Prep and Cook in 35 minutes
Succulent poached chicken breasts in a light, fresh tomato and herb broth.
Making the Neapolitan dish called Fish In Crazy Water was a memorable moment in my cooking adventures. I couldn’t quite get my head around how a simple fish fillet in a light tomato broth flavored with just olive oil, garlic and herbs can be so delicious, look so good and only take 35 to make. What I realized is that the secret to the dish’s success is in the lightness of the tomato broth that allows the subtle fish flavor to come through.
I started to think about how I could use this excellent broth recipe with a different subtle tasting protein and thought of poached chicken breasts. When well cooked they are deliciously succulent. However, they are often difficult to get right because the variation in size can easily result in under or over cooking them.
After a considerable amount of research and testing, I found a solution courtesy of Nagi, a fellow food blogger. It is foolproof and allows you to prepare the broth while the chicken breasts gently “poach”.
All you do is bring a saucepan of water to a boil, remove it from the heat and place skinless and boneless chicken breasts in the pan making sure they are submerged. Cover the pan, and set it aside for about twenty-five minutes. By the time you prep and cook the broth, the chicken will be done and the completed dish can be ready in about 35 minutes.
Serve the dish with slices of grilled ciabatta bread and for a little more substance, add a some farro as a side dish.
For the fish version of this recipe check out Fish In Crazy Water.
Chicken In Crazy Water
by
Derek Farwagi
Equipment
- A saucepan to poach the breasts. A 10" frying pan to make the tomato broth.
Ingredients
- 2 skinless boneless chicken breasts
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp fresh or dried thyme leaves plus a tsp to flavor the poaching water.
- 1 tbsp fresh, loosely packed whole oregano leaves and a little extra for garnish. You can also use a tsp of dried oregano plus some extra to flavor the poaching water.
- 1 pinch red chili flakes
- 1 cup ripe cherry tomatoes, sliced in half (the riper and softer the better)
- ½ cup white wine (a dry white vermouth also works)
- 1 cup water
- salt to taste
- For the garnish lemon wedges and oregano leaves
Instructions
- Bring to a boil a saucepan of water with the herbs.
- Pat dry the chicken breasts and place in boiling water. Make sure they are completely submerged. Cover pan, remove from heat and set aside for 25 minutes or up to an hour.
- While the chicken is poaching, prep and cook the other ingredients for the broth.Add olive oil and the sliced garlic to a cold 8” inch pan and heat on medium/low fire. When the garlic starts to sizzle, sauté and stir for a couple of minutes to flavour the oil. Once the garlic releases it’s flavour (you can tell by the aroma), add chili flakes and cook for a further minute stirring often.
- Remove the pan from the heat and over the sink, add the tomatoes. They will splatter when they hit the hot oil. Once they have settled down, put them back on a the fire. Let them stew and release their liquid - about 2 minutes.
- Add the water, wine, oregano, and thyme and raise the heat to medium high. Simmer the tomatoes for about 10 minutes to reduce the liquid. Press down on the tomatoes with a wooden spoon a few times to help break them down to form a chunky broth. Taste and season with salt as needed. Add a little water if broth looks a little dry and turn down heat to a low simmer.
- Test chicken for doneness by gently piercing with a fork to see if juices run clear. If you have a temperature gauge, the internal temperature should read 165F 74C.
- Place chicken on a cutting board and cut them across into 3/4 " slices.
- Put chicken slices into the simmering broth for about a minute to warm them up. Add a little water if broth looks dry.
- With a soup spoon, pour some broth and tomatoes in the base of a shallow bowl (or dinner plate) and top with chicken slices. Drizzle a little broth on the chicken.
- Garnish with chopped oregano and lemon wedges and serve with slices of grilled ciabatta or baguette bread.
- For more substance, serve a little cooked farro on the side in a separate small plate. You could add a little farro to the broth so it absorbs the flavor.
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