How to Boil Chicken

The thought of boiled chicken isn’t particularly appetising. Of all the ways to cook chicken, boiling it has got to be one of the worst, right? Well, it comes down to how you use it. There are actually some benefits. Here’s how to boil chicken (and how to use it).

Ultimately, when boiling chicken you’ll actually end up poaching it. If you were to boil it for the entire cooking time, you’d end up with tough, chewy and rubbery chicken – especially when doing so with breasts.

Instead, you want to pop the chicken into boiling water then turn it down to a simmer to poach and cook through. You can then slice it for sandwiches, shred it for pies and stews, or eat it whole.

What You’ll Need to Boil Chicken

Although you could just pop a chicken breast into boiling water and wait for it to cook, it won’t be particularly exciting. Instead, there are a few aromatics you’ll want to include. These quantities are for serving 4 people:

• 4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts: If you’re serving 4 people with whole chicken breasts, then you’ll need 1 each. If you shred it, however, 4 breasts will serve up to 8 people.
• 2l Water: Approximately 2 litres of water will be enough to cook this chicken. The critical thing to remember is that the chicken should be fully submerged.
• 1 tbsp Salt: The water will make its way into the flesh of the chicken. If you season the water with a bit of salt, then you’ll season the chicken throughout.
• 1 Bay Leaf: I love bay leaves! For something so small, they impart so much flavour. You’ll only need 1 leaf here.
• 1 Onion, 1 Carrot, 1 Celery Stalk: Onion, carrot and celery are great flavour aromatics for the resultant stock. You just need to rough chop these.
• 3 Garlic Cloves: Garlic is another essential aromatic to include in the water. Just smash 3 garlic cloves with the palm of your hand.
• 8 Black Peppercorns: Whole peppercorns will infuse the stock with a subtle pepperiness, which will in turn flavour the chicken.
• 1 Sprig of Rosemary: Like the pepper, rosemary will slowly infuse flavour into the stock and then into your chicken.

How to Boil Chicken Breasts

For this boiled chicken recipe, you’ll need a large pot, big enough to fit all the ingredients, with space for the water to bubble up and, ideally, a meat thermometer.

1. Prepare the Water
   Add the water, salt, bay leaf, onion, smashed garlic, peppercorns, carrot, celery and rosemary. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.

2. Adding Chicken
   Slowly place the chicken into the water, ensuring they are fully submerged. You may need to rearrange them slightly to get them under the way.

3. Boiling
   Reduce the heat to medium-low, allowing the water to simmer gently. Partially cover the pot with a lid. Let the chicken simmer for about 20-25 minutes. The chicken is done when its internal temperature reaches 75°C – when a meat probe is handy.

4. Serving
   Once cooked, carefully remove the chicken breasts from the pot and place them on a plate. You can slice, dice, or shred the chicken or serve them whole.

5. Bonus: Save the Broth
   Don’t discard the cooking liquid! Strain it to remove solids, and you have a tasty light chicken broth that can be used in the base of soups and stews.

This is how to boil chicken breasts. The same method can be used for boiling other cuts of chicken. You will, of course, need to adjust the cooking time accordingly.

Chicken Cut	Time
Boneless Chicken Breasts	20-25 minutes
Boneless Chicken Thighs	15-20 minutes
Whole Chicken	60-90 minutes
Chicken Thighs	25-30 minutes
Chicken Legs	30-35 minutes
Chicken Drumsticks	25-30 minutes
Chicken Wings	15-20 minutes

According to the UK Food Standards Agency, you should cook chicken until the internal temperature reaches 75°C. Use the timings above as a guideline, but always check the temperature with a meat probe.

Tips for Boiling Chicken Template

The method above is pretty foolproof, but I do have some more tips and tricks you may want to follow to guarantee you end up with delicious, moist chicken.

• Skim the Foam: As chicken boils, impurities can rise to the surface and create foam. Skim this off with a spoon for a clearer broth and better flavour.
• Let It Sit: Once you’ve finished boiling the chicken, turn the heat off but let the chicken sit in the pot for 10 to 15 minutes. The chicken will continue to take on all the flavour from the broth.
• Use Bone-In Pieces: While boneless cuts are quicker to cook, bone-in chicken pieces often yield more flavour, especially if you’re aiming to make a broth or stock.
• Stick to Woody Herbs: Soft, fresh herbs, such as basil or parsley, will wilt and turn to mush by the time the chicken has cooked. Use fresh herbs to garnish the chicken but woody herbs to infuse the liquid.
• Save the Broth: The poaching liquid left after boiling chicken is a basic chicken broth. Strain it, let it cool, and store it in the fridge or freezer in an airtight container for future use in soups and stews.
• Even Pieces: If using chicken pieces, ensure they’re roughly the same size. This ensures even cooking. If you have a mix of large and small pieces, consider starting the larger ones first and adding the smaller ones later.
• Versatility: Boiled chicken is a blank canvas. You can cover it in sauce. Add it to salads. Make chicken tacos. Stir it into pasta. Use it as a sandwich filling.