Content

• Part 2 of 3: Cooking Chicken Breast
• Part 3 of 3: Serving and Slicing the Chicken Breast
• Tips
• Warnings
• What do you need

1 Do not wash chicken breasts before boiling. You may be accustomed to washing chicken before cooking, but doing so can spread harmful bacteria around the kitchen. When washing chicken, water splashes around, and as a result, bacteria can spread to the sink, table, your hands and clothes. It is best not to wash the chicken to avoid food poisoning.

• Raw chicken can contain harmful bacteria, such as salmonella, which are tiny enough to make you sick, so don't risk it.

2 Cut the meat in half, quarters, or cubes to cook faster. Although you can do without it, it will greatly reduce the cooking time. Cut the chicken breast into smaller pieces using a sharp knife. The pieces can be of any size, depending on what kind of dish you are preparing.

• If you are going to chop the chicken breast later, do not chop it into too small pieces, as it will be more difficult for you to chop them later. It makes sense to cut the meat into very small pieces if you are going to add it to a salad or filling.
• Use a cutting board specifically designed for meat to reduce the risk of contaminating other foods. Harmful bacteria such as salmonella can remain on the board even if you wash it. If you then cut vegetables on this board, salmonella can get on them.

Did you know? Larger pieces of chicken can take up to 30 minutes to cook, while smaller pieces will be ready in 10 minutes.

3 Place the meat in a medium to large saucepan. Place the chicken in a saucepan first, and then cover it with water or stock. Spread the meat on the bottom of the pot in one layer.

• If the meat cannot be spread out in one layer, it is better to use a larger saucepan. Otherwise, the chicken may not cook well.

4 Cover the chicken with water or broth. Pour water or stock into a saucepan. Take your time and be careful not to spill liquid. Pour in just enough water to completely cover the meat.

• If the water boils away, you can top up if necessary.
• Remember that splashing water or broth can spread harmful bacteria such as salmonella.
• You can use chicken or vegetable broth.

5 Add spices, herbs, or chopped vegetables to the pot, if desired. Although you can do without it, seasoning will make the meat more flavorful and tasty. Add at least salt and pepper to the water. It is best to add dried herbs such as Italian or Jamaican spice mix, or rosemary. For a really flavorful meat, chop the onions, carrots and celery and place them in water.

• After you've cooked the chicken breast, you can save the resulting broth for other dishes if you like. For example, it is perfect for soup.
• If vegetables come out of the water, add some more water to completely cover the meat and vegetables.

6 Cover the pot with a lid. Use a lid that fits snugly over the pot. The lid will keep the steam inside the pot and cook the meat faster.

• If you need to remove the lid, use a towel or oven mitts to avoid scalding. Also, do not lean low over the pot so the hot steam does not burn your face.

Part 2 of 3: Cooking Chicken Breast

1. 1 Bring water or broth to a simmer over medium to high heat. Place the pot on the stove and turn on medium to high heat. Watch the pan until the water starts to boil (this will happen after a few minutes). In this case, bubbles will appear on the surface of the water, and water will begin to condense on the lid.
   • Do not let the water or broth boil vigorously for long periods of time, or too much liquid will evaporate. Stay in the pot to reduce the heat as soon as the water starts to boil.
2. 2 Reduce heat to simmer the water. After that, the chicken will continue to cook. Turn the heat on low and watch the pan for a few minutes to make sure the water or broth continues to simmer.
   • Do not leave the pot unattended, even when the water is boiling slightly. Otherwise, the water can start boiling again and evaporate strongly.
3. 3 After 10 minutes, check the chicken breasts with a meat thermometer. Remove the lid from the pot. Remove one piece of meat from the edge of the pot. Insert a meat thermometer into the center of the piece and measure the temperature. If it is below 75 ° C, put the piece back, cover the pan with a lid and continue cooking the meat.
   • If you don't have a meat thermometer, cut a piece of meat in half to see if it's pink in the middle. While this method is less accurate than using a meat thermometer, it can help you gauge if the chicken is cooked.
   • Chances are, large cuts of meat will not be ready yet. However, smaller pieces (or quartered breasts) may already be cooked.

