No need to defrost first—poached chicken from frozen is 100% easy and 100% delicious!
Did you forget to defrost your chicken before you wanted to cook it? Well, it’s your lucky day—because poaching is a cooking method that works just as well from frozen as from thawed. So grab that chicken out of the freezer and get cooking.
What Is Poaching?
But first, a little review on poaching. Poaching is simply cooking food in gently simmering liquid. That could be water, broth, olive oil, wine, or a combination. You name it. Any liquid.
But what’s really great about poaching is that the moisture around the food helps keep it juicy, and the slower, more gentle heat helps keep the food tender. Which means it’s a great way to cook foods that can easily dry out, like chicken breasts. Poached shrimp is also great. And if your chicken isn’t frozen, get instructions for poached chicken breasts.
If you’re wondering what the texture and flavor of poached chicken is like, chances are you’ve already had it and already know the answer. You see, many recipes for common dishes like Chicken Noodle Soup and Chicken and Dumplings have you simmer chicken in liquid. That is essentially what poaching is, and so you know that the result is usually some tender and juicy chicken meat, for sure!
Poaching Chicken From Frozen
Lucky for you, poaching is also ideal for frozen foods. Why? Because one of the simplest ways to defrost something is to put it warm water. And that’s essentially what poaching is. So although it takes a little longer to poach a chicken breast from frozen, it essentially defrosts and cooks in one step.
Just like poaching chicken that’s not frozen, start your chicken in cold water and bring it up to a boil gently—boiling the water first and then adding the chicken will cook the outside of the chicken immediately, causing it to firm up and potentially become tough before the inside of the chicken is cooked.
Also just like poaching chicken that’s not frozen, add plenty of salt to the water. Keep in mind that most of that salt gets poured away with the poaching liquid after cooking, and it really does take a lot to get enough into the chicken itself, helping it taste wonderfully chicken-y.
I also add garlic, peppercorns, and parsley for a little extra flavor, but that’s up to you. You could leave it out or you could add other things to the poaching liquid, like other herbs, bay leaves, or ginger.
How Long Do I Poach Frozen Chicken?
Once your water comes to a boil, instead of taking it off the heat right away (as you would if your chicken wasn’t frozen), let it simmer very gently for about 3 minutes. Then remove it from the heat and let it finish by simply sitting in the hot water. It should take about 12 minutes for four breasts to reach 150°F. (Read this deliciously scientific blog post to learn why maintaining an internal temperature of 150°F for 3 minutes is as food-safe as 165°F for 10 seconds.)
In about 40 minutes—only about 15 minutes more than if you’d remembered to thaw—you’ll have tender, juicy poached chicken, perfect for salads, sandwiches, quesadillas, and more.
Yay! -Christine
Podcast Episode About Poaching Chicken Breasts from Frozen
Listen to me explain briefly about how to poach chicken breasts from frozen, along with some other great tips, by clicking the play button below:
Listen to more Recipe of the Day episodes here.
Poached Chicken from Frozen Recipe
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Entrée
- Method: Poached
- Cuisine: American
DESCRIPTION
No need to defrost first—poached chicken from frozen is 100% easy and 100% delicious!
Ingredients
- 4 (7-8 oz.) frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 4 cups cold water, or more if needed
- 1 and 1/2 tsp. salt
- 8–10 peppercorns (optional)
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed (optional)
- Handful of fresh parsley (optional)
Instructions
- Put the chicken in a skillet large enough to hold it in a single layer.
- Add the water and sprinkle the salt on top. (If the water doesn’t cover the chicken, add more until it does.) Add the peppercorns, garlic, and parsley, if using.
- Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat.
- Maintain a gentle simmer for 3 minutes.
- Turn the breasts over, then cover the skillet and remove it from the heat.
- Let the chicken sit in the hot water until the internal temperature is 150°F, about 12 minutes. (The time will vary depending on the size of the breasts.)
- Take the chicken out of the water and let it rest at least 5 minutes before slicing or serving.
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I’m sure it’s just me, but the recipe notes 12 min after the 3 minutes simmering to sit in the hot water until done, but it also notes “40 minutes” to have nicely cooked chicken from frozen. I’m confused.
Sorry about the confusion, Susan. The 40 minutes refers to the estimated total time from starting to getting it on the plate, including prep, getting the water to a gentle boil, and the 5 minute rest time at the end. If you follow the directions in the recipe (and check the internal temperature since chicken breast size can vary!), you should be good and it may even take you less than 40 minutes total.
Eeeekkkk! I’m gonna try this. I even read the scientific article. It makes sense and still makes me feel nervous.
It’s so easy, you’re going to love it, Lisa! Come back after and let us know how it went. :)
This recipe worked perfectly for me! I had a change of dinner plans and needed to cook frozen chicken breasts quickly – I followed the recipe exactly – and was shocked when it resulted in in tender, flavorful chicken – thank you for sharing this!
You’re welcome, HallieAnn! So happy that this helped with your sudden change in plans.
This resulted in perfectly cooked straight from the freezer boneless chicken breasts. I added salt, pepper, garlic and sliced ginger as they were going on top of leftover curried lentils.
Sounds fantastic! Thanks for taking the time to comment.
I am planning to make chicken salad, and my chicken didn’t thaw yet during the day. Thanks for the recipe!
You’re welcome, Virginia! Enjoy!
Deliciously easy! No prep time needed and just one pan to clean!
That’s great, Gail!
I used frozen chicken breast strips and garlic salt (two birds with one stone so to speak). This recipe worked like a charm! I chilled the meat overnight and made fresh chicken salad croissant sandwiches in the morning for a family event. The chicken was perfectly cooked and remained moist!
That’s wonderful, Kelly! Thanks for sharing.
I used thin sliced chicken breast and it turned out beautiful. I used a thick one as well and that one needed more time. The flavor was so good with the salt and parsley and garlic! Thank you for this, I’m always making my frozen chicken this way from now on!
You’re so welcome, Karina! That sounds wonderful.
I followed this to make poached thighs!! I added celery leaves, carrots, an onion and plenty of salt to the water. Sooooo flavorful. It is a healthier easier way to make tasty chicken enchiladas I found that thighs took longer to cook than breaststroke. So after they sat for 12 minutes I brought it back to a boil and then took off heat and let it set for 10 more minutes.
Thanks for the feedback, Carla!
I’ve never poached anything before but it sounds easy enough. Perfect for a weeknight.
Thanks, Sheila! Let us know how it works for you!
I will surely try this. It looks so easy!
It is easy, Sandy!
I am going to have to try this, as I’m terrible about remembering to defrost my chicken earlier in the day. It sounds good, and adding cajun seasoning would be delicious!
I understand, sometimes you don’t realize till it’s time to get cooking! Enjoy, Sharon!
Wow! So simple and quick. I’m gonna try this.
Enjoy, Judy!