Poaching Chicken? Size...

[TheAlfheim]

Hi All,

In a cookbook I recently purchased, there's a simple recipe for poached chicken which is something Ive never tried. It seems simple enough, but I have a question around the pot used.

In the recipe, it says you should use a pot which fits the chicken "comfortably". I'm not entirely sure what the author means by this. However, a quick look at my available pots tells me I have one that will fit a whole chicken. I use it as a pasta pot, and its quite tall. I suspect it wont fit a whole chicken, width-wise, easily (plenty of height though).

Does it matter, when cooking poached chicken, if the chicken touches the side of the pot?

Any thoughts would be appreciated!

Thanks...

 

[PrincessFiona60]

It may cook to the sides of the pot. If you are poaching it for the broth and then pulling the meat off for another use, it shouldn't matter.

 

[Zhizara]

Why would you want to poach the chicken whole? If you are going to have to cut it up anyway, why not cut it up first and you can stir while cooking to keep it from sticking. Also, you would have more of the meat exposed to the poaching liquid.

 

[Andy M.]

The chicken should fit comfortably so the poaching liquid can circulate around all parts of the chicken. If the chicken touches a spot on the side, it's probably not an issue. If you have to jam the chicken into the pot, that would be an issue.

 

[Kayelle]

Why would you want to poach the chicken whole? If you are going to have to cut it up anyway, why not cut it up first and you can stir while cooking to keep it from sticking. Also, you would have more of the meat exposed to the poaching liquid.

I agree with Zhizara.
Besides, who cares if the chicken is "comfortable"?

 

[Zhizara]

Thanks, Kayelle. I hope I didn't sound snotty about it, I had just gotten up and my back was screaming, but I read it over and couldn't think of a way to make it sound better.

It isn't as if it were going to look pretty by doing it that way.

Mom and I often did it in a pasta pot just to have both kinds of meat (light and dark) after stripping, plus killer stock. Now that I think of it, by having the right size pot to cook it whole, saves the time and effort of cutting it up.

 

[Uncle Bob]

Your pasta pot sounds perfect....Simmer ever so S-L-O-W-L-Y


Have Fun & Enjoy!