These step-by-step instructions on how to boil perfect chicken breasts is the best method for boiling tender, juicy, easy to shred chicken breasts that you can use in a variety of dishes. Each time I boil my chicken using these steps it comes out perfect every time! I love using tender, shredded chicken breast meat in soups, casseroles, salads, and Mexican recipes. It's absolutely perfect in this Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe!
So ditch the hard, rubbery chicken breasts and use this post as a basic guide for a “no fail” way to properly boil tender chicken breasts. You can then shred it or chop it up, season it to your liking, and mix it in with your favorite recipes. It's great for chicken tacos, chicken pot pies, chicken soups, chicken chili, and casserole dishes. It's also my go-to chicken method for my mom's chicken tetrazzini recipe!😉
How To Boil Perfect Chicken Breasts
More tips and a detailed video are listed below, but here’s a quick overview:
Step One: Add 1-2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts to a pot. Cover the chicken breasts with cold water and add 1 tablespoon of salt. Heat the pot over medium-high heat and wait for it to come to a boil.
Step Two: As SOON as the water starts to boil, turn the heat down to medium-low, cover with a lid (crack the lid a little to allow steam to escape), and simmer the chicken breasts for 1 hour.
Note: It's very important not to boil your chicken the entire time. Once the water starts to initially boil, turn the heat down to a simmer and allow the chicken to simmer for 1 hour.
Step Three: Remove the breasts from the pot and place on a plate or cutting board and allow them to rest for 5 minutes. Alternatively, you can also remove the pot from the heat and allow the chicken to stay in the pot for a few extra minutes while you prep the rest of your food.
Step Four: Once the chicken has rested, it will be so easy to shred or chop and use it for your favorite recipes! No more tough, rubbery, chicken breasts...this method gets it just right!😉
Frozen Or Thawed Chicken Breasts
I always use thawed chicken breasts for this method. If they are frozen I will thaw it overnight in the refrigerator or thaw it in cold water in the sink for 2-3 hours. If the chicken breasts are not completely thawed, that’s fine, but I at least like to start with mostly thawed chicken breasts.
Can't Wait An Hour?
Boiling the chicken breasts on low and slow is really the trick for super tender, fall-apart, chicken breast meat. But if you need chicken cooked sooner and don’t have an hour to wait, you can always bake your chicken in the oven using this popular baked chicken breast recipe or you can make some sautéed chicken breasts in hardly no time!
Boiling Chicken Breasts Video
Watch as I show you how to boil the perfect chicken breasts in this video tutorial with over 1 million views and a thousand positive comments!
How To Boil Chicken Breasts
Ingredients
- 1-2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon fine sea salt
- water
Instructions
- Place the chicken breasts in a medium - large pot and completely cover with cold water. Sprinkle the salt into the pot. Heat the pot over medium-high heat and wait for it to come to a boil.
- As soon as the water starts to boil, turn the heat down to medium-low, cover the pot with a lid (crack the lid a little to allow some steam to escape), and simmer the chicken breasts for 1 hour.
- After an hour, remove the breasts from the pot and place them on a plate or cutting board to rest. Alternatively, you can also remove the pot from the heat and allow the chicken to stay in the pot for a few extra minutes if you are prepping the rest of your meal.
- Once the chicken has rested, shred it with two forks or chop it up and use it in your favorite recipes!
Joseph Scaturro says
I followed your boiled chicken breast method and the result was tender chicken that easily shreds and tastes delicious. Thanks for sharing!
Dianne says
Thank you. My chicken breast were tough and rubbery. I wasn’t cooking them long enough. I’m preparing now for chicken salad. Thanks again.
Keith Steenbergen says
Marsha, thank you very kindly for making this method known. I just tried it, and it was the best chicken I've ever prepared for a casserole. If I had a nickel for every dish I've made with tough, rubbery chicken, I'd be a wealthy man, but not any more thanks to you. God bless you for sharing this!