Today we’re channeling Julia Child for this easy weeknight dinner! Poached chicken is simple to make. All you need is white wine, chicken broth, and plenty of fresh herbs and veggies. Poaching creates a juicy and tender chicken breast that pairs well with steamed rice.
This post is sponsored by Sanderson Farms. All opinions are my own, thanks for supporting brands that make Zen & Spice possible!
You know those recipes that make your kitchen smell amazing? This is one of those recipes. There’s something about the smell of simmering carrots, onion, chicken broth and wine that makes a home feel cozy and warm. A warm chicken dinner is filling, comforting and satisfying! This recipe is modified from Julia Child’s classic poached chicken recipe– the queen of classic recipes.
Today’s recipe highlights a new brand that I’ve begun working with– Sanderson Farms! They’re a natural chicken brand and I’m excited to share them with you. Sanderson Farms sells 100% natural chicken, with no additives like carrageenan or salt water to plump. They’re also never frozen and are farm to market fresh. It’s really important to me that the meat we choose to buy is humane, and Sanderson Farms chicken is from a cage free environment. Not many chicken brands can say these things about their product!
I worked in a heart failure clinic at a heart hospital here in Dallas for three years, counseling patients about sodium intake. One of the biggest surprise sources of sodium was chicken! My patients thought they were doing a good thing by eating chicken breast as their protein of choice, until they realized that most brands of chicken are pumped full of sodium, water and carrageenan (sourced from seaweed). Sanderson Farms chicken only has 45mg of sodium per serving, compared to the average 360mg from other brands! Such a huge difference.
Not only does the added salt and water affect your health, it affects your pocketbook. You’re paying for the added salt, broth and water when you buy other brands of chicken. With Sanderson Farms, you’re getting the best bang for your buck!
So, back to this delicious chicken dinner! Poaching is a form of moist-heat cooking, by submerging the food in liquid such as water, stock or wine. In this case, Julia recommends an almost equal ratio of broth to wine. Poaching includes using a low temperature simmer (160-180F) so it’s better for delicate food like eggs, chicken and fish, which could fall apart or dry up using other cooking methods.
The poaching liquid also typically includes aromatics such as mirepoix (carrots, onions, celery) and bouquet garni (a bundle of herbs tied with string). For simplifying reasons (and the fact that I don’t have kitchen twine at the moment) I just threw the thyme and parsley into the broth and let it simmer.
Here’s the simple recipe!
- 1.5 tbsp olive oil
- 1.5 tbsp salted butter
- 1lb carrots, round cut
- 4 celery stalks, diced
- 1 medium yellow onion, sliced
- 2.5 lb chicken breast
- 1.5 cup white wine (chardonnay)
- 1.5 cup chicken broth
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 4 sprigs parsley
- White rice, for serving (1 cup per person)
- Heat butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add veggies. Cook for 10 minutes until soft.
- Salt chicken. Add chicken to veggies, and arrange the veggies over the chicken.
- Add wine and chicken broth to barely cover chicken. Add thyme and parsley.
- Cover and cook on low (barely simmering) for 15-20 minutes, until chicken has reached 165 degrees internally.
- Meanwhile cook white rice (I used my Instapot so the rice would be done in 10 minutes).
- When the chicken is done, slice the breasts into pieces and top the white rice in a bowl. Spoon veggies around the chicken. Bon appetite!
this dish sounds so flavorful yet delicate. Love poaching to keep that moisture in!