Comments on: Poached chicken breast. Oh, and soup!

By: Vladimir Tsvetkov

Vladimir Tsvetkov — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 09:10:12 +0000

Thanks Scott,
I’m definitely considering of buying a dip probe thermometer.

Anyway, yesterday I’ve used this way of preparing chicken breasts, added extra 2 minutes and a half in the frying pan with some red wine to be extra sure – quite dangerous operation I should say and I don’t recommend it – not sure whether the two minute frying contributed to the taste (rather not), but this caused a smoky mess in my kitchen. For my relief the result was really tasty – the meat was very tender and my girlfriend really enjoyed it.

By: scott

scott — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 21:56:35 +0000

Hi Vladimir,
A good question. The most common bacteria in chicken are campylobacter and salmonella. To kill these it is recommended by many food standards agencies that the core temperature of the chicken should be 85 degrees Celsius when cooked; guidelines for killing campylobacter suggest a core temperature of 70 degrees for 2 minutes or more. Therefore a temperature probe is recommended if you are worried.

I remember most of this through my Advanced Food Hygiene training, but also checked details on the internet; the FSAI website confirmed my beliefs.

Hope this helps!

By: Vladimir Tsvetkov

Vladimir Tsvetkov — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 21:22:16 +0000

This recipe is really great, but I need to get assurance that this recipe meets all hygienic and food safety regulations. According to the HACCP standards for preparing poultry (check the table in the Food Safety and Inspection Service of the US Department of Agricultures) the critical control point is 25 minutes of simmering a boneless chicken breast. Does the cooling preparation is in affordance with this requirement?

By: lala

lala — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 18:56:29 +0000

hmmm…this is quite easy to do.
i can’t wait to try this one….

By: scott

scott — Wed, 02 May 2007 22:14:15 +0000

Richard: Ah, I never thought of using Asparagus trimmings for anything – so good on you to think of that one! In fact, I foolishly binned a bunch earlier today

By: Richard

Richard — Tue, 01 May 2007 12:49:05 +0000

I’ve been poaching fish in the same way quite a bit recently – I love it!

Regarding your comments on not throwing stuff away – I’ve decided I’m a flavour miser – I can’t throw stuff away when it has flavour and the potential to flavour something else. So currently in my freezer, you’ll find a bag of asparagus trimmings and a pot of asparagus cooking water (for a forthcoming risotto or soup), a bag of fennel trimmings (for stock in general), a bag of prawn shells, a few old rinds of parmesan… and various other stuff that doesn’t have a lable…

By: scott

scott — Tue, 01 May 2007 07:35:59 +0000

Lydia: I do it covered. Not sure if that’s right or not, but it of course holds the heat for longer. There is, I’m sure, no negative to be had by holding the chicken at a simmer for 5 minutes or so to be extra safe. I’m sure that scientifically the weight of the chicken compared to the volume of the water should be considered – so I wouldn’t try to cook too many at once!

By: Lydia

Lydia — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 23:21:13 +0000

Do you poach covered (I assume) or uncovered? I really don’t like undercooked chicken, so I’d be a bit nervous about this recipe. But I can see how it would produce incredibly moist meat.

By: scott

scott — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 07:43:45 +0000

Trig: Thankyou very much It’s surely one of the problems facing the modern world – lack of reuse leading to depletion of resources. While that doesn’t apply directly to food, it’s certainly valid – more people = worse conditions for animals due to increased demand. And then to not even use the dead animal fully?

By: Trig

Trig — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 20:59:21 +0000

Welcome home Scott, hoping you had a great time away from the grindstone of everyday life. I’m also a firm believer in, wherever possible, making use of all of of my cooking bi-products. I get such a sense of satisfaction to know that I’m limiting the amount of waste I produce through cooking (recycling food packaging etc. but especially knowing I can make something equally appetising with leftovers/bi-products)