Make-Ahead Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
By Julia Collin DavisonPublished on July 27, 2025
Time
50 minutes
Yield
Makes 8 cups shredded chicken breast
Ingredients
Before You Begin
You will need a pot that measures at least 7¾- quarts for this recipe. Shredding the chicken before using will help prevent it from drying out during storage.
Instructions
- Cut 4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts in half crosswise, then cut thick portions in half again horizontally, creating 3 cutlets of similar thickness out of each breast. Whisk 4 quarts cold water and 2 tablespoons table salt in large Dutch oven or stock pot. Add round wire rack or steaming basket to pot to prevent chicken from sitting directly on pot bottom and overcooking.
- Submerge chicken into pot and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until water registers 175 degrees, 15 to 20 minutes. Turn off heat, cover pot, remove pot from burner, and let stand until chicken registers 160 degrees, 10 to 20 minutes.
- Transfer chicken to cutting board and let cool for 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to air-tight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Cut or shred chicken as desired before using.
Time
50 minutesYield
Makes 8 cups shredded chicken breastIngredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
Poaching is the best method for cooking chicken when you plan on using it later in the week for a last-minute meal. To ensure moist, judiciously seasoned chicken, we filled a large pot with salted water and brought the water up to 175 degrees over medium heat. We then shut off the heat, covered the pot, and let the chicken cook gently via the salted water’s residual heat until the chicken registered 160 degrees. Adding a rack or steamer basket to the pot helped prevent the chicken from resting on the pot bottom and overcooking.
Before You Begin
You will need a pot that measures at least 7¾- quarts for this recipe. Shredding the chicken before using will help prevent it from drying out during storage.
Instructions
- Cut 4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts in half crosswise, then cut thick portions in half again horizontally, creating 3 cutlets of similar thickness out of each breast. Whisk 4 quarts cold water and 2 tablespoons table salt in large Dutch oven or stock pot. Add round wire rack or steaming basket to pot to prevent chicken from sitting directly on pot bottom and overcooking.
- Submerge chicken into pot and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until water registers 175 degrees, 15 to 20 minutes. Turn off heat, cover pot, remove pot from burner, and let stand until chicken registers 160 degrees, 10 to 20 minutes.
- Transfer chicken to cutting board and let cool for 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to air-tight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Cut or shred chicken as desired before using.
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