Coconut Poached Chicken Salad

Poaching Chicken is one of the easiest and healthiest ways to prepare the extremely popular protein. Poaching allows you to infuse all kinds of wonderful flavors into the Chicken while it slowly cooks away without you really needing to do anything. In this recipe we will show you how to make an amazing Coconut Poached Chicken Salad that is loaded with delicious flavors inspired by Southeast Asian cooking. It’s a delightfully simple and healthy meal that’s perfect to serve over Rice or Noodles

How to make Coconut Poached Chicken Salad

This recipe is great for a busy midweek meal to feed a hungry family, while still wanting to make something tasty and healthy. It’s a simple dish that allows you to multitask without concern for overcooking anything. You can simply let the Chicken Poach away while you prepare the vegetables and dressing for the Salad

So, first step is to create a delicious poaching liquid for the Chicken. As the recipe title states, this is a Chicken that’s poached with Coconut which produces a deliciously flavored Chicken that’s velvety and creamy

The poaching liquid consists of Coconut Milk, Chicken Stock, and Lime Juice, which is paired with fresh Garlic Cloves, and a roughly chopped Carrot for a little added sweetness. Add some Salt then bring the mixture to a boil in a large saucepan over the stovetop

Poaching the Chicken Breasts

Poaching is such a fun way to cook Chicken, especially Chicken Breast which has a reputation for drying out. Poaching will retain all the moisture in the Chicken, resulting in a wonderfully moist and flavorful Chicken

Once your poaching liquid has come to a boil, simply drop 2 Chicken Breasts straight into the liquid. Now, at this point you can either drop the heat to a low simmer, cover and cook it for 15 minutes or completely turn off the heat, cover and cook for 30 minutes

Either way, I recommend checking the temperature of the Chicken about halfway through the cooking time using a meat thermometer. Different sized Chickens will cook at different times, so it’s important that you only take the Chicken out of the liquid once it reaches an internal temperature of 160F

Once done, allow the Chicken to rest on a plate. For serving, we recommend peeling the Chicken into bite-sized strands, which is easiest done once the Chicken can be touched. Alternatively, you can just slice the Chicken and serve it straight over the top of the Salad if you prefer

While the Chicken is poaching away you can prepare the remaining ingredients

To complete this delicious Coconut Poached Chicken Salad, you need to prepare a tasty Salad Dressing and, of course, the Salad itself. The dressing is loaded with tasty Southeast Asian flavors including some additional Coconut Milk, Fish Sauce, Lime Juice, and Sesame Oil

You will also need to retain some of the poaching liquid once the Chicken is cooked and add that to the dressing. This just adds more wonderful Coconut Flavor to the dish, and really ties all components of the Salad together nicely

For the Salad itself, we recommend a combination of Napa Cabbage, Bell Peppers, Scallions, blanched Bean Sprouts, and Red Onion. Finish the dish with some fresh Mint and Cilantro which can simply be roughly chopped

It’s a Salad recipe so you can really add whatever ingredients you like. Some nice alternatives that would pair great with the Coconut flavors are sweet fruits such as Pineapples, Plums, Nectarines, and Mango. The ingredients should be based on what is in season when you cook this dish. Tomatoes, for instance, would be another great option if they are in season

How to serve your Coconut Poached Chicken Salad

You can simply enjoy this tasty Salad by itself. The heartiness of the Poached Chicken will suffice for a tasty meal on its own. However, feel free to customize how you serve this Salad to your personal liking. We opted for some simple Vermicelli Noodles, which were a great choice as they absorbed the delicious Coconut Broth

This dish is going to taste great with all kinds of Noodles. I’d also love to try it with Udon Noodles as I’m sure it will taste amazing. Rice is another simple and classic pairing, just go with some simple Steamed Jasmine Rice and it’ll taste amazing

If you like you can also garnish the Salad before serving with some nice textural components like fried Scallions or chopped Peanuts. This will give the Salad a nice crunch as well as some additional colors to add to its already colorful presentation

Coconut Poached Chicken Salad Recipe

Ingredients

• 400ml Coconut Milk
• ¼ cup of Lime Juice
• 1 cup of Chicken Stock (recipe here)
• 3 Garlic Cloves, peeled
• 1 Carrot, roughly chopped
• 16 oz / 450g Chicken Breasts
• ½ tsp. Salt
  
  

Salad Dressing Ingredients

• ¼ cup of Coconut Milk
• ¼ cup of Lime Juice
• ¼ cup of the Poaching Liquid
• ½ tsp. Sesame Oil
• 2 tbsp. Fish Sauce
  
  

Salad Ingredients

• ½ Napa Cabbage, shredded
• 1 Bell Pepper, finely sliced
• 3 Scallions, diced
• 2 cups of blanched Bean Sprouts
• ½ Red Onion, finely sliced
• 1 Red Chili, deseeded and finely sliced
• ½ cup Cilantro, roughly chopped
• ½ cup Mint, roughly chopped
  
  

Instructions

1. Place the Coconut Milk, Lime Juice, Chicken Stock, Garlic, and Carrots in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Drop heat to a simmer then add the Chicken Breast
2. Cover and poach over low heat for 15 – 20 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the Chicken reaches 160F. Remove Chicken and set aside to rest and cool. Retain ¼ cup of the Poaching Liquid
3. Prepare the Salad dressing by combining all ingredients in a small bowl well. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary
4. Once the Chicken has cooled, using your hands (or a fork) peel the Chicken into bite-sized strands. Combine in a large bowl with all of the Salad ingredients which you can prepare while the Chicken is poaching
5. Drizzle over the Salad Dressing and serve over a bed of Steamed Rice or Noodles
   
   

Recipe Notes

• Try adding some sliced Tomatoes or even some Summer Stone Fruits like Nectarines or Plums to the Salad
• You can serve the Chicken warm, at room temperature, or cold
• The Chicken can also be poached by removing the pot from the heat once it’s come to a boil. Cover and leave for 30 – 40 minutes until the Chickens internal temperature reaches 160F
• Try topping the Salad with Fried Scallions or Chopped Peanuts for added texture
  
  

This delicious Coconut Poached Chicken Salads offers a tasty Asian-inspired twist on the classic Chicken Salad. It’s a healthy and tasty dinner perfect for a midweek dinner to feed a hungry family. The bright flavors of the Salad Dressing make this dish one you will come back for again and again

For more tasty and healthy Salad dishes just like this one, check out these delicious recipes:

• Mint and Cucumber Salad
• Grilled Chicken and Halloumi Salad
• Thai Style Chicken Salad
• Poached Chicken Salad with Garlic Anchovy Dressing
  
  

Happy Cooking!