Poached Chicken Breasts with Green Goddess Sauce and Snap Peas

Steps

1. Step 1

   Put the broth, water, onion, garlic, lemon halves, parsley, tarragon sprigs, peppercorns and kosher salt in a wide pot or deep skillet (something that will hold the chicken in a single layer). Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then lower the heat and simmer 5 minutes so the broth takes on the herb flavor.

   10 min

   • 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
   • 2 cups water
   • 1 small onion
   • 2 cloves garlic
   • 1 lemon
   • 6 sprigs parsley
   • 4 sprigs tarragon
   • 1 tsp black peppercorns
   • 1 tbsp kosher salt
2. Step 2

   Slide the chicken breasts into the broth in a single layer; they should be fully covered by liquid (add a splash more water if not). Bring the liquid back to a bare simmer, with just a few bubbles breaking the surface, then immediately turn off the heat and cover the pot.

   5 min

   • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 6 oz each)
3. Step 3

   Let the chicken sit in the covered pot, off the heat, for 15 minutes. It's done when the thickest part reads 160°F on a thermometer or the meat is opaque all the way through; if it isn't, cover and let it sit 5 minutes more.

   15 min, hands-off

4. Step 4

   While the chicken poaches, make the sauce: combine the yogurt, avocado, basil, tarragon leaves, chives, lemon juice, olive oil and anchovy paste in a blender. Blend until smooth, adding the cold water a tablespoon at a time until it's a thick, pourable sauce. Season with salt to taste and refrigerate until serving.

   5 min

   • 3/4 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt
   • 1 ripe avocado
   • 1 cup basil leaves
   • 2 tbsp tarragon leaves
   • 1/4 cup chives
   • 2 tbsp lemon juice
   • 1 tbsp olive oil
   • 1 tsp anchovy paste
   • 2–3 tbsp cold water
   • salt
5. Step 5

   Bring a small pot of salted water to a boil and fill a bowl with ice water. Boil the snap peas for 2 minutes, until bright green and still crisp, then scoop them into the ice water. Drain well, pat dry and toss with the olive oil and a pinch of flaky salt.

   8 min

   • 12 oz sugar snap peas
   • 1 tbsp olive oil
6. Step 6

   Lift the chicken out of the broth onto a cutting board and let it rest 10 minutes, until just cool enough to handle. Slice each breast crosswise on a slight angle into 1/2-inch slices.

   10 min, hands-off

7. Step 7

   Spoon a pool of green goddess sauce onto each plate, pile on the snap peas and fan the sliced chicken over the top. Drizzle with more sauce and finish with flaky salt and a few grinds of black pepper.

   • flaky salt and black pepper

Where it’s from

Written by AI from an idea

Version 1, saved Oct 5, 2026