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Poached Chicken and Asparagus with Lemon Aïoli

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Makes 4 servings 1x

Time 30 minutes

In How to Cook Everything Fast, recipe directions are separated into “prep” and “cook.” Here, we’ve made that distinction with italics for prep-work and plain text for cooking. This reflects the most efficient order and timing of tasks.

Units Scale

Ingredients

  • 2 lemons
  • 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (1 1/2 pounds)
  • 3 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tablespoon black peppercorns (optional)
  • Salt
  • 1 bunch asparagus (1 pound)
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • Pepper

Instructions

  1. Trim 1 lemon and slice it thinly.
  2. Put the chicken in a large pot with 2 cups water, 3 thyme sprigs, 2 bay leaves, 1 tablespoon black peppercorns if you’re using them, and a sprinkle of salt. Scatter the lemon slices into the water and turn the heat to high.
  3. When the liquid comes to a boil, lower the heat so it bubbles steadily but not vigorously and turn the chicken. Cover and cook until the chicken is opaque and just cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes.
  4. Trim the asparagus and peel the ends of thick spears if you like.
    Peel and chop 1 clove garlic; add it to a small bowl.
    Halve the other lemon; squeeze the juice into the bowl through a strainer or your fingers to catch the seeds.
  5. Ten minutes after you covered the chicken, check it by cutting into the thickest part. It should be slightly firm and still pink at the center. If it’s not there yet, re-cover and check again in a couple minutes.
  6. If using thick asparagus, layer it on top of the chicken and re-cover the pot. If the asparagus spears are thin, wait to add them after the chicken cooks for another 3 minutes. The idea is to have the chicken just barely pink at the thickest part when the asparagus is tender but still has a little crunch, usually about 5 minutes more; check both once or twice in that time. If the chicken finishes first, transfer it to a cutting board.
  7. To finish the aïoli, add 1/2 cup mayonnaise to the bowl with the lemon juice and garlic and sprinkle with salt and pepper; whisk to combine.
  8. When the asparagus is done, put it on a serving plate. Cut the chicken against the grain into long diagonal slices; transfer them to the plate. Serve the chicken and asparagus with the aïoli on the side.

— Recipe from How to Cook Everything Fast

Recipe variations

Poached Chicken and Carrots with Grapefruit Mayonnaise Instead of the asparagus, trim 1 pound carrots and quarter or halve them lengthwise so they’re no more than 1/2 inch thick. Substitute 1/2 grapefruit for the lemon.

Poached Chicken Cutlets and Red Peppers with Smoked Paprika Mayonnaise Omit the lemon and garlic. Replace the asparagus with 2 large red bell peppers. After trimming, coring, and seeding, cut them into thick slices; they’ll take a little less time to cook. Add 1 teaspoon smoked paprika to the mayonnaise in Step 4.

Poached Chicken and Baby Bok Choy with Soy Sauce Mayonnaise Instead of the thyme, cut 1 inch fresh ginger (peel and all) into coins and add it to the poaching liquid. Substitute 1 pound baby bok choy for the asparagus. Trim and halve them before adding to the pot in Step 4. Instead of the garlic and lemon in the sauce, whisk 2 tablespoons soy sauce into the  mayonnaise in Step 4.