Poached chicken in Salsa verde
4-6 serves
10 mins
5 minutes active + 2 hours resting
Ingredients
For the chicken and broth
- 2 boneless, Bare Birds skinless Chicken Breast fillets
(about 300–400 g total), kept around 2 cm thick - 2 litres water
- 1 celery stalk, roughly chopped
- 1 French shallot, halved
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, stalks only, save the leaves for later
- a strip of lemon zest
- 1 bay leaf
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the salsa verde
- 1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley, leaves only
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 heaped teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 tablespoon capers
- 80 ml extra virgin Olive Oil
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
- Place the water, celery, shallot, garlic, parsley stems, lemon zest, bay leaf, a generous pinch of salt and a few cracks of pepper into a medium saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat.
- Lower in the chicken breasts. Keep the heat at a very gentle simmer and cook for 5 minutes, uncovered.
- Turn off the heat, cover the pot with a lid, and let the chicken sit in the hot broth for 1 hour. The residual heat will gently poach the chicken, leaving it juicy and tender.
- While the chicken is poaching, prepare the salsa verde. In a food processor or with a stick blender, blitz the parsley leaves, garlic, mustard, capers, apple cider vinegar, olive oil and a pinch of salt until finely chopped. If required, add more olive oil until you have a thick, spoonable sauce. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Move to a small bowl.
- Once the chicken is ready, lift it from the broth and slice it. Serve warm or at room temperature, generously spooned with the salsa verde, a drizzle of apple cider vinegar, and extra virgin olive oil and finish with a crack of pepper.
Notes : This dish is wonderful served with crusty bread, boiled potatoes or a simple salad. The broth left behind is full of flavour, strain and save it for soups, risottos, or to cook grains like farro or rice.