This dainty dish is clean eating at its best – with this quick poaching method you’ll never eat dry chicken breast for dinner again. The chicken and the tender baby vegetables are cooked in a fragrant broth with juniper berries, pepper and thyme. Pine nuts are added at the end for a little crunch.
This Thyme Poached Chicken with Pine Nuts recipe is adapted from Marley Spoon.
THYME POACHED CHICKEN WITH PINE NUTS
Ingredients
- 300 g chicken breast
- 6 chat potatoes
- 6 baby carrots
- 4 broccolini stems
- 1 lemon
- 30 g pine nuts
- 10 g thyme
- 5 g black pepper corn
- 5 g juniper berries
- 3 tsp salt
- 1.5 L of water (6 cups)
- Extra virgin olive oil
Method
- Crush the juniper berries with the blade of your knife to release flavour. Pick one-third of the thyme leaves and set aside.
- Prepare poaching stock: cut two cheeks off each side of the lemon and reserve for platting. Squeeze the remaining juice into the saucepan, then add the squeezed lemon skin, pepper corns, juniper berries, remaining thyme sprigs, salt and 1.5 L of water.
- Add potatoes to the pot, place over medium-high heat and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 12 minutes.
- Meanwhile, peel carrots, leaving 3 cm green tops attached. Trim broccoli ends. After potatoes have been cooking for 12 minutes, add carrots and cook for 1 min, then add broccoli and cook for a further 2 mins until all vegetables are tender. Remove with a slotted spoon.
- Poach chicken: add chicken to pot. Reduce heat to medium and gently poach for 10 minutes or until just cooked through. Remove and rest in a warm place for 5 min. Discard poaching liquid. Meanwhile, place nuts in a cold fry pan over medium heat and cook for 5 mins or until golden.
- Heat a little olive oil in the fry pan, add the reserved thyme leaves and the vegetables, then toss to combine and warm through. Season with salt and pepper. Thinly slice chicken and serve with vegetables, pine nuts and lemon cheeks.