A recipe for boiled chicken; boiled chicken meat is called for in many other recipes, and is a wonderful basic recipe to have for many uses.
This is SO easy and tastes SO good! I put my chicken (usually boneless breasts) in the crock pot, cover it with water and add the salt, pepper, onions, carrots, celery (and garlic too) in chunks. Someone else had posted that it is then easier to pull out of the broth when you're done. Unbelievable flavor for both the broth and chicken. And in the crock pot it is absolutely effortless!! Thanks for the great recipe!!
Read MoreThis is SO easy and tastes SO good! I put my chicken (usually boneless breasts) in the crock pot, cover it with water and add the salt, pepper, onions, carrots, celery (and garlic too) in chunks. Someone else had posted that it is then easier to pull out of the broth when you're done. Unbelievable flavor for both the broth and chicken. And in the crock pot it is absolutely effortless!! Thanks for the great recipe!!
This is the way my mom made it too... I add garlic and seasoned salt, and remove the skin off before simmering to reduce fat. Less to skim off after. I'll buy one of those 10 lb bags of legs n thighs when they're on sale and do the whole 10 lbs. After deboning, freeze meat in broth to help prevent freezer burn.
When the chicken is done, take the meat off the bones and continue simmering the bones and veggies for a couple more hours to make a rich, flavorful broth. Season to taste with salt. Strain and discard the bones and vegetables, as the flavor is pretty much cooked out of the veggies by this time. Chill (or freeze) the broth to use later.
I make this at least every couple of weeks. I freeze small portions in ziploc baggies & then use in my dogs' dinner (my vet advocates boiled chicken for my dogs)or in many other recipes calling for chicken. I do leave the veggies in big chunks for ease of removal. To clarify stock for clear broth, removing solid flecks that are too small to be strained out with cheesecloth, follow this method. Separate the egg white from the egg yolk of one egg and reserve the shell. In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup cold water, egg white, and crushed eggshell. Add to strained stock, and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, and let stand 5 minutes. Strain again through a sieve lined with cheesecloth. From cloudy to crystal clear in no time! (I got this method from another recipe on this site...Basic Chicken stock)
I didn't actually make this recipe but I boil chicken to debone it constantly. I am responding because of the number of people who stated they are using boneless,skinless chicken breasts for this!?!? Why? The whole point of boiling chicken is to leach flavor from the bones and skin (where the flavor is) into the water for stock and so you can easily remove the meat from the bones and skin afterward. This allows you to use a more economical cut of meat(i.e. bone in skin on chicken breasts,etc.) for your meals that call for shredded chicken (casseroles, chicken salad, etc.) and to save the more expensive cuts for your meals that call for a cutlet (cordon bleu, chicken parmesean, grilled chicken etc.) I would imagine boiled bonesless skinless breasts would result in a very bland stock that would require several buillon cubes to add more flavor as well as very bland chicken meat.
This recipe is great! I didn't have celery on hand so I threw in a couple garlic cloves and some seasoning salt and simmered it until the meat was falling off the bones. I did what one reviewer suggested and cooled the chicken in the broth to make the chicken as moist as possible. As I was shredding the chicken for the enchiladas I'm making tonight, I couldn't help taking a quick bite and it was awesome! Thanks so much for this great, cheap, building block recipe!
Great recipe! I used 1 bag of frozen chicken breasts and added 2 cloves of garlic. I then reserved the broth, divided the chicken into 1 cup potions and stuck them in the freezer for future use.
Best recipe for boiled chicken I have ever used - and the broth is great for making soups, too!
I used this as a base for the Creamy Chicken Lasagna recipe listed on this site. Instead of a whole chicken, I used two large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/4 pounds total) and I halved the amounts of vegetables. I didn't have peppercorns, so I put several shakes of ground pepper in the pot. I let them cook away for about 50 minutes and they were done and perfect. I saved the stock, and I will either use it in the next couple days or chuck it. :) It's not really strong broth, but it's not just water anymore either! Thanks for a quick and simple way to make stock AND cook chicken up! Maybe I'll cook up a few pounds of chicken, then cut them up and stick them in the freezer for quick chicken sandwiches in the future...
