How to Boil Chicken: the light recipe for making boiled chicken

Boiled chicken is a tasty yet light main course, perfect for those who want a nutritious and healthy meal. Serve it with a seasonal salad or with the vegetables used to flavor it during boiling and you will have dinner ready. Tender, juicy and moist, this recipe is perfect to shred the chicken for sandwiches, casseroles or salads.

Quick and easy to make, boiled chicken can also be made by those who are novice in the kitchen. You can use any cut of the chicken, drumsticks, breasts, thighs. Anyway, we suggest you buy organic and quality chicken. Once you have selected the cut, cook it in a large pot with water and a coarse mince of aromatic herbs – onion, carrot and celery – which will give the broth a rich flavor and aroma.

Remember to put the chicken directly into cold water, so that it slowly releases all its juices. Next, bring water to a boil and let the chicken cook. So let’s find out how to make boiled meat by following our recipe step by step.

How long does it take to Boil a Chicken?

When you want to boil a chicken, it's important to pay attention to the cooking time. Typically, a whole chicken can take up to 90 minutes to boil. In contrast, smaller cuts like boneless chicken breasts or thighs could be ready as soon as 15 minutes.

To tell if your boiled chicken is done, make sure it's firm and not pink in the center. To be sure, you can use a kitchen thermometer and check that it registers an internal temperature of 165°F. If it exceeds this temperature, the chicken is likely to overcook and then become rubbery.

At this point you can proceed to pull the chicken from the water, let it cool, and then begin cutting it up with a knife or shredding it with a fork.

Tips for making Moist Boiled Chicken

The broth obtained can be used for other recipes such as pasta, soups, or a creamy risotto. You can also enjoy it warm on a cold winter evening.

You can also boil a frozen chicken, it will just take a little bit longer to cook.

As an alternative to the vegetables of this recipe, you can use leek, shallot, zucchini and cherry tomatoes, or flavor everything with sage, bay leaf, rosemary or chives.

How to store Boiled Chicken

Boiled chicken can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a maximum of 1-2 days.

Can you freeze Boiled Chicken?

Boiled chicken can be frozen for 2 months.

How to Boil Chicken

Cut the onion into coarse pieces 1.

Do the same with the celery 2.

Peel the carrot and slice it coarsely 3.

Transfer the vegetables to a saucepan and add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil 4.

Cover with cold water 5.

Add the chicken 6.

Season with salt 7.

Boil the chicken for about 60 minutes 8.

Drain the broth in a bowl 9.

Transfer the chicken to a serving dish and serve with the vegetables 10.