Kyl Haselbauer has 20 years of experience working in fine-dining and modernist kitchens, including Bar Cotto and Anchovies &amp; Olives in Seattle. He is also the owner of Bright Spot, a café and coffee shop in Seattle.

Kyl Haselbauer

Poached chicken often gets a bad rap for being dry, chalky, and boring. But that’s just because people tend to underseason and overcook poultry. Long ago, we took the guesswork out of cooking moist, flavorful chicken breast by using the precise temperature control of sous vide. But we recognize that not everyone has a Joule (even though they should), and that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be able to make perfectly poached chicken for using in salads, enchiladas, and more. So I’ve taken it upon myself to develop a classic stovetop poached chicken recipe that delivers the same results as sous vide; it just involves a little more attention on the cook’s part.
 
The basic principle for this method of poaching chicken in a pot of water on a range is the same as cooking sous vide: bring the water to the target doneness temperature for the chicken, and keep it there until the chicken reaches that same temperature. Doing this on your stovetop just means you will have to monitor the water temperature with an instant-read thermometer, and adjust the heat on your burner as needed throughout the cooking process (if you happen to have a snazzy Control Freak induction cooktop, this is a breeze).During recipe testing, I found that the ideal internal temperature for poached chicken is dependent on its intended use. For dishes that involve reheating the chicken after it’s poached, such as enchiladas, I like to pull the chicken out of the poaching liquid once it reaches [f 150] to give myself a little wiggle room without the risk of drying the meat out. But for something like chicken salad, that doesn’t involve any additional cooking, I found that an internal temperature of [f 155] is ideal. Either way, you’ll be rewarded with juicy, perfectly poached chicken.

Poached Chicken Breast