Learn how to boil frozen chicken breast - perfect for shredding, slicing, or adding to salads and sandwiches. A quick and easy method!
Boiling frozen chicken breast is quick, easy, and healthier. It's great for salads, sandwiches, or other meals, and you likely have the meat in your freezer. Boiling and poaching are basically the same thing here.
And if you have an air fryer, why not use it for making Air-Fried Frozen Chicken Breast? Or learn How to Boil Chicken Wings; it's really useful!
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Recipe ingredients
Frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts or bone-in, skin-on breasts. An average boneless skinless piece weighs between 6 oz and 8 oz/ 170 - 230 g. You will have to adjust the cooking slightly.
Poaching liquid: You can use just water, salt, and pepper, with an emphasis on salt - very important! If you wish, you can also use chicken stock. A bouillon cube is fine.
Extras (optional): Adding a few vegetables and spices to the poaching liquid boosts the flavor of both the chicken and the broth. Try using onion, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns, juniper berries, or allspice berries, as well as carrots, celery, parsley stalks, or dried herbs.
- Another bonus of using some extras is a tastier broth, which you can use for making soup like Chicken and Potato Soup or fricassee, for instance.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to boil chicken from frozen?
Step #1: Place the frozen breasts into a saucepan large enough to hold them in a single layer. Add enough to submerge them.
Step #2: Add a bouillon cube, dried herbs or spices, and any additional ingredients you prefer.
Step #3: Slowly bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until the internal temperature measured with an instant-read thermometer is 165ยฐF/ 75ยฐC (the Amazon affiliate link opens in a new tab).
Step #4: Remove from the stock and let rest for about 5 minutes before shredding or slicing.
The white stuff floating on top of the poaching liquid is perfectly normal. Itโs protein released from the meat as it cooks, and the fibers shrink.
How long to boil frozen chicken breast?
Frozen boneless skinless breasts of about 6 oz - 8 oz/ 170 g- 230 g will need about 20 minutes.
Fresh boneless, skinless pieces of the same size need 12 to 15 minutes to cook. If you cut them in half or quarters, cooking time will be shorter - check for doneness after 7-8 minutes.
Learn How to Boil a Whole Chicken or make Boiled Chicken and Rice.
Storage and leftover broth
Allow it to cool completely. Leave it whole, cut it into pieces or slices, or shred it.
Refrigerate boiled frozen chicken breast for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
Strain the broth after removing the meat, and discard the white residue and all other ingredients. If using carrots, keep those; they are still tasty. Use the broth to make soup, sauces, or add it to stews, goulash, or other dishes.
The broth keeps well in the fridge for about 3 days. To keep it for longer, freeze it.
How to use boiled chicken?
- Make sandwiches using either shredded or sliced pieces, or add to salads, soups, tacos, enchiladas, or quesadillas.
- Make this fricassee using chicken meat instead of turkey.
- Or try a chicken and leek pie.
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How to Boil Frozen Chicken Breast
Ingredients
- 2 frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts
- water
- 1 cube chicken bouillon
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 4 black peppercorns or ยผ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Assemble the pot: Place the chicken into a saucepan large enough to hold it in a single layer. Add the liquid, about 2 cups, or enough to submerge the meat. Add a bouillon cube, some salt and pepper, dried herbs or spices, and any of the extras you wish.2 frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts + water + 1 cube chicken bouillon + 1 teaspoon fine sea salt + 4 black peppercorns or ยผ teaspoon black pepper
- Boil frozen chicken: Slowly bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165ยฐF/ 75ยฐC, about 20 minutes.
- Check with a meat thermometer. Alternatively, cut a piece of chicken in the middle; the meat should be white, and no pink is allowed.
- Rest boiled chicken: Remove the parts from the stock and let rest for about 5 minutes before shredding or slicing.
Cooking time:
- Frozen boneless skinless breasts: about 20 minutes.Fresh boneless, skinless chicken breasts: 12 to 15 minutes.Fresh bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts: about 30 minutes or longer, depending on size.
Notes
- Size: The chicken breasts usually weigh between 6 oz -8 oz/ 170 - 230 g.
- The cooking time will differ from one type of breast to another.
- Chicken stock made with a bouillon cube is fine.
- Add other ingredients for a tastier broth: 1 small onion, 1-2 garlic cloves, dried herbs, 1 small carrot, 2 small celery stalks, juniper, or allspice berries. See the blog post for suggestions on how to use the leftover broth.
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