?
As I mentioned earlier, the key is in the steeping process. Allowing the chicken to finish cooking in a covered pot of gradually cooling water infuses the broth with deep flavor, creating the ideal environment for tender, succulent meat. Poaching the chicken whole also guarantees that the carcass retains enough goodness for stock. This is why I prefer poaching chickens slowly on the stovetop instead of using my three-quart Instant Pot, which is too small to satisfy my broth cravings (although it does make excellent stock). Some things are worth waiting for, and poached chicken is definitely one of them; after a few meals made from its spoils, I think you'll agree.
