Poached Chicken with Asparagus and Herb Mayonnaise

A few months ago in the cooking classroom, the kids’ class instructors were testing a recipe with poached chicken. That sparked an interesting conversion about poaching (or cooking something in liquid). Why don’t we use this incredibly versatile technique more often? Eggs aside, poaching gets little mention in today’s recipes. Yet, poaching is an excellent technique for cooking proteins without additional fats or oils. This recipe calls for chicken breast and fresh asparagus. After poaching, Eckert’s trimmed chicken breasts turn out incredibly tender while the asparagus maintains some crispness. These clean flavors are complimented by an easily-assembled herb mayo to make a stunning spring dish for an upscale lunch or dinner.

Our Garden Center is brimming with herb plants this spring meaning you can easily select your favorite herbs of choice for the herb mayo. I am partial to this combo of tarragon (a perennial herb), dill and parsley (biennial herbs), but basil is also an excellent choice. Have a little fun here trying different combinations of herbs and making notes on your favorite picks!!

If you are looking for a recipe to celebrate the spring season, give poaching a try and let the fresh flavors of asparagus and herbs shine!

Eat well this spring,

Angie

Ingredients

Salt and pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 2 lbs)
1 1/2 lb asparagus, trimmed*
1/2 cup mayonnaise
6 Tbs. chopped fresh herbs (ex: 2 Tbsp each: dill, tarragon, parsley)
1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. lemon juice

Note: Asparagus spears of medium thickness work best in this recipe.
 

Instructions

1. Bring two cups water and 1 tablespoon salt to boil in 12-inch skillet. Add chicken, reduce heat to medium and simmer, covered, until chicken registers 160 degrees, 12 to 15 minutes, flipping once halfway through cooking. Transfer to platter and tent loosely with aluminum foil.
2. Add asparagus to skillet, cover, and simmer until tender and bright green, about 4 minutes, redistributing once during cooking. Transfer to serving platter with chicken.
3. Meanwhile, whisk mayonnaise, dill, tarragon, parsley, mustard, and lemon juice together and season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon herbed mayonnaise over chicken and serve with asparagus.
4. Serves 4.