Anne Can Cook

The other day I discovered the greatest chicken secret of all time.
Poached Chicken.
I cannot believe I have never tried poached chicken before. I feel like the universe has been hiding something from me.
It is so incredibly easy. The recipe in Going Solo In The Kitchen calls for 2 cups chicken stock, some tarragon, celery, salt and pepper, and 1 whole chicken breast (skin on, bone in).
I did not have tarragon or celery, and the only chicken in my refrigerator is boneless, skinless breast. I decided to go for it anyway and I am so happy I did. Here is what I did:
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 cups chicken stock
2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme
1/2 cup of onions
Garlic powder, salt, and pepper to taste

Place chicken and stock in a pot and bring to a boil. Add thyme and onions. Simmer until cooked through. Season with garlic powder, salt, and pepper at your leisure. Remove from heat and let chicken cool while still immursed in the broth.

I probably simmered the chicken for 15-20 minutes. One of the nice things about this is that it's pretty much impossible to burn it.

I cheated and made instant mashed potatoes to go with this. They were the perfect side dish, but it would also be good with a different starch and maybe something like broccoli.

I served the chicken (to myself, ha ha) sliced. The cook book recommended spooning some of the broth over the chicken. I did that, but I think it would have been better if the broth was thicker. Luckily I had the potatoes to soak up all the wayward broth.

I also gave the whole meal a healthy dash of Shallot Pepper from Penzeys Spices, something I highly recommend.

This was so easy to make and very tasty. I intended to do this again with the thought that I can use leftovers as lunch meat.