Boiled chicken breasts are both quick and flavorful!
Boiling chicken breasts is an easy way to prepare chicken that’s both tender and delicious. Use it for meal prep, batch cooking, or to add to a casserole.
Boiled Chicken Breast For Quick Prep
- This is an easy way to prepare chicken for casseroles, soups, or salads.
- They come out moist and juicy every time!
- The broth or cooking liquid adds lots of flavor and is perfect for soups or cooking rice or pasta.
- Boiled chicken freezes beautifully, so stock up for quick and easy future meals.
Simple Ingredients, Delicious Chicken
Boiled chicken breasts are simmered in a flavorful broth—keep the broth for soup, rice, or gravy!
Chicken: I use boneless skinless chicken breasts for simmering, but if you have bone-in (aka split chicken breasts) use those! The skin and bones will add extra flavor to the meat and the broth. (You can boil a whole chicken too).
Flavor: Add a rib of celery, a few slices of onion, and some herbs to the broth. It will flavor the chicken and make a delicious broth.
Broth/Water: I prefer to boil chicken breasts in broth for extra flavor. If you’re using water, add some additional seasoning or a bouillon cube if you’d like.
Keep The Broth!
- If boiling in broth, strain the broth and use it for soups or to add to recipes.
- If boiling in water, use the water to cook rice or boil pasta for dinner, it will add an extra layer of flavor.
How to Boil Chicken Breast
- Add just enough broth or water to cover fresh or frozen chicken breasts in a saucepan.
- Season with salt, pepper, & fresh herbs if using. Add a rib of celery and a few slices of onion.
- Cook breasts just until the meat is cooked (per recipe below).
More Ways to Cook Chicken Breasts
- Crockpot Shredded Chicken
- Air Fryer Chicken Breasts
- Oven Baked Chicken Breasts
- Instant Pot Chicken
- Easy Grilled Chicken Breast
How to Shred Chicken
Shredding boiled chicken is super easy, and you don’t have to wait until it’s completely cooled. DO let it rest and cool for at least 10 minutes so it stays tender and juicy.
- With a fork in each hand, start at one end of the boiled chicken breast and gently pierce the meat.
- Pull away from the meat until it starts to shred away. Continue to shred the meat until the pieces are at the desired size. Easy peasy!
Chicken can also be shredded in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer. Simply place the chicken in a bowl and let the mixer do the work.
Storing Boiled Chicken
Keep shredded chicken in individual zippered bags for last-minute portioning in the fridge, up to 5 days or the freezer up to 8 weeks. Definitely save the broth the chicken was boiled in to make rice or to use as a base for a soup or stew. Or, freeze broth in ice cube trays and pop one out to season a gravy or sauce!
Did you make these Boiled Chicken Breasts? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
How to Boil Chicken Breasts
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts 7 oz each
- 2 cups chicken broth or water, more as needed
- 1 rib celery cut in 2" chunks
- ¼ medium onion sliced ½-inch thick
- salt and black pepper
- ½ teaspoon poultry seasoning or 2 sprigs of fresh parsley, sage, or 1 sprig rosemary
Instructions
- Place chicken breasts in a medium saucepan and add broth or water to just about cover the breasts.
- Add celery, onion, salt, pepper, and seasoning to the pot and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cover and reduce heat to a gentle simmer, the liquid should be lightly bubbling.
- Cook boneless chicken breasts for about 12-15 minutes or bone in chicken breasts for 25-30 minutes or until they reach an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Remove from the cooking liquid and rest for at least 5 minutes. Shred or chop as desired.
- Strain the cooking liquid and use in soups or even as a cooking liquid for rice.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Chicken
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Great directions the chicken breasts came out perfect. Thank you!
Thank you it came out perfectly
I am glad you enjoyed it, Ann!
I’ve done this many times now. It’s super easy and tasty. I use it when making chicken enchiladas. I like the shredded texture better than cubed chicken.
So glad you loved this Kathy, we love it as an easy way to prep chicken too!
I’ve never boiled chicken before and started a low calorie diet plan that calls for boiling chicken, so I did a Google search and chose this recipe at random. It turned out great and the broth is delicious! I don’t know if I’ll ever want to bake or fry chicken again, so easy and less mess too! Since I’m on a strict diet, I used one cup of low sodium vegetable broth and one cup of water, then added pepper, a little salt, dash of garlic powder, sprinkle of dried basil, and cut up chunks of celery. I will be using the broth for a midnight snack when my evening cravings kick in…
Glad you enjoyed this recipe, Hols!
i have been wondering about how to make ahead chicken and how long to keep in fridge or freezer. thank you so much for this article,. if you want to save the broth, can you just let it cool and put in a jar and keep in the fridge. if so how long will the broth be good. thank you so much
It’ll keep about 5 days in the refrigerator.