I've made this recipe for many years. Over 40! There are some hints, however: Use a whole chicken. Cheaper, and more flavor. Don't use boneless, skinless breasts. The meat will be dryer and the broth not as flavorful. After cooking let chicken sit in broth until cool. The meat will not be tough. No need to debone chicken first if you have a big enough soup pot. Another hint: When cooked through, remove large pieces, then pour broth and remaining pieces through a sieve into another container. The little pieces of meat and bones and skin will be left behind. It will be easy then to pick through and get the meat. (Let cool awhile or you could get burned.) Another hint: The broth doesn't have to be used that day. Freeze some in containers, but take an ice tray and put some of the broth in that. This makes bouillon cubes. No more needing to buy artificially flavored, over salted, and MSG filled cubes from the store. Delicious. Update: Forgot to mention. My recipe calls for some herbs. Poultry seasoning, or sage and thyme. Maybe some rosemary.
This was the most tender, juicy chicken I have ever cooked. I can't wait to use it for chicken tacos, burritos, and soups! I added some garlic and salt to the water. Also, I let the chicken cool down in the broth before shredding it. After removing the chicken, I put the bones back in the broth and let it simmer for another couple of hours to make some AMAZING stock. I let the stock cool in the fridge overnight and then removed the fat the next day for a virtually fat-free stock. Next time, the only thing I will do differently is add some fresh parsley and thyme to the stock to round out the flavors. I got everything to make this for around $4, and it made 4 cans' worth of stock and several cups of shredded chicken. That is a steal both for my wallet and my health!! I will continue to make this every single week because it is so healthy and so versatile.
Great recipe! This works well with chicken breast too. I recommend that the chicken be thawed for even cooking. Because I did not have all ingredients, I had to improvise. I used 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp celery salt, 1/8 tsp garlic powder and 1/4 onion powder. This turned out great! This one is a keeper!
I've made this time and time again as a base for my homemade chicken noodle soup and it's perfect! One reminder though, never bring the water to a boil because it makes the chicken tough. It's important to catch it right before a boil and let it simmer from there. Follow that rule and you'll have the best most tender chicken around!
So good and easy. This is the only way I will boil my chicken from now on. Yummy!
This is great! I tasted mine about half way through, and it was incredibly dry, but I kept going, and the end product was juicy and delicious! I will probably boil my chicken for now on when a recipe simply calls for "cooked chicken." I did add a clove of garlic. Thank you so much!
Awesome technique for boiling chicken. Easy to understand and my house smelled sooo good!
I used frozen boneless breasts for this, without thawing, and it turned out great - I only boiled for about 50 minutes. Not only is it easy, the chicken is tender and very mildly seasoned, perfect for casseroles, sauces, pastas, etc. The broth is an added bonus, too. Thanks so much for sharing!
I omit the carrots, add 1 teaspoon cajun seasoning, and two chicken boullion cubes as well as 3 tablespoons parsley, and one bay leaf...
I just prep chicken breast filets with this recipe instead of the whole chicken. It's so good that I can eat my chicken breasts without any extras. Health, low-fat, low-cal and low-sodium
By George, I think you've got it !!! How nicely my Chicken Pot Pies come out using this recipe. Thank you, this recipe is definately a keeper !!
This chicken and broth is the BOMB. I stop and sniff it probably 10 times as I'm cooking this because it smells so good. And with a short ingredient list, you know it's wholesome. If I'm just doing chicken breasts, then I cook it 30 minutes and let it cool completely, as BODIE358 suggests and it's completely moist and flavorful. I then keep the broth frozen for whatever I need. I do it the night before and make chicken and dumplings (from this site) with it - the soup comes out so rich this way! The crockpot method that Christy Marie suggested is also awesome. It really couldn't be easier.
Perfect "starter" recipe for so many chicken dishes. Definitely use a whole chicken, and when the meat has fallen off the bone, keep those bones, vegetables used to season the meat and cartilage, after stripping the cooled meat, to make stock using the water remaining from boiling the chicken. I use the chicken to make chicken mole, and make stock to freeze in cubes or for soup the next night.
awesome and moist, my 9 yr old said it didn't have much flavor but I left the peppercorns out since some of us have a sensitivity to that. worked out great, I added in some salt- perfect for combatting this cold! ;-)
SSoooo easy. My future muscles thank you! And the tip about letting the meat cool in the broth is a good one.
Nothing spectacular, but a easy, simple chicken recipie. My dad loved this boiled chicken!
Such a simple recipe yet, so useful!!! I cooked a huge batch and then use it in different receipes during the week. A handful sauteed in TexMex Spices works phenomenally well when whipping up some quick quesadillas. We also mixed BBQ sauce in it for speedy sandwiches. Add a little mayo, apples and walnuts a couple of days later for chicken salad. I got requests for it again immediately!!!
