Curried Tomato Poached Chicken

For the longest time I thought poached chicken was disgusting. I think it came from it having a bad rap and being associated with plain boiled chicken. But in reality, poaching chicken is a fantastic way to keep a chicken breast moist, tender and flavorful! When cooked in a delicious sauce like this curried coconut sauce, it results in a great dish!

Key Ingredients and Substitutions:

• Bell Peppers – It is important to have flavorful ingredients in the liquid for poaching. I love using bell peppers in this recipe because it goes great with the curry and tomatoes. You can also substitute for onions.

• Grape Tomatoes – These are the perfect tomatoes to use in this recipe because they are small, cook well and are flavorful. You can use any tomato you like however! I also like using canned chopped tomatoes here too.
• Garlic and Ginger – Make sure to mince or finely grate these ingredients. They are great for flavor in this poaching liquid! Omit if you don’t like one of these.
• Curry Powder, Coriander, Turmeric – These three spices are the ones used for this recipe and are super flavorful. If you don’t like one of these, just omit.
• Coconut Milk – Make sure you use full fat coconut milk for the best texture. You can also use heavy cream instead of coconut milk.
• Chicken Stock – This is used in pair with coconut milk to poach the chicken. You can use any stock here instead of chicken, or use all coconut milk for a richer dish.
• Chicken Breast – Chicken breast is the star of this show! Rare for me I know, I am usually a thigh fan. Breast is perfect for poaching because it is lean and cooks quickly. You can also use lean fish like cod or salmon here as well! If you want to use thighs, you can, however the cooking time will be much longer.

Tips for Poaching:

• Use lean proteins to poach. Poaching is great for quick cooking and keeping lean proteins moist.
• Cook on low temperature, you want it to barely be bubbling. This will keep the protein tender.
• Use the cooking liquid to make a sauce after the protein is done cooking. Do this by reducing to thicken, or thicken with an arrowroot or cornstarch slurry.
• Only cook small portions of food. Larger portions (like a whole chicken) would take far too long to cook for this method. Poaching is perfect for individual portions.
• Cover with a lid while cooking so the liquid doesn’t over reduce, and the steam will help cook the protein and keep it moist.