Some of you may have noticed that I’m increasingly cooking variations off a common theme.  For example, I made Piperade and then used it in two very different dishes (Sauteed chicken and omelettes).  I like this method of cooking because it helps me break down recipes into smaller pieces, thus taking what seems like a complicated process and making it much more straightforward.  Also, because I cook daily, it lets me reuse the same ingredients in several interesting ways.  Hopefully you find this helpful and interesting – I highly recommend it.

On to the recipe.  Chicken breasts have a tendency to be tough and dry.  I often find that I ruin a nice piece of chicken by overcooking it, which is surprisingly easy to do.   Poaching, the process of letting the chicken simmer in butter and its own juices, avoids that problem.  Further, this method provides a nice little sauce that can be poured over the chicken or combined with vegetables.

There are many different ways to poach chicken.  Some involve chicken stock, water, and large casserole dishes.  I have not tried any of these methods, because this method is simpler and produces great results.

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