What I came in to say. A few years ago I was waiting for friends at a pub and got talking to two chefs. I asked them for some simple tips that would easily improve things cooked at home. One they stressed was that if you cook chicken breasts you must either marinate them or brine them.
All very good suggestions, but it also depends on how they want to actually use the bit of birdy.
I am a serious fan of poaching boneless skinless poultry, though you can poach a whole guinea hen and then endore and broil to crisp up the skin [guineas are very dry, they do not have anywhere near the fat to stay moist and are very easy to overcook]
Actually, poaching is a great way to cook fish also. If you learn to make the 3 main types of court bouillion you can’t go wrong.
Chicken:
9 cups cold water
4 1/2 cups dry white wine
1 large carrot, sliced
1 large onion, sliced
1 rib celery, sliced
1 tomato, large chop
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 Tablespoon salt [you can eliminate the salt if you like, though it really does help the flavor of the chicken and it is not that much salt for as much liquid as is in this batch]
10-15 black peppercorns, 2 bay leaves, 3 sprigs fresh thyme, 1 sprig fresh tarragon, 2 sprigs fresh parsley tied in gauze as a bouquet garni*
Get the liquid to a boil, then drop the temperature down until the bubbles stop and the liquid is sort of shimmering. Slide in 8 to 10 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, or parts of a whole chicken. Gently poach covered until done - breasts 6- 8 minutes, other pieces until there are no pink juices when pierced.
You take the chicken out, strain it and you can reuse it - just remember to bring it to a boil before you use it. It freezes ok. I used to actually go ahead and poach 8 or 10 breasts at a time and freeze them up individually, then all i needed to do was take however many i needed out and use them as I needed. You can also add stuff like ginger and a touch of soy for an oriental take, or other herbs as you like them.
Court bouillion for fish:
More or less the same, though I sub in lemon for the acid, and change the herbs a bit, I will use dill and sage for salmon, thyme and rosemary for sole, pike or fluke, I blue trout and perch, and will sometimes toss in ginger as I think it goes well with fish.
Poaching in milk:
No aromatics and just a touch of freshly ground pepper, thyme, a bay leaf and one small clove of garlic sliced thinly tossed into milk. Put the fillet of fish into it, then turn the heat on and gently bring the temp up to about 180 fahr., gently poach until the fillet jsut barely starts to flake. After removing the fish, you can simmer the milk and add a dab of buerre manie to thicken as a sauce.