Can i boil boneless skinless chicken breast?

I've been a professional cook for around 9 years now, and a common question i get asked by family and friends goes something like 'can i boil boneless skinless chicken breasts?'.

The answer of course is yes, you can. I personally don't think that cooking chicken in this way is the 'best' way to cook chicken, but it's certainly one of the easiest and most efficient.

How to boil chicken:

First of all, i'd advise you defrost the chicken before cooking it. While it is possible to boil chicken from frozen, i don't recommend you try it, as it can cause the chicken to cook unevenly, and the chicken almost always comes out far too tough and leathery. Not Good!.

To defrost your chicken breasts, simply leave them in a covered dish in the refrigerator overnight, or defrost them in the microwave. When defrosting in the microwave, do it on a long, low heat. If you defrost it too fast and on a high heat, the microwave will cook your chicken, and the result will be a bit of meat that even your dog would have problems chewing through.

Once defrosted, follow these easy steps to cook your chicken:

1. Fill a pot with water, and bring to the boil
2. When the water is boiling, add your chicken breasts. Ensure that the water covers your chicken completely
3. Leave to cook

• For small, thin chicken breasts, cook for about 15-20 mins
• For medium sized breasts, cook for about 25-30 mins
• For large, thick chicken breasts, cook for about 35-40 mins

Once your chicken is cooked, always test it before eating. The times i mention above are simply guidelines, and cooking times will vary depending on chicken sizes and cooker type. To test if your chicken is cooked properly, simply cut into the middle of a breast with a knife. If the meat is white throughout, and the juices run clear, then the chicken is cooked and is safe to eat. If the meat still has a pinkish tint to it, and the juices are not clear (pink or red juices) then you will need to cook your chicken for longer.


This is a simple guide on boiling chicken, but to be honest cooking chicken in this way takes a lot of the flavor out of it. Just like making soup, boiling chicken takes the taste out of the chicken and deposits it into the water, which is not really what you want.

In order to infuse some taste into your chicken, its best to marinade the chicken overnight, and when cooking, add some salt, pepper and spices / herbs.

For some really good simple, easy and quick boiled chicken recipes, which have some flavor! check out this link:

Tasty Boiled Chicken Recipes

Some more great boiled chicken resources:

Boiling Chicken Guide
How to Boil Chicken