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# Why Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast Is Actually Genius
- URL: https://tat.chessservices.de/d610721c-9257-41a3-9d57-b242ea5dd6df/
- Published: 2018-07-21T19:02:10.000Z
- Updated: 2018-07-21T19:02:10.000Z
- Description: TOSS UP A topping of poached chicken breast makes this simple salad a meal. A turmeric dressing makes it sing. Photo: F.
- Author: Jacques Bopp
- Tags: Recipes, #Import 2024-03-24 08:40, #Import 2026-08-20 14:53

# Why Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast Is Actually Genius

## It gets a bad rap from food snobs. Try this recipe for poached chicken in a summery salad and see how wrong they are

![](https://tat.chessservices.de/content/images/2020/05/B3-BD627_DIATRI_P_20180717183706-2.jpg)

TOSS UP A topping of poached chicken breast makes this simple salad a meal. A turmeric dressing makes it sing. Photo: F. Martin Ramin/The Wall Street Journal, Food Styling by Eleanore Park

By

Eleanore Park

July 20, 2018 10:43 a.m. ET

[ 4 COMMENTS ](https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-boneless-skinless-chicken-breast-is-the-best-1532097795?ref=tat.chessservices.de#comments%5Fsector)

**EVEN ITS NAME** highlights what it lacks. Boneless, skinless chicken breast actually benefitted from its association with austerity in the 1980s and ’90s, when low-fat was the diet trend du jour. But then the foodie faction stormed in, adding “flavorless” and “joyless” to the list of adjectives attached to this cut of chicken. I suspect the naysayers’ greatest beef with boneless, skinless chicken breast is that it’s just too easy—to prepare, to love. Did you overcook it a little? Pull the meat to pieces and fold in some herbs and olive oil or mayo. I promise you a perfectly textured chicken salad. Or use my foolproof cooking method as your starting point. Gently poached at a whispering simmer, this most amenable poultry absorbs flavors from the surrounding liquid, be it a flavorful broth punched up with aromatics or, as in the recipe below, coconut milk brightened with ginger and lemongrass that cooks down to a scrumptious sauce—or, if you chill it, a luscious salad dressing. Skin and bones have their benefits, sure. But sometimes you just don’t need the splatter and the hassle.

###### Summer Salad With Coconut Milk-Poached Chicken Breast and Turmeric Dressing

This recipe is as versatile as it is simple. The chicken can also be served warm, over rice, scattered with cilantro: Skip the chilling step and spoon the warm sauce over top.

**TOTAL TIME** 20 minutes **SERVES** 2

Remove outer layers from a **2-inch piece of lemongrass** and crush with a pestle or the flat of a knife. Peel a **2-inch piece of ginger** and crush. In a medium saucepan, combine lemongrass and ginger with 1 (13.5-ounce) can coconut milk, **½ cup roughly chopped cilantro,** **¼ teaspoon kosher salt** and a couple grinds of **black pepper.** Bring to a boil and add **2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts.** Reduce heat, maintaining a bare simmer, and poach chicken, flipping halfway into cooking, until cooked through, about 12 minutes. Remove chicken, reserving poaching liquid in pan, and set aside to cool to room temperature. / Meanwhile, make dressing: Add **¼ teaspoon ground turmeric** to poaching liquid and simmer over medium heat until reduced by a quarter, about 5 minutes. Transfer dressing to a bowl and chill in refrigerator at least 30 minutes. When ready to serve, shred cooled chicken and toss with a couple spoonfuls of dressing. Arrange **salad greens** of your choice in a large bowl and toss in **fresh herbs, thinly sliced radishes** and enough dressing to lightly coat. Toss in chicken and serve.