• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

How-to-Boil.com

Cooking guide

  • Vegetables
  • Meat
  • Cereals
  • Fish and Seafood
  • Pasta
  • Other

How to Boil Chicken: 12 Easy Steps

  • Total7
  • Facebook0
  • Twitter1
  • Pinterest2
  • LinkedIn1

When most people think of cooking a whole chicken, they often think of methods such as rotisserie, baking, and slow cooking. But did you know that you can also boil a chicken whole? Although you may need to do some extra work to get a crackly chicken skin afterward, boiling a whole chicken has the advantage of producing a great chicken broth in addition to tender meat. Wondering how to boil chicken? Here’s your guide!

how to boil chicken

We also have a few articles that may be useful for you:

  • How to Boil Chicken Breast

  • How to Boil Chicken Thighs

  • How to Boil Chicken Legs

  • How to Boil Chicken Wings

This recipe calls for a thawed chicken, so if you buy your chicken frozen, make sure you take time to thaw it either in the fridge or in a bath of warm water before you boil it. Thawing on the counter can be risky since it has the potential to leave the chicken meat at an unsafe temperature for long enough that bacteria can start to spread. Food safety is especially important with chicken in order to avoid the risk of salmonella.

Boiling chicken with the bone in makes for a flavourful broth that’s great to save for soups and other recipes. The water will develop an oily surface after the chicken cooks, but this fat can either be skimmed off, left in to flavour the broth, or brushed back onto the chicken so as to crisp the skin. It’s up to you! Boiling chicken can also be an excellent way to make use of the whole bird at once instead of cooking it and then using the bones for soup at another time. This way, the additional step of making broth is already done, and you can discard the bones knowing that you haven’t wasted them.

Contents

  • How to Boil Chicken (Step-by-Step Instructions)
    • Step 1
    • Step 2
    • Step 3
    • Step 4
    • Step 5
    • Step 6
    • Step 7
    • Step 8
    • Step 9
    • Step 10
    • Step 11
    • Step 12
  • How Long to Boil Chicken
  • Recipe: How to Boil Chicken
    • Ingredients  
    • Instructions 
    • Notes

How to Boil Chicken (Step-by-Step Instructions)

Step 1

You’ll need a large saucepan that’s able to hold at least 6L of liquid, and that is wide enough to fit the chicken plus the other ingredients. Start by pouring 3L of water into the pot, and make sure it has a lid that fits. Bring the water to a boil.

water into the pot

Step 2

Add the whole chicken to the pot, along with a whole onion.

whole chicken in the pot

Step 3

Add one carrot to the pot – it’s easier to fit in if you cut it in half, but it’s just there to flavour the meat so there’s no need to cut it into bite-sized pieces unless you want to make soup afterward!

carrot in the pot

Step 4

Add half a teaspoon of black peppercorns. You can also use white peppercorns or chili pepper flakes, depending on which spice you prefer.

half a teaspoon of black peppercorns

Step 5

Add two bay leaves – if you don’t like bay leaves, you can also add rosemary or thyme leaves, or both!

two bay leaves

Step 6

Bring the ingredients to a boil, then take the pot off the heat again.

boil whole chicken

Step 7

Using a small, fine sieve, fish out any pieces of cartilage which have detached and floated to the surface.

fish out any pieces of cartilage

Step 8

Add one tablespoon of salt – it may seem like a lot, but remember that you’re salting the whole chicken as well as the water! The salted water will seep into the meat as it cooks, salting it evenly.

one tablespoon of salt

Step 9

Put the lid back on the pot, and boil the chicken, vegetables, and spices for about 1 hour.

boil the chicken,

Step 10

When it’s done, take the pot off the heat, but leave the chicken in the broth for about 10 minutes.

chicken in the broth

Step 11

Afterward, remove the chicken from the pot with a wide, slotted spoon.

