I have started poaching protein a lot lately, mainly because it is pretty healthy cooking, as I just use a water base heavily loaded with fresh herbs, pepper corns, garlic, onions and whole peppers…and it is fast (you don’t need a long marinading time for your protein.)
Our herbs continue to thrive in our garden so I was inspired to make a quick salsa verde with a plethora of our fresh herbs, lime, garlic and olive oil, which I spooned over the chicken but would also have been delicious as a sauce on pasta, with a little Greek yogurt mixed in for a veggie or bread dip, or simply to dress a salad. Truly delicious.

Recipe:

Herb Roasted Chicken with Salsa Verde
Ingredients for the chicken:
2 whole chicken breasts, skin removed then sliced or pounded into a thin scallopini for quick poaching
2 rosemary stems
1 shallot, sliced
3 whole garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon peppercorns
Fresh herbs – whatever you have in your garden beyond the rosemary, I used 5 stems of thyme, a few whole stems of oregano, a few whole stems of cilantro
1 tablespoon salt
1 sliced lemon
1/2 cup white wine
1 green pepper, we used a banana pepper from our garden, sliced or a pinch of red pepper flakes
2 cups water

For the salsa:
1 – 1 1/2 cups packed soft herbs, we used oregano, basil, dill, thyme, cilantro and a bit of mint – whatever you have in your garden or on hand
Juice and zest of 1 lemon or lime (again, whatever you have handy)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar1 garlic clove, chopped
1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper
Pinch red pepper or 1 small banana pepper, stem and seeds removed and chopped
Olive oil

Preparation:
Prepare your paoching liquid by adding all the ingredients except the chicken to a shallow pan and bring to a low boil.  Add the chicken and cooked until the chicken is cooked through (I often cut one piece to make sure there is no pink…I am a little weird on making sure chicken is cooked all the way through; or use a meat thermometor and make sure it reads about 165 degrees)  Poaching will only take about 15-20 minutes, depending on how thinly sliced your chicken breasts are.

Meanwhile, add the ingredients for the salsa to a food processor with about 1/2 cup olive oil to start, after thoroughly washing your herbs. Chop for a few pulses until well bended, pulsing continuously until a balanced, uniform puree is made. Add more oil if you want a thinner salsa, to your taste. Pour into a bowl and set aside. When ready to serve spoon over slightly cooled chicken.