Why You Should Be Poaching Chicken In Wine

When it comes to excellent sources of protein, chicken is one of the most versatile meats on the planet. Nearly every part of the domesticated bird is edible: the breasts, the thighs, the wings, the legs, even the feet, all of which are go-to ingredients in a wide array of recipes. Chicken can also be prepared in a number of different ways — baked, deep-fried, grilled, boiled, or poached. If you've never tried poaching your chicken, you could be missing out on a mouth-wateringly delicious meal.

Poaching is a simple method in which foods are cooked while submerged in liquid, such as stock, water, milk, beer, and wine, according to What's Cooking America. Poached eggs, for example, are beloved by culinary pros like Geoffrey Zakarian as well as breakfast and brunch enthusiasts around the world. Poaching chicken is a popular technique that, when done right, yields a more ambrosial bite and a more succulent texture. Food journalist Mark Bittman, for one, is an advocate of poaching chicken, and he uses a beloved boozy base to accomplish the feat.

Mark Bittman, who has been writing about food in The New York Times and The Times Magazine since 1980 and penned the cookbooks "How to Cook Everything" and "How to Cook Everything Fast," is an expert on rustling up tasty dishes, many that call for chicken. Some of Bittman's most notable chicken recipes published by NYT Cooking include chicken with white wine, onions, and herbs, and chicken with mushrooms and wine.

When preparing chicken, Bittman prefers poaching his in white wine — and his reasoning makes a ton of sense. Wine, when used as the poaching liquid, adds a subtly sweet flavor to the chicken, while its acidity helps efficiently tenderize the meat, as he explains to People.

So, what type of white wine should be your go-to for poaching chicken? "Go with whatever style of white wine you like to drink: dry, fruity, even sweet will all work great," Bittman shared. Don't have a bottle of white wine on hand? "You can also just use water and a squeeze of lemon juice or a splash of rice vinegar," he suggests. And if you want to enjoy a glass or two of white wine with your feast, by all means!