Poached Chicken with Quinoa
This juicy, perfectly poached chicken breast is the best way to do meal prep!
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 45 mins
Serves: 3-4
Ingredients:
Poached Chicken
2 large Chicken Breasts
1 quart Water
1 tbsp Salt
½ tsp Peppercorns
1-2 Bay Leaves
1-2 sprigs fresh Cilantro
Quinoa
1 cup Qunioa
2 cups Water
2 tsp Salt
1 Bay Leaf
1 tbsp Garlic Oil
½ - 1 Lemon - juice only
Salt + Pepper to taste
Instructions:
Chicken. Start by filling a medium saucepan with water and placing it over medium high heat. Add salt, peppercorns, bay leaf, and cilantro to the pan.
The key to perfectly poached chicken is to salt the water! The salt in the water will penetrate the chicken while cooking, imparting flavor along with the other spices and herbs that you’ve chosen to use.
You also want to keep the temperature of the water at 160 degrees. Cooking chicken this way does take a little longer, but the lower temperature ensures that your chicken stays juicy while it acclimates to the 160 degree water.
Instead of flash boiling the outside, which gets dry, while the inside stays raw.
Once the water has come up to 160 degrees, add the chicken breast and reduce the heat to low, being sure to keep the water around 160 degrees, adjusting the flame as needed, and cook for about 30 minutes.
Periodically check the internal temperature of your chicken at the thickest part of the breast, and remove it when it comes up to 160 degrees. Place your chicken in a bowl, cover it with foil, and set aside for 5 minutes. This will help to keep the chicken moist while it comes up to temperature and finishes cooking, and cools off a bit. Once it’s cool enough to be handled, slice it up for serving.
Quinoa. Start by adding 1 cup of quinoa and 2 cups of water to a small saucepan. Next add 2 teaspoons of salt, a bay leaf, and whatever other dried herbs or spices you want to use, cover, and bring up to a boil over medium high heat. Once it's up to temperature, move to a smaller burner and heat, covered, over low heat for 25 minutes. When the timer goes off,
You can add more flavor to this pseudo-grain by adding a fat like olive oil, garlic oil, or some other flavored oil, and acid like lemon juice, some other citrus, vinegar, tabasco/hot sauce, even pepperoncini juice. Adding a pinch or even a handful of fresh herbs will really punch up the flavor as well. Finish with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve. I like to dish this up over a bed of baby spinach with chopped tomatoes and pickled radishes, and top with Aji Verde, which is a creamy and spicy peruvian sauce that you’ll want to put on everything!
NOTES:
Meal Prep Tips: Box up half of the meal prep up together and the other half separately for maximum flexibility.
Reheating Instructions: Microwave under a wet paper towel for 2-3 minutes.This will help to keep your chicken moist.
Thank you guys so much for trying this recipe! I’d love to know what you think. Let me know in the comments! Don't forget to tag me if you post a pic, I love to see your cooking!!
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