remove the chicken from the pot

Step 12

Your boiled chicken is done! To be sure, it’s best to check it with a meat thermometer – it should read 165 degrees when inserted into the thigh. From here, you can eat it as is, shred it for sandwiches or tacos, or put it under the broiler with some of the fat from the water brushed over it to make the skin crispy.

boiled chicken

How Long to Boil Chicken

Cooking times for a whole chicken may vary greatly since larger chickens will need a longer time to cook. Whole chickens can be vastly different sizes; organic chickens, for example, tend to be much smaller than their non-organic counterparts. In general, an hour to an hour and a half is a good length of time to boil chicken for. However, you may want to check with a meat thermometer to make sure it’s done.

how to boil chicken

Recipe: How to Boil Chicken

Vera Stetsenko
In short, fill a pot with three litres of water and boil it before then adding the chicken and vegetables. Bring to a boil and fish out any cartilage floating on top, add salt, and then return the chicken to the heat for another hour or until thoroughly cooked. When it’s done, leave it to soak in the broth for 10 minutes before removing with a slotted spoon. A meat thermometer inserted into the thigh should read 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 1 hour hr
Total Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins
Course main dish
Cuisine all
Calories 170 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 3 L Water
  • 1 whole chicken
  • 1 onion
  • 1 carrot
  • ½ tsp black peppercorns
  • 2 bay leaves

Instructions
 

  • Start by pouring 3L of water into the pot
  • Add the whole chicken to the pot, along with a whole onion
  • Add one carrot to the pot
  • Add half a teaspoon of black peppercorns
  • Add two bay leaves
  • Bring the ingredients to a boil, then take the pot off the heat again
  • Fish out any pieces of cartilage which have detached and floated to the surface
  • Add one tablespoon of salt
  • Put the lid back on the pot, and boil the chicken, vegetables, and spices for about 1 hour
  • Take the pot off the heat, but leave the chicken in the broth for about 10 minutes
  • Remove the chicken from the pot with a wide, slotted spoon
  • Your boiled chicken is done

Notes

  • Remember that you can always swap out the vegetables in this recipe for different ones if you prefer different flavours or would like a specific flavour of broth
  • Fully cooked chicken should be 165 degrees Fahrenheit on a meat thermometer - if you’re unsure whether or not it’s cooked thoroughly, it’s worthwhile to have a meat thermometer to be sure
  • Chicken which has been boiled will shred easily, making it perfect for salads and tacos - but it’s also good for other applications too. For best results, it’s good to have a meal plan in advance before you boil your chicken so that you can flavour it accordingly
  • You can make a gravy for the chicken by skimming off the fat and some of the water and putting it into a small saucepan, adding flour to thicken it. You can also add butter for extra flavour. For peppercorn sauce, use the same method, but add peppercorns and cream.

Other Recipes You May Like:

  • how to make french bread
    How to Make French Bread: 9 Easy Steps
  • poached eggs
    How to Boil Poached Eggs
  • boil hot dogs
    How to Boil Hot Dogs
Previous Post: « How to Boil Mushrooms
Next Post: How to Boil Rice Perfectly: 5 Easy Steps »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Welcome to my food blog!

VeraHi! I’m Vera Stetsenko. Easy-to-prepare and time-saving, how-to-boil recipes will rediscover taste in boiled food that will upgrade your daily meals or special dinners.
Learn more…

  • Instagram
  • Follow me on Pinterest
  • YouTube

Featured Posts

boil duck

How to Boil Duck in 5 Easy Steps

boil hot dogs

How to Boil Hot Dogs

lasagna recipe

Easy Lasagna Recipe with Bechamel Sauce

lobster

How to Boil Lobster: A Quick 4-Part Learning Journey

turkey necks

How to Boil Turkey Necks: 6 Steps (with Pictures)

Copyright © 2025 · How-to-Boil.com · All Rights Reserved · About us· Terms of Service· Disclosure· Privacy Policy· Contact