Poached Chicken Breasts With Tomatillos and Jalapeños
- Total Time
- 2 hours
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1quart chicken stock, plus more as needed (or use salted water)
- 1¼pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (3 medium breasts)
- 1½pounds tomatillos, cut into ½-inch chunks
- 2 to 3jalapeños, thinly sliced
- 6tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
- ¾teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
- 1teaspoon cumin seeds
- 4garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- ¾cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
- 3scallions, thinly sliced
- Finely grated zest of ½ lime
- 1avocado, sliced
- Fresh lime juice, to taste
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
572 calories; 36 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 22 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 26 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams dietary fiber; 12 grams sugars; 39 grams protein; 765 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Place racks in the top and bottom third of the oven and heat to 275 degrees. In the microwave or in a small pot on the stove, heat chicken stock until it comes to a simmer.
- Step 2
Place chicken in a small baking dish and cover with hot chicken stock.
- Step 3
On a rimmed baking sheet, toss together tomatillos, jalapeños, 2 tablespoons oil, ¾ teaspoon salt, and cumin seeds. Spread into a single layer on the sheet, then nudge the tomatillos aside to make room in 1 corner for a small ramekin. Fill ramekin with garlic and remaining 4 tablespoons oil or more as needed to cover the garlic.
- Step 4
Place chicken on top oven rack until chicken is cooked through (a thermometer inserted in the center should read 155 degrees), 55 minutes to 1 hour and 10 minutes. At the same time, bake tomatillos on bottom rack, tossing occasionally, until they are tender, and garlic is light golden, 1 to 1½ hours. If chicken is ready before the tomatillos, remove it from the oven and leave it in the pan covered in stock to keep it warm until everything is done.
- Step 5
Use a slotted spoon to remove garlic from oil and coarsely chop. Remove chicken from stock (save stock for another use; it can be frozen for up to 3 months), and slice the meat.
- Step 6
To assemble, toss together tomatillos, chopped garlic, cilantro, scallions, lime zest and salt to taste. Drizzle fresh lime juice and garlic oil all over the chicken and avocado if you like, and season with salt. Serve with the tomatillo salsa.
Private Notes
Comments
I don’t need to cover the roasting pan as the chicken cooks?
What might be some good substitutes for the tomatillos, as those are hard to find for us?
Very nice. My chicken breast was done in 40 minutes, maybe because I flattened the thickest part just a bit. At that point the tomatillos weren't done, so I put them under the broiler for 5 minutes. FYI, the tomatillo recipe is identical to Rick Bayless' tomatillo salsa (minus the blender blitz), which I've made dozens of times for chips. Next time I'll try it with boneless thighs, which I much prefer over breasts. I can even imagine this working with poached firm white fish, like cod.
I cooked two chicken breasts, exactly as described, but turned the timer on for 30 minutes. So glad I did because they were essentially almost overcooked at that time. I don't know what would've happened if I had cooked them for 50 minutes, but I shudder to think. I suppose the fact that I was cooking two instead of three might have affected things, but I highly recommend checking temperature starting at 25 minutes.
This was great. I subbed cherry tomatoes for the tomatillos (which are nearly impossible to buy near me) and although I am sure that it changed the flavour profile...it was DELICIOUS! Definitely drizzle that leftover garlic oil over the chicken...it's amazing!
This method of poaching chicken breasts did work very well. I used the in a different salad.