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.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

1. 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
2. Salt and Pepper
3. 1/2 a lemon
4. Dash of Paprika
5. 4 Tbsp Butter or Olive Oil
6. Fresh Parsley, Chopped

Instructions

Seasoning

1. Heat up the oven to 400 deg F.
2. Season breasts with salt, pepper, lemon juice and paprika

Poaching

1. In a heavy oven safe pan, heat the butter until it’s hot and stops bubbling.  Add the breasts to the pan and roll the breasts in the oil so that they get evenly coated.
2. Loosely cover the breasts with a piece of aluminum foil.
3. Cover the pan and put into oven for about 10 minutes or until the meat is springy when pressed.

Rolling the chicken in the oil prior to poaching

Serving

1. Serve them simply.  Put a sprinkle of parsley on top and then spoon over some of the pan sauce.  Serve with a bed of noodles, or white rice.  Accompany with asparagus or any green vegetable.
2. Or…. make a Chasseur!  Post to come later.