Poaching Eggs, Meat, Chicken, Fish and Vegetables

Poaching is a Moist Heat Cooking Method

Have you ever poached an egg to make Eggs Benedict? Poached pears in wine for dessert? Or delicately cooked fish covered with water, stock, or wine (poaching liquids) in a covered pan to preserve the moistness of the meat? These are examples of poaching you are probably familiar with.

It is the method accomplished with the least amount of heat and, therefore, is a gradual, gentle cooking process. Poaching is best for very delicate foods, such as eggs, fish, white meat, chicken, and fruit. In addition, it is a very healthy cooking method because liquid—not fat—carries the heat into the food.

Poaching is ideally done at temperatures between 160°F and 180°F or well below a simmer. The best way to tell if a poaching liquid is at the correct temperature is with an instant-read thermometer. Short of that, look at the liquid in the pan. The liquid should have a slight convective current as the warmer liquid rises to the surface. The liquid should be gently moving, but it should not be bubbling at all.

Poaching is Patience

Poaching takes patience. Poaching allows food proteins to uncoil or slowly denature without squeezing out moisture. For example, if you drop a delicate chicken breast into boiling water, the proteins would seize up so quickly that all the moisture would be squeezed out, and you would end up with a small piece of dry rubber!

Poaching Liquids

You can poach in water, milk, or a flavorful broth. The broth used for poaching is called a court bouillon. It includes the poaching liquid (often broth or stock), an acid (such as wine, lemon juice, or vinegar), a bouquet garni (a bundle of aromatics like bay leaf, parsley, peppercorns, garlic, and thyme tied in cheesecloth or with kitchen string), and mirepoix (a mix of onion, celery, and carrot). The traditional proportions for white mirepoix are two parts onion to one part each celery and carrot.

For desserts, fruit is often poached in sweet wine and water with spices like star anise, clove, and cinnamon. Eggs are typically poached in water with a bit of vinegar. The acid in the poaching liquid helps speed up protein coagulation on the outside of the food, helping delicate items, like eggs, hold together during poaching.

Poached Beef

Poaching Method

How do you poach? What equipment do you need? You can just read on to find out.

Bring 2 inches of poaching liquid to just below a simmer to poach a chicken breast. You’ll know it’s ready when you see lots of little bubbles at the bottom, but no bubbles rise to the top.

Place the chicken breast into the liquid. Keep an eye on the heat. If it starts bubbling, turn it down. If you don’t see convective currents, turn the heat up a little. Don’t worry if the chicken breast isn’t fully submerged. You can use tongs to turn it over.

Continue poaching until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160°F. Many books suggest pressing or cutting the chicken to check for doneness. The most accurate method is using an instant-read thermometer.

Remove the chicken from the poaching liquid. It will be pale since there’s no browning at low temperatures. While poaching lacks the deep flavor from browning, it keeps the chicken moist.

Poaching is great for keeping delicate foods moist. It’s perfect for foods that will be cooked again or further processed, like making shredded poached chicken for enchiladas or diced chicken for chicken salad.

No special equipment is needed for poaching. I often use a sauté pan or saucepan. You're set as long as your pan holds 2 to 3 inches of liquid. You can also use a special poaching pan for whole fish, though I rarely use mine.

Poached Salmon

How to Poach an Egg

Many home cooks, including me, have needed help with the seemingly simple task of poaching an egg. Keeping the water below a simmer is the key to avoiding egg poaching disasters.

Start by bringing 3 inches of water and a splash of vinegar to about 170°F. Look closely at the bottom of the pan. Small bubbles should cover the surface but shouldn’t rise or break.

Crack an egg into a small cup. Lower the egg, cup, and all into the water at the center of the pan. Gently tip the cup to let the egg slide out.

If any stray egg whites float away, gently push them back with a heat-resistant spatula or spoon. Let the egg poach gently for about 4-5 minutes, depending on how you like your eggs. Gently jiggle the egg with your spoon. The white should be firm, but the yolk should still wiggle. Remove the egg with a slotted spoon and drain it on paper towels.

Serve it on buttered toast, or get fancy with Eggs Benedict. Make a salad with a tangy dressing for dinner and top it with a warm poached egg. Break the yolk, and it will mix with the dressing—delicious!

Larger Pieces of Meat

You can poach larger pieces of meat, like whole fish or chicken, but other cooking methods work better for large cuts. Since poaching doesn’t involve browning, an entire poached chicken wouldn’t be visually appealing.

I learned this tip from Good Eats: one of the best ways to poach large food is in a thermostatically controlled electric skillet. It allows you to set the poaching liquid to a specific temperature and maintain it, preventing overcooking.

A Note on Egg Poachers

Many so-called "egg poachers" on the market aren’t true poaching devices. To poach an egg, the food must be submerged in liquid.

These gadgets all have you place an egg in a cup, so the egg is not directly in the liquid. Instead, it is cooked in a water bath, like a custard. While these gadgets do cook the eggs, they do not poach them.

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