bonappettit wrote:
> I am essentially a not too bright male who regards persons like Alton
> Brown with profound suspicion. Unable to find a self-sacrificing woman
> to cook for me, I have to do this dreary stuff myself. I read a book
> with 487 chicken recipes, and I still don't know how to cook a chicken
> breast in water for sandwiches. Persons with my degree of inaptitude
> don't want to know from moist, savory, tasteful, sauces, and
> thermometers — I just want to know enough to avoid E. coli and
> salmonella.
>
> Depending on which package has the least juice on the bottom, I buy
> skinless, boneless, chicken breasts or chicken breasts that have skin
> on and/or bone in. All I want to do is cook this stuff to eat with rice
> or for sandwiches.
>
> Do I have to rinse the raw chicken first? How much water do I put in
> the pot with it? Do I put salt in the water? Do I bring the water to a
> boil? If so, I imagine I reduce it to a simmer, right? How long do I
> simmer? How do I save the leftovers? How long can I keep them before
> they get hairy?
>
> After I get this down pat, I'll go for the Alton Brown treatment.
>
>
>
>
Alton Brown is actually someone good to learn from because you are
actually learning the science behind the process not just watching
someone assembling something.

The simplest approach is to poach them like this:

Bring water* (4 cups) to boil, rinse the chicken and drop into the pot
and reduce the heat so it simmers. Let it simmer for ~ 70 minutes, cover
the pot (don't peek), turn off the heat and let it sit until cool to
the touch.

*You can poach in anything you like such as plain water, or add some
white wine, or lemon, or use stock. You can also quarter an onion and
add that or a couple cloves of smashed garlic or whatever seasoning you
like.

Wrap the leftovers in plastic wrap and refrigerate.