I made as written & it cost $6.50. When done, I had 6 cups shredded chicken and 7 cups of really tasty stock. Swanson & Tyson are going to be sad I found this recipe!! THANKS for posting!
this was so easy and it yielded wonderfully moist, tasty chicken. I used boneless skinless breasts and then shredded them to make a casserole. I will be using this chicken recipe as the base for my quesadillas now, too! I also added chicken stock to the boiling water...just for a little extra flavor...
I put a whole chicken, onion, carrots, celery and water in my pressure cooker. Cooked it on high for 30 minutes. Perfection. Next time, I'm going to make homemade chicken stock.
Great time saver! I used my chopper & shredded carrots, onion, celery, green pepper, added some garlic, pepper, & chicken boullion. Then I added 3lbs. of chicken breast, water to cover & cooked about 1 hour. I used 1lb. for chicken salad, 1lb. for a casserole & the rest I cut up, added some noodles & had in the soup it had cooked in!
I wish I could link this recipe to some of the other recipes on this site- to name a few you may like to try- Chicken Pesto Pizza, Chicken Lasagna, Chick. Pot Pie, Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato Salad w/Chicken, the possibilties are truly endless w/ this one! Sometimes, on a weekend, I do this in the crock pot for 6 hrs and that really lowers the risk of it drying out. I'll make huge batches and freeze for future recipes. Huge time-saver for busy Moms and Dads!!
I added about 1/2 cup of teriyaki marinade (Trader Joe's Soyaki, specifically) which gave the chicken a light teriyaki flavor--delicious! Great for Chinese Chicken Salad or really any other cooked chicken recipe.
I cut up a 4.5lb chicken and it was falling off the bone after 90 minutes. After shredding, I froze the chicken in 2 cup portions for future convenience.
This was very tasty and moist. I used half of the chicken for enchilada's and the rest I used with the broth and veggies for chicken soup. Thanks for the recipe.
I make this almost every week. The meat is so tender and flavorful. The meat can be used for salads, casseroles, you name it. The broth can be used for soup, rice, noodles. A very inexpensive yet versatile recipe.
I was unsure how long to boil my chicken for another recipe. This was perfect. Thx!
The broth was awesome & I regret only saving a cup full (don't know what on earth I was thinking). As others stated, the meat fell off the bone so that process went quickly. I'll use this method from now on. Thanks George.....
Really enjoyed this chicken. It came out very moist. I also used chicken breasts and only boiled them for about 50 minutes. Didn't have peppercorns so used garlic salt and ground pepper. Turned out fantastic! Even better the next day in our chicken salad sandwiches.
This is a great recipe! I like to add a can of Rotel (strained) to mix in with the shredded chicken. Adds a spicey kick to the Chicken and tastes amazing!
I follow many of the suggestions other reviewers have. I remove the skin to cut back on some of the fat. I also like a lot of garlic in my chicken. I will have to try letting the chicken cool in the pot, I usually remove to cool. Finally, save the liquid as it does make great stock.
Excellent! Used the chicken in a casserole and froze the stock for future recipes. I made this exactly as the recipe stated. Thank you for sharing.
Fantastic, fantastic chicken. Used to make the Chicken Noodle Soup by Sherry on this site - and it was fabulous! Will definitely use again (although I may use chicken pieces rather than a whole chicken next time, to save time).
very simple. i use the slow cooker when makeing broths or stocks. i also hate wasteing the vegetables so i do something a friend taught me. i save the ends and parts of the veggies i normaly wouldnt in most recipes, and freeze them. then when i have a decent amount of vegetables saved i make this recipe or broth. works very well and i dont feel quilty discarding them when im done.
This is absolutely delicious. I made it as the recipe states once and added the bay leaf & rosemary suggested in a previous review. I enjoyed the bay leaf/rosemary variation better, but they are both great!
I have a different take on this recipe.(DO the night before the BBQ or oven bake...) Only boil chicken for 1/2 -3/4 hours.(With a couple of bay leafs and a handleful of dried rosemary in the water.)Drain & refrigerate overnight, "marinating" of your choice. Preheat oven/BBQ to 400C Bake/or BBQ...on medium.. (turning frequently)for additional 20mins. At this point of grilling you can add whatever BBQ sauce...(etc) which will make it 5 stars to you :-)
This was so great and so easy! I added jalapenos and peppers for a little extra flavor and made enchiladas with the shredded chicken. I used a three-pound chicken and it was fully cooked after an hour so make sure you check it and don't cook it too long. Thanks for the recipe!
Awsome!!! Perfect to make and use for many different chicken recipes. Have made twice and will make many times to come. Thank you for this one!
