Master Recipe 
In my cooking classes, no matter the season, poached chicken breasts and morel mushrooms are a favorite. During the January truffle week, we toss in thick slices of fresh black truffles, and in the spring Paris classes, fresh peas add a touch of greenery, crunch, and a healthful lift. Fresh button mushrooms can be substituted for the morels and cooked in the mixture of cream and stock for a few minutes.
As to poaching chicken breasts, should we use cold water or hot? I have done side-by-side tests with breasts from the same chicken, using the same aromatics. Without a doubt, the poultry that is put into a room-temperature liquid, then brought to a very gentle simmer comes out more tender, less rigid than its counterpart put into simmering liquid. Chicken breasts can be poached in just water or just stock, and with or without added aromatics. I prefer to use both stock and aromatics, which gives the poultry more flavor, and also creates a rich and flavorful stock. Note that I do not peel the onion, as the skin is a natural dye and helps add color to the stock. Reserve the resulting stock for soups and sauces.
8 SERVINGS
EQUIPMENT: A 2-quart (2 l) saucepan; dampened cheesecloth; a colander; a 6-quart (6 l) cast-iron pot with a lid; an instant-read thermometer (optional); 8 warmed dinner plates.
PEAS
1 tablespoon coarse sea salt
2 cups (300 g) fresh or frozen shelled peas
MOREL SAUCE
1-1/2 ounces (40 g) dried morel mushrooms (about 12 large)
3/4 cup (185 ml) heavy cream
3/4 cup (185 ml) Chicken Stock
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, or to taste
Fine sea salt
Coarse, freshly ground black pepper
CHICKEN AND POACHING LIQUID
4 boneless, skinless free-range chicken breasts (about 8 ounces/250 g each)
1-1/2 quarts (1.5 l) Chicken Stock or water
1 onion, unpeeled and quartered
Several fresh thyme sprigs
6 fresh parsley sprigs
2 bay leaves
6 black peppercorns
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
TO SERVE
Cooked petit épeautre (farro) or rice
Fresh tarragon leaves
Coarse, freshly ground black pepper
1. Prepare a large bowl of ice water.
2. In the same saucepan, bring 1 quart (1 l) water to a boil over high heat. Add the coarse sea salt and the peas and blanch, uncovered, for 2 minutes, counting from when the water comes back to a boil. Taste for the desired doneness. The peas should still have a bit of crunch. Drain well. Plunge into the ice water until cool to halt the cooking and help the peas retain their bright green color, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain well and set aside.
3. Rinse the morels in a colander under cold running water to rid them of any grit. Transfer them to a heatproof cup or bowl and pour in 2 cups (500 ml) hottest possible tap water. Set aside for 15 minutes to plump them up. With the slotted spoon, carefully remove the mushrooms from the liquid, leaving behind any grit that has fallen to the bottom, and set aside, reserving the liquid.
4. Place the dampened cheesecloth in the colander set over a large bowl. Carefully spoon the mushroom soaking liquid into the colander, leaving behind any grit at the bottom of the measuring cup. You should have 1-1/2 cups (375 ml) liquid. (If there is too much liquid, discard it or save it for another use. If there is not enough liquid, top it off with water to make 1-1/2 cups/375 ml.)
5. In a large saucepan, combine the strained soaking liquid, cream, and stock and cook over high heat, uncovered, until reduced by half, 15 to 20 minutes. Season with the lemon juice, and salt and pepper. Add the plumped morels and heat until warmed through, 2 to 3 minutes.
6. In the cast-iron pot, combine the chicken and all the poaching liquid ingredients, partially cover, and bring to a very gentle simmer over medium heat, until bubbles begin forming around the edge of the pot, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, still partially covered, until a knife inserted into the thickest part of the breast shows that the chicken is white and is cooked through, not pink, or an instant-read thermometer inserted into the chicken registers 165°F (74°C), about 5 minutes more, for a total of 10 minutes. Do not overcook the poultry or it may turn rigid and tough. Remove the pot from the heat, cover, and let rest for 15 minutes. The resting will help keep the poached poultry moist, tender, and buttery.
7. Remove the chicken from the poaching liquid and slice the breasts diagonally into strips. Add the warm sliced chicken to the morel sauce and toss to coat (warm chicken will more readily absorb the sauce). Keep the sauce warm and let rest for at least 5 minutes and up to 15 minutes, to allow the chicken to absorb the sauce. Add the peas and warm through. Taste for seasoning. With a slotted spoon, lift the chicken, mushrooms, and peas from the sauce and arrange them on the warmed dinner plates. With a large spoon, drizzle the sauce over all. Serve, if desired, with petit épeautre or rice. Garnish with tarragon and pass the pepper mill alongside.