A very good and healthy method of cooking all types of poultry and meat is by poaching as no oil or fat is required. When skinless chicken breast is grilled or roasted, the resulting meat tends to turn quite dry and stringy. Poaching gives juicy, succulent, and flavorsome meat, that can be used as filling for sandwiches, in salads or any other recipe. You can use plain water as well as wine, chicken stock, coconut milk or any other liquid for preparing it. Basic Poached Chicken Breast Recipe Ingredients

• 1 chicken breast, boneless
• 4 cups, water
• 2 tablespoons, coarse sea salt
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons, dried thyme
• 1-inch piece of ginger

Method Place a medium-sized pan with a heavy bottom in medium heat and put the chicken breast in. Add the water, sea salt, bay leaf, and sliced fresh ginger in the pan. Let the water come to a boil and cook the chicken for around 8-10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and cover it with a lid. Allow the meat to rest in the liquid for 15-20 minutes. To check if it is done, take the chicken out from the pan and poke it slightly with your finger. If it is soft and yielding, then it is ready and you can use it for your recipe. Chicken Breast Poached in White Wine Ingredients

• 4 skinless chicken breast
• 2 medium carrots
• 2 cups, dry white wine
• 1½ cups, chicken stock
• 2 celery stalks
• 2 small onions
• 1 tablespoon, dried tarragon
• 1 tablespoon, dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons, flour

Method Chop the celery stalk, carrots, and the onions into small pieces and put them in a heavy bottomed pan. Add the chicken stock, white wine, bay leaf, dried thyme, and tarragon and bring it to a boil. Add the chicken breast into this liquid, cover the pan and let it simmer in low heat for 15-20 minutes. Remove the poached meat from the pan and wrap them in an aluminum foil and let it rest for some minutes. Meanwhile add seasoning to the poaching liquid and reduce it to make a sauce. Remove ½ cup of poaching liquid into a small bowl and add the flour and whisk until it is smooth. Add this back to the pan and stir until the sauce thickens. Place the chicken on individual plates and spoon over some of the sauce over it with a ladle. Serve this with a sprinkling of chopped chives. Butter Poached Chicken Breast Ingredients

• 4 boneless chicken breast, cut in half
• 1 teaspoon, salt
• 1 ½ teaspoons, freshly ground black pepper
• 6 tablespoons, plain unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons, lemon zest
• ½ teaspoon, paprika
• Juice of half a lemon

Method Preheat the oven to 350 ºF and rub the chicken thoroughly with salt, lemon zest, freshly ground black pepper, lemon juice, and paprika. In a large roasting tin heat up the butter until it starts bubbling. Add the chicken into this and with the help of a spoon coat it evenly in the butter. Cover the roasting tin with aluminum foil and bake it in the oven for 10-15 minutes until the chicken is tender. Serve the it in a plate accompanied by steamed asparagus and mashed potatoes. Chicken Breast Poached in Oven Ingredients

• 2 chicken breast
• 2 cups, chicken stock
• 4 cups, water
• 1 lemon, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons, black peppercorns
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon, coarse sea salt

Method In a medium-sized pot, heat the chicken stock and the water and let it simmer over low heat. In a roasting pan, place the boneless chicken breast and layer it with thinly sliced lemon, bay leaves, and black peppercorns. Now, ladle the simmering hot liquid over the chicken, making sure that the chicken is fully submerged. Cover the pan tightly with an aluminum foil and place it in the oven at 350 ºC for 25-30 minutes. Once the chicken is fully cooked, remove from the pan and transfer to a plate to let it cool.