Eyewitness Cook - Salon.com - Poached Chicken Salad

Anyway, my point is that chicken salad can seem a bit fusty, but really, it's kind of hot. It's one of my favorite things to make, because if you start by poaching the chicken, it becomes a food that gives you more than what you put into it.

We don't poach enough, overly obsessed with ass-kicking cooking like searing, grilling and roasting. I love the brown and crusty too, but don't snooze on clean, clear flavors and tender, succulent meat. These are the pleasures of poaching. And with one big bonus: The poaching liquid turns into a deep broth that becomes the foundation for soups or sauces, so you'll get lunch ready, and have a head start on dinner.