   Advice: If you overcook the chicken, it will become "rubbery" and unpleasant to chew, so it's best to check if the meat is cooked even if you think it hasn't cooked yet.

   
   
4. 4 Continue cooking the chicken until the middle temperature reaches 75 ° C. If the meat is not ready after 10 minutes, continue to cook it. Check every 5-10 minutes to see if the chicken is cooked. The duration of heat treatment depends on the size of the pieces:
   • Whole chicken breasts with skin and bones should be cooked for about 30 minutes;
   • chicken breasts without skin and bones must be boiled for 20-25 minutes, and if you cut them in half, then 15-20 minutes;
   • chicken breasts cut into 5 cm pieces without skin or bones should be cooked for about 10 minutes.

   Advice: when the meat is done, it will no longer be pink in the middle.

5. 5 Remove the pot from the stove. Turn off the heat and use a towel or oven mitts to grab the pan to avoid scalding. Transfer the pot to a cold hotplate or rack.
   • Be careful with the hot pot to avoid scalding.

Part 3 of 3: Serving and Slicing the Chicken Breast

1. 1 Drain the water from the pot. Slowly pour the water or stock into a colander. Be careful not to splash water. The meat and vegetables you added for flavor will remain in the colander for easy access. After draining the water, place the colander on a clean table and remove the meat and vegetables.
   • If you want to save the stock for later use in other dishes, place the colander in a clean bowl so that the liquid collects in it. Then you can put the broth in the refrigerator or freezer.
   • If you've used vegetables for seasoning, throw them in the compost or trash can.

   Option: You can also use a fork, slotted spoon, or tongs to remove the pieces of meat.

   
   
2. 2 Transfer the chicken breasts to a plate. Use a fork to transfer the chicken breasts from a colander to a plate. Be careful not to touch the meat with your hands, as it is very hot.
   • If you wish, you can transfer the meat back to the empty saucepan. For example, you might want to grind the chicken in a saucepan if you're going to add sauce. This way you can reheat the sauce in the same saucepan in which you cooked the meat.
3. 3 Wait 10 minutes before using chicken. During this time, the meat will have time to cool down a little. Set a timer to keep track of the time. After that, you can serve or grind the meat.
   • If you're going to add sauce, you can do so at this stage, but don't touch the meat. However, do not reheat the sauce until the chicken has cooled for 10 minutes, or it may overcook and become "rubbery."
4. 4 Serve the chicken breasts whole or cut into pieces. After the chicken has cooled down, you can serve it however you like. Chicken breasts can be eaten whole or cut into slices.
   • If desired, you can season the meat with spices or sauce. For example, you can sprinkle chicken breasts with kebab sauce or stir in mango salsa.

   Advice: You can add boiled chicken to salads, fried vegetables, or tortilla filling.

5. 5 Chop the chicken with two forks if you are going to use it as a filling. Take a fork in each hand and cut the meat into small pieces. Continue ripping apart the chicken until you have chopped it up to your liking. Then add the meat to the dish.
   • You can also chop the chicken with a knife, if that's more convenient for you.

Tips

• If you are using frozen chicken breasts, it is best to defrost them in the refrigerator for 9 hours before cooking. You can also use the microwave defrost setting.
• If you boil the chicken in water without any spices, it can taste bland. Consider adding vegetables or broth to the pot and seasoning the meat with sauce and spices.

Warnings

• Be sure to wash your hands before and after cooking chicken to avoid salmonella. Also wash all knives, forks, plates, and surfaces that have come into contact with raw chicken.
• Chicken can be stored safely in the refrigerator for up to two days. If you are not going to eat meat during this time, store it in the freezer.

What do you need

• Pan
• Water
• Broth (optional)
• Cutting board
• Chicken breasts
• Spices (optional)
• Chopped vegetables (optional)