I make this quite frequently when I need cooked chicken meat. Usually, I use chicken breasts instead of the whole chicken. Add a little bit of fresh minced garlic. Very tender and flavorful.
This is the best way to make a boiled chicken I have found. Great flavor and good broth! Thanks!
Thank you, George, for posting this simple yet useful recipe. I am a fairly inexperienced cook, and as of three days ago I did not know how boil chicken. I marinated my boiled chicken in zesty italian dressing and put it in a pasta salad. I also made some delicious chicken tetrazini. Thanks again!
Excellent recipe. I made it as directed (just added salt). Shredded chicken made excellent chicken salad; broth made wonderful soup (after being frozen). Thanks so much for this money-saving recipe.
Excellent recipe. Used it a few times already and every time it turned out wonderful. Thank you.
FANTASTIC, SUPERB, INCREDIBLE, FABULOUS...get the point? This recipe is easy, fast, tastes GRRRRRREAAT. The uses for the chicken & the stock are endless. Thank you so much for posting this recipe.
Thank you so much! I had NO IDEA how to boil a whole chicken. This was a great way and my husband loved the shredded chicken tacos we had.
This recipe was great, the chicken was flavorful and tender. I followed the recipe, but as directed in another review, I allowed the meat to cool while still in the water/broth. Love the broth that was created as well. ~ Two Great Staple items from one recipe!
I personally don't like to make alterations to other people's recipes... especially ones that are rated with 5 stars, but I did add a few extra ingredients. Sorry--often annoyed by other reviewers for making so many alterations that it is no longer YOUR recipe. However, your recipe is perfect. I just added some garlic and parsley to suit my tastes. Even without that, it would have been absolutely wonderful. Thank you so much. I searched for this recipe simply because I wasn't sure about the cooking time. Your instructions are immaculate as far as I am concerned. Thanks again.
I wish I had found this years ago. I was always told to boil the chicken til "it fell off the bone". Was that 10 Minutes? 2 days? I finally figured it out, but if I had known this recipe was here, (for timing reasons) I would have been making chicken salad and things a long time ago. Thanks for the recipe.
I'm always a little wary when it comes to cooking chicken...you don't want to over cook it and you don't want to under cook it. I took the advice from another reviewer and boiled two boneless skinless chicken breasts for 50 minutes and it turned out great.
I threw a chicken bouillon cube into the water to preserve the flavor and a jalapeno for kick. Great by itself, with rice or tacos.
Made this today and it was perfect. I should have taken the skin off tho lol..next time i will do this. Made the best stock as i slow boiled the bones for another 2 hrs or so and it is so rich and yummy. Chicken was not dry and had a really good flavour as well.. Perfect chicken now for my base recipes and soup. Thank you poster, def keeper
This is excellent! I add a little garlic but that is personal preference. This recipe makes great chicken and great broth! Thank you.
This is a very good basic recipe. For those who say that it bland should realize that it is for the basic diced cooked chicken. You spice and season it as you make your final recipe. When I get a great sale on whole chickens, I get out the giant stock pot and fill it and cover with water and start heating it. I like to be able to go out to the garden and snip some fresh herbs. Whatever is growing and looks good. I like my final recipes with dark meat. Some (my SO) do not, so I bag up some different mixes and freeze them. The boil the bones some more and filter the liquid through a fine mesh filter. This liquid freezes into the best broth you can get. I really like to be able to put a bunch of these into the freezer before winter comes. It gives me the cooked chicken for taco, burritos, pot pies, chicken soup, chick and dumplings, etc. at a drop of a hat for a hearty winter supper.
My grandmother who came from Rumania used the same recipe. I use it for soup and chicken salad. My in-laws say I make the best chicken salad ( it's soooo easy with this recipe). All my children use it as well. I suppose my grandchildren will use it. I really never thought to post it, because it's so easy. Thank you!
Who would think that you needed a recipe to boil chicken. I do it all of the time without one. But this recipe was wonderful! The chicken was moist and flavorful. I also strained the broth and froze it for use in soups and sauces later. It was incredibly flavorful!
Who knew there was a certain way to boil chicken? This recipe made te chicken so tender and juicy. I will use it from now on!
