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Tag: curried chicken salad

  • A Busy Season Resource: Our Poached Chicken Links

    A barely shimmering pot of poaching chicken will always put a smile on Ed's face. He loves having a big bowl of poached chicken in the refrigerator. Back in 2011, we told you that we consider Poached Chicken a Cook's Treasure. We are going to be our own Friday Link today and direct you to some of the ways to enjoy this basic preparation.

    Ed doesn't enjoy cooking, but he'll slice some cooked chicken to top a salad. (He's the household salad maker.) And, he knows that this healthy protein can also be turned into some of his favorite dishes. 

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    Dishes like this Curried Chicken Salad. We don't use mayo, so we look for lighter ways to add moisture and flavor to salads. 

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    If you buy a good quality chicken, poach it carefully, and don't overcook it, you'll have nice, moist chicken meat when you finish. I usually pull it out a tad undercooked and let carryover cooking finish the job. You can use a fast read thermometer to be sure you've reached the food safe temperature.

    I learned to poach chicken years ago from a chef that hired me to do some design work for him. He treated our staff to a beautiful tray of sandwich makings one day while we worked on one of his projects. I was so impressed with the lovely, moist slices of chicken, that I asked him to teach me to make it, and he did.

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    Naturally, you can poach a chicken or two in stock and make a very rich chicken soup when the weather outside declares it Chicken Soup Week. 

    When I do that, I usually pull the chicken from the pot, strip off the meat, and return the bones to enrich the broth. Then, I'll strain the broth, reserve some for future use, and add fresh vegetables to the rest. When the carrots, celery, and onions are tender, I'll add back some of the chicken meat to complete the soup. 

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    This time of year, it really pays to spend one afternoon (preferably a rainy or snowy one) cooking to wind up with food in your refrigerator and freezer that will help get you through a busy week.  

    What's on your Food Lover's shopping list? Shop Amazon for all your kitchen & dining needs and support this site!

     

    Details:

    Words: Penny Cherubino
    Photos: ©2008-2014 Penny & Ed Cherubino 

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  • Poached Chicken is a Cook’s Treasure

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    Poached chicken is something you will often find in our refrigerator, especially when we're busy. It doesn't take long to poach a whole bird, chicken parts on the bone, or boneless chicken. You can poach it in water and aromatic vegetables. But for the bonus of a super rich chicken stock, start with a low-sodium chicken broth.

    Here are a link for learning how to poach a chicken. I use the Chinese White Chicken method.

    Perfect Steeped White Chicken

    Once cooked, you can turn the chicken and broth into chicken soup. Here's how we deal with that option. Variations on a Soup theme

    Of course, you or your household guests could turn sliced chicken into a wonderful array of chicken sandwiches. We recommend you grab a loaf of When Pigs Fly Bakery's "Savory Cranberry" bread, or as we call it, "Stuffing Bread." It tastes just like a favorite holiday bread stuffing and makes a great sandwich with some swiss cheese, chicken, and a dab of spicy cranberry chutney.

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    Then, there are salads. We're not mayo fans, so we turn our poached chicken into a Curried Chicken Salad with an oil and vinegar dressing. But, traditional chicken salad may be exactly what your family will welcome.

    And, from there, you can let your imagination fly. Stir fry some veggies and toss in the chicken to warm it. Heat up some pasta sauce and make a quick chicken sauce. 

    We even make poached chicken for our favorite pup when she's not feeling peckish and we need to tempt her with something special. She loves it.

    A heavy pot like a Le Creuset Enameled Cast-Iron French Oven is perfect for poaching chicken. 

     

    Details:
    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Photos: © 2011 Penny Cherubino