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How to Boil Chicken Breast: Full Guide

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When people think of cooking chicken, they usually believe of roasting, sauteeing, or rotisserie cooking on the barbecue. However, a lesser-known way of cooking chicken breast is to boil it! Wondering why it’s a good idea to boil chicken breast? And how to boil chicken breast? This cooking method has the primary advantage of keeping the chicken moist. It’s meat that tends to dry out quite quickly, and boiling is one way to prevent that from happening. Additionally, if you want to shred the chicken for salads or tacos, boiling is the best method to use – the chicken will come out easily shreddable with a fork if you’ve cooked it correctly. Lastly, boiling can also be a primary cooking method for chicken that’s finished another way – so you could boil the chicken breast to keep it moist and add flavour, then fry it in a frying pan to sear the outside, or to give it a deep-fried crust.

In addition, you can read – How to Boil Whole Chicken

how to boil chicken breast

Flavoring the water correctly is key when it comes to boiling chicken. Our recipe includes basic flavours from carrots, peppercorns, onions, and bay leaves, but feel free to get creative with your favourite vegetables and spices! Other things that work well with chicken include allspice and coriander. If the chicken is part of a more substantial meal, then you may decide to adjust the flavours in the water to suit your meal. For example, if the chicken is part of a stir-fry, try replacing the salt with soy sauce and the peppercorns with red pepper flakes. You could also add some ginger to the water to give it an extra kick! The flavours in the pot will infuse into the meat and flavour it, making it juicier and more flavorful than other methods of cooking. This method is particularly important when cooking chicken breast since it’s often dry and extremely mild meat that benefits from additional liquid and seasoning.

Contents

  • How to Boil Chicken Breast (Step by Step Instruction)
    • Step 1: Find a large saucepan that is capable of holding 4L of liquid
    • Step 2: Add onion and carrot to the water
    • Step 3: Add Black Peppercorns
    • Step 4: Bring water to a boil
    • Step 5: Uncover and add chicken and salt
    • Step 6: Cover, return to heat and boil again for 5 minutes
    • Step 7: Take the chicken out with a fork and turn out onto a plate.
  • How Long to Boil Chicken Breast
  • How to Boil Chicken Breast – Summary
    • Ingredients  
    • Instructions 
    • Notes

How to Boil Chicken Breast (Step by Step Instruction)

Step 1: Find a large saucepan that is capable of holding 4L of liquid

You’ll want to make sure the pot is large enough so that it won’t boil over. Pour 2.5L water into the pot – it’s best to use filtered water if you can, to avoid any bad flavors from tap water seeping into the meat.

water in a large saucepan

Step 2: Add onion and carrot to the water

Slice onion first to allow the flavour to seep into the water, and make sure the carrot is peeled and cut in half before adding it. You don’t need to slice them finely since you’ll discard them when they’re done. They’re just in the water to flavour the meat.

onion and carrot in the water

Step 3: Add Black Peppercorns

They don’t have to be ground; it’s fine to add them as is since the flavour will boil into the water. The same goes for the bay leaves; you can add them whole. If you’re adding more spices, you could consider a bouquet garni or put your spices in a bag, so there is less cleanup involved later.

add black peppercorns

Step 4: Bring water to a boil

The flavours from the peppercorns, bay leaves, and vegetables will begin to infuse into the water once it reaches a boiling point. When it does, you can take it off the heat to add the chicken.

bring water to a boil

Step 5: Uncover and add chicken and salt

It’s a good idea to add the chicken to boiling water rather than to lukewarm water so that it cooks evenly and quickly, and you’re able to have a more accurate sense of the cooking time. Although 1 tbsp of salt may seem like a lot, it will make the water just salty enough to flavour the chicken.

chicken breast

Step 6: Cover, return to heat and boil again for 5 minutes

Then leave in broth covered for 30 minutes. This will allow the chicken to finish cooking and absorbing the flavours of the additional ingredients in the water.

boiled water in the saucepan

Step 7: Take the chicken out with a fork and turn out onto a plate.

When you cut it, it should be uniform in appearance all the way through with no pink spots. After it has done boiling, you can eat it as is, shred it, or use another method to add texture and flavour to the outside, such as grilling, frying, or broiling.

chicken breast on a plate

How Long to Boil Chicken Breast

Chicken breast should be cooked for 30 minutes, but you don’t need to boil it continuously for that long! You only need to boil it for 5 minutes – then you can leave it covered for 30 minutes, either on low or off the heat.

Below is a table which offers suggested seasonings for different meal types:

Meal OptionStir FryBarbecuePasta
VegetablesGreen onion, carrotOnion, carrotShallots, tomatoes
SeasoningRed pepper flakes, gingerChili powder, paprikaGarlic, rosemary
Condiments to add to waterSoy sauce, fish sauceBeer, barbecue saucePesto, white wine, olive oil
how to boil chicken breast

How to Boil Chicken Breast - Summary

Vera Stetsenko
Slice and peel onion and carrot - cut them in half. Add onion, carrot, peppercorns, and bay leaves to 2.5 L of filtered water. Bring to a boil, then add chicken and salt. Boil for another 5 minutes, then leave the chicken in the broth, covered, for another 30 minutes.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 35 minutes mins
Total Time 45 minutes mins
Course main dish
Cuisine all
Calories 228 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • Water 2.5l
  • 1 Onion
  • 1 Carrot
  • ½ tsp Black Peppercorns
  • 2 Bay Leaves
  • 1 kg Chicken Breast
  • Salt 1 tbsp

Instructions
 

  • Find a large saucepan that is capable of holding 4L of liquid
  • Add onion and carrot to the water
  • Add Black Peppercorns
  • Bring water to a boil
  • Uncover and add chicken and salt
  • Cover, return to heat and boil again for 5 minutes
  • Take the chicken out with a fork and turn out onto a plate

Notes

Useful Tips:
  • If you’re unsure about whether or not the chicken is fully cooked, use a thermometer - the safe internal temperature for chicken is 165 degrees Fahrenheit or 75 degrees Celsius
  • Experiment with other vegetables if there are flavours you like! For example, you can add green onion to the pot after you’ve boiled the chicken to let the flavour seep in, or any of your favourite spices, such as paprika or coriander. You can also experiment with flavouring the water with different liquids, such as Worcestershire sauce or Tabasco.
  • If you want an extra flavour kick, try using a bouliion cube instead of salt. This will up the chicken flavour and salt the water perfectly in the process! Just make sure you add enough bullion for the water to be good and salty, as though it were chicken soup.
  • If you’re adding the chicken to another dish, it may be a good idea to finish off the cooking process with a second cooking method such as pan frying to give the chicken more texture.

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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.
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