The Oklahoman

For foolproof poached chicken, it’s in the bag

- BY AMERICA’S TEST KITCHEN For more recipes, cooking tips and ingredient and product reviews, go to https://www. americaste­stkitchen.com. Find more recipes like Foolproof Poached Chicken in “Sous Vide for Everybody.”

Poached chicken gets a bad rap for being tough, dry and a little squeaky between your teeth. But that’s probably because poaching is a relatively imprecise cooking method.

If your poaching water’s too hot, the meat overcooks; if you leave the meat in the water too long, it overcooks; if you use too little water, the meat — you guessed it — undercooks. There are a lot of variables when poaching chicken. Thankfully, cooking sous vide eliminates most of them.

For foolproof poached chicken, we cook chicken breasts at a moderate temperatur­e for about an hour, which results in a juicy, tender texture that’s just firm enough that it doesn’t fall apart. While this recipe is finished in an hour, you can hold the chicken in the bath for up to 3 hours before the texture starts to change — giving you some flexibilit­y.

This perfectly poached chicken is great on its own or sliced over salad. In addition, this method is a great starting point for experiment­ation and variation, so feel free to add spices, herbs or boldly flavored marinades to the bag (just don’t add fresh garlic; it is particular­ly susceptibl­e to botulism).

FOOLPROOF POACHED CHICKEN BREASTS

Servings: 4

Sous vide temperatur­e: 150 F

Sous vide time: 1 to 3 hours

Active cooking time: 25 minutes

4 8-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed Salt and pepper

¼ cup vegetable oil

Using sous vide circulator, bring water to 150 F in 7 quart container.

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Place chicken and oil in 1 gallon zipperlock freezer bag and toss to coat. Seal bag, pressing out as much air as possible. Gently lower bag into prepared water bath until chicken is fully submerged, and then clip top corner of bag to side of water bath container, allowing remaining air bubbles to rise to top of bag. Reopen 1 corner of zipper, release remaining air bubbles, and reseal bag. Cover and cook for at least 1 hour or up to 3 hours.

Transfer chicken to paper towel-lined plate and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Serve.

Variations

Foolproof Lemon-Thyme Poached Chicken: Combine 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon minced fresh thyme and 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest in bowl. Sprinkle chicken with salt

mixture. Nutrition informatio­n per serving: 395 calories; 174 calories from fat; 20 g fat (2 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 166 mg cholestero­l; 684 mg sodium; 1 g carbohydra­te; 0 g fiber; 0 g sugar; 51 g protein.

Foolproof Soy-Ginger Poached Chicken: Omit salt and pepper. Whisk ¼ cup soy sauce, ¼ cup sugar, 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger, 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil and ½ teaspoon white pepper together in bowl. Substitute soy sauce mixture for oil. Nutrition informatio­n per serving: 325 calories; 64 calories from fat; 7 g fat (1 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 166 mg cholestero­l; 1262 mg sodium; 11 g carbohydra­te; 0 g fiber; 10 g sugar; 52 g protein.

 ?? [PHOTO BY STEVE KLISE, AMERICA’S TEST KITCHEN/AP] ?? This recipe for Foolproof Poached Chicken Breasts appears in the cookbook “Sous Vide for Everybody.”
[PHOTO BY STEVE KLISE, AMERICA’S TEST KITCHEN/AP] This recipe for Foolproof Poached Chicken Breasts appears in the cookbook “Sous Vide for Everybody.”
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