Velvety Chicken Breasts, Poached in Your Oven
Whether on the bone or off, chicken poached in a low oven yields silky, tender meat.
'A slow, gentle poach in an oven isn’t as sexy as a fast cook over the jumping flames of a burner or grill. There’s no caramelization, no glistening black at the edges, no siren song of sizzling. But for perfectly silky chicken breasts, cooked without drying out or turning rubbery, a placid poaching is the most reliable way to go.
Most poached chicken recipes are done on the stovetop, turning the heat to its lowest setting, and letting the liquid in the pan gently firm up the fowl’s flesh.
This recipe is different. It’s done in the oven, where the heat is even and lower than the wispiest burner flames. It does take around an hour to fully cook, but it’s a hands-off, stress-free hour: You can leave the kitchen should you desire, and not worry about whether your dinner will overcook.
It won’t. Instead, it will emerge from its warm bath juicy and flavorful.
This is especially true if you use chicken stock as the poaching liquid. Well-salted water will work, but it won’t give you the same depth of flavor. Be sure to save the poaching liquid. If you used stock, it will be double-strength and very rich. If you used water, you’ll have a light broth that’s good as a soup base.'
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/14/dining/poached-chicken-recipes.html?