I use this recipe for almost EVERY recipe that calls for chicken! This chicken is tender, juicy, and has the most amazingly warm and comforting flavor. It is so simple with only a handful of ingredients thrown into a pot then letting it cook itself for a few hours (I usually let it cook until it falls off the bone). I throw out everything but the shredded chicken and the broth (you can also freeze the chicken so it can be used months down the road but I HIGHLY recommend freezing it in a bag with the broth to avoid freezer burn). Thanks SO much for this recipe -- I have already given it to several of my friends and family! :)
Simple & tasty. The chicken was literally falling off the bone as I was taking it out of the pot, and it's juicy & delicious. I haven't made soup yet, but I tasted the broth and it is delicious. Thank you so much! EDIT: Since my 1st review, I have used this method several times; with whole chickens, thighs, legs, breasts (whatever was on sale!) This is a great way to cook a lot of chicken in "bulk" and still have a lot of versatility. If you can stock up on chicken of any cut when it's on sale, or the day before it expires at the supermarket, this recipe is for you! You can boil as stated in the recipe, or use plain water and while it's simmering, you don't have to do a thing! I used the stock of soups, and in 1 batch, I had enough to fill 2 chicken pot pies, fajitas for my family and a week's worth of chicken for chicken salad sandwiches (try the curry chicken salad recipes). This is perfect for the budget conscious. Thank you SO MUCH!!!!
I have used this recipe or a variation based on what I have on hand many, many times now. It works excellently! If you allow your chicken (or chicken bones) to cook with the vegetables/spices you like for an hour or so before straining, you get a nice chicken stock. You'll know if you got chicken stock or if you have chicken water based on how it smells. The water should still smell like chicken noodle soup AFTER you remove all the "stuff" from it and it should not be colorless! Now you can make a soup from the stock or you can freeze the stock in ice cube trays (then repackage into baggies) and use it in recipes :)
So easy and yummy!! I used this recipe as a base for soup. I used a whole chicken and didn't cut it up (as some other reveiws had suggested) and had no problems, chicken was done in 90 minutes exactly. I did use some salt though, only a pinch. When the chicken was done I removed it from the pot and strained the broth. Way better than broth from a carton or a boullion cube, and although it takes some time its really easy. :)
THANKS! Sometimes simple recipes like this can be a pain to find any where! I have a recipe that calls for boiled chicken - and I had NO IDEA how to do this as I'm a beginning cook and I know poultry has to be cookedhandled just right. Also thanks, AQRoland for your added extra tips...again, the whole giblets part - I wouldn't have even thought about.
The simplest preparation ever. Wonderful for Chicken Salad or Chicken Enchiladas.
This is how I will cook my whole chickens from now on. I usually boil the bones after roasting a chicken, but this eliminates that step... and is much easier to clean up. I was a little afraid the breast meat might be dry, but it wasn't. Extremely economical and versatile way to prepare chicken for lots of dishes.
This is the easiest and most versatile recipe I have found for a whole chicken. The meat was incredibly tender and juicy too. Thanks for a wonderful recipe!
for an easy strain place bay leaves pepercorns and parsley in a piece of tied cheesecloth
Boiled just under 2 hours, meat was falling off the bone. Placed the chicken on a cutting board; skin was very easy to peel off with a pair of tongs. Ate the legs as is, going to chop the beasts tonight and use for chicken noodle soup (and use some of the stock I strained from the boiled chicken).
Absolutely delicious...I also added some rosemary to the water, along with garlic. Thanks!
This is the only way I will boil chicken from now on!! It's wonderful. I made chicken enchiladas with the chicken and strained and froze the juice. The recipe is perfect except that I added salt.
chicken is delicious, moist, tender, and delicately fragrant.
I did this in the crock pot for about 10 hours on low and the chicken fell into tender pices. I've frozen it for later use and used the broth to make a delicious soup.
Great recipe. I used a 5-pound chicken so I cooked it a bit longer, but it was very moist and perfectly done. I also made stock like other reviewers suggested which I am going to use for risotto. Thanks!
Thank you for giving me an idea of how long to cook chicken. Some people may never have to look this information up, and might find it strange, but I really don't know how to cook chicken or fish. My mother rarely cooked meat when I was a child, and somehow beef is easier. Enough of my life story - thanks!
Good recipe/technique. Only gave it 4 stars because I let the chicken cool in the stock before removing and shredding. Chicken remains moist and stock more flavorful.
This is a great recipe. You can't go wrong! The chicken came out great. I used this recipe to boil chicken for a chicken salad. It tasted so rich! The leftover broth was great too!
This is such a good recipe! I will never de-bone a chicken again the old way!!! You can also refrigerate the juice, then take the fat off the top and voila!---- yummy chicken broth. Wonderful!
This recipe is great! I'd never thought of boiling chicken before. I used boneless chicken breasts, and just put them in a pot with onion and carrots and water. Make sure to use a big enough pot though, cuz the water boiled over in mine.
