How to cook boneless chicken breast that's not dried out

jules12121

I get so bored with chicken and I love it grilled but every time I try to grill they get so dry. Anyone have a good method?

Geocitiesuser

I've asked this question so many times, on so many forums in my life. One thing, over and over, that I'm bewildered by is the tenderness of FAST FOOD GRILLED CHICKEN, whether it's wendies, mcdonalds, whatever, their grilled chicken is always ridiculously moist and tender.

Over the years I've come to 3.5 answers:

1. Never ever ever overcook chicken, or it will be dry and stringy.

2. Fast food places brine their chicken (a fast marinade in highly salted water)

3. A good marinade soak works pretty much just as well as brine. (this goes for all marinades, most marinades include salt and a bit of sugar which breaks down the meat fibers)

3.5 Italian places hammer out their chicken breasts. You can always manually beat the toughness out of it.


number 1 is the most important. Over cooking kills chicken because it is so lean. Beef is a little more forgiving in that aspect

Audreydhunt

Find a marinade or maybe drizzle a little olive oil over it with some season for flavor.

wefts

Poached Chicken you can add the herbs as you poach or poach plain or brined to season later. Poach slow as whole breasts a rolling boil will toughen them , for even more flavor poach on the bone breast . I do a few for the week and store tightly closed in containers in the back of the fridge , then it is available all week to slice or cube or shred into salads,or veggies and omelettes or even for a snack . Just an oz rolled in lettuce with chopped vidallia onion makes a nice snack ( or for chicken salad for hubby ) and I make soup with the stock and an extra breast .

L1zardQueen

Try chicken thigh instead.

usmcmp

I boil it. Adding seasoning to the water adds flavor without really adding calories. After it's boiled I chop or shred it to mix with a variety of vegetables.

jgnatca

Chicken schnitzel that has been pounded flat, breaded, and cooked quickly.

The breaded coatings prevent the outer layer from getting overcooked.

MoiAussi93

I just bake it...mine is always tender. I usually either coat it with some dijon mustard alone or with parmesan cheese, or I do a yogurt marinade. Yogurt marinades make the most tender chicken I've ever had.

But even when I just use salt & pepper with some olive oil, it is still tender...you just can't overcook it.

Chadxx

I sometimes boil it, shred it, and mix in salsa for tacos.

Butterfly it and cook it in a covered skilled and it will be very juicy. This is my usual method.

As far as grilling, low, slow, spray butter, and do not overcook it and you can keep it good and most.

dklibert

I have found that any way you cook it baked or grilled. Let it rest about 10 minutes or more before you cut it. If you cut it right out of the oven all the juices will run out on the board. If you let it rest they redistribute into the meat.

Also get a quick read thermometer to test it. 160 is what you are looking for it will actually rise while it is resting.

It is also juicer when cooked on the bone. I usually bake chicken breast on the bone with skin, season with seasoning of choice, 350 for 1 hour or internal temp 165, let rest 10 or 15 minutes and serve.

Here is a marinade. soupspiceeverythingnice.blogspot.com/2015/03/piri-piri-chicken.html

MarvinsAMartian

For chicken breast I marinate with olive oil + salt. If you want to add spices that's your call. I usually use a bit of dried thyme, basil and black pepper. Let sit in the fridge for min 2 hours to overnight. Then pound them out and grill until internal temp is at least 160. I usually serve it with a salad.

I work as a cook in a hospital so I can't get too crazy with my menu, but I've found this method does well with both patients and the cafeteria.

dc8066

Marinating meat before cooking usually helps. I use teryaki marinade but any marinade would do

JeromeBarry1

The thigh suggestion is valid. Fat is the joy of eating. Skinless chicken breast has none.
You can either adorn the chicken breast with spices through marinades and rubs, or you can add fat or oils.

Brolimom

I get GREAT results with my Sous Vide cooker. I cook a bunch ahead of time and use it all week in salads and other recipes.

HermanLily

Chicken thighs! White meat is.....dry

Hearts_2015

jules12121 wrote: »

I get so bored with chicken and I love it grilled but every time I try to grill they get so dry. Anyone have a good method?

When I bake chicken breasts now I cover the pan loosely with foil. Amazing difference ...they turn out nice and moist/juicy. Until I tried that mine came out the same.. dry.

mjhaze2013

I often use oven cooking bags. Everything stays moist, and not much to clean.

akfugatt

Never place chicken directly over fire, use some kind of marinade (I use olive oil, some beer and of course seasoning)

When grilling I'm constantly spraying chicken with beer and never leave the grill comes out great

ktekc

i like the ziplock steam bags or just a regular microwave steamer, but i also second that you have to let them rest as well.

AceyMadrox

Cook it uncovered at 450° for about 18 minutes. I just figured this out. I had been cooking it much longer in lower heat and it always came out dry, but since I switched to this time/temp it always comes out perfect!

mjbnj0001

Lots of good suggestions here above: marinade, yogurt marinade (buttermilk is even better), flat like schnitzel, thermometer and proper meat temperature control, use thighs on the grill, etc.

The "flat" suggestion is actually quite good. To add my two cents, I buy large packs of boneless/skinless for the price break. We joke at home that sometimes these packs contain "mutant" breasts - so large and unwieldy. So I trim and shape them before marinading and sending them to the grill. I cut the breast in half horizontally (to make two fairly-evenly-thick thinner pieces), after trimming off the chunk of rib meat and the pointy, thin end so that I wind up with four roughly equal and thin pieces (2 rectangular-ish, 1 triangular and whatever mess the rib meat chunk can be described as, LOL) that should grill faster and in more equal intervals (I wont give you a time, that depends on your setup - but it should be faster than the cook-the-thick-stuff-till-it-dries-out approach). Faster means moister (faster till properly done, of course!).

oldyogi66

Brolimom wrote: »

I get GREAT results with my Sous Vide cooker. I cook a bunch ahead of time and use it all week in salads and other recipes.

If you start using Sous Vide method of cooking it's difficult to cook any other way. In addition you have so many favoring options and the meat, chicken or otherwise is done to perfection

inkedillini26

I put them all in the crock pot...they cook in the juices with whatever spice you put in there (I LOVE adding a packet of pesto mix) and get super tender...then I shred it and put it with rice and steamed veggies for the week.

lucys1225

Use a meat thermometer. Take it off when it hits 165 and let it rest a couple of minutes.

tattygun

Brine the chicken breasts if you have time, makes a huge difference.

AceyMadrox wrote: »

Cook it uncovered at 450° for about 18 minutes. I just figured this out. I had been cooking it much longer in lower heat and it always came out dry, but since I switched to this time/temp it always comes out perfect!

Cook them like this, hot and fast. It seams to seal the skin and keep the juices inside, I've had them squirt all over (uhhhh) when I've cut into them so be careful of that. A temperature probe with alarm is very useful, tell's you precisely when to take them out.

NeilBasley

Simple and effective... steam it with a little bit of coconut oil and seasoning along with your veggies.. boiling in stock or protein can bed can be good to.. u can also soak the chicken in salt in the fridge which will retain the fluids then dear in the pan but do t use this method if your looking to lower salt intake..

Sunshine_And_Sand

If you want something not boring and like spicy, dry rub the chicken with taco seasoning and bake in the oven

Geocitiesuser

tattygun wrote: »

Brine the chicken breasts if you have time, makes a huge difference.

AceyMadrox wrote: »

Cook it uncovered at 450° for about 18 minutes. I just figured this out. I had been cooking it much longer in lower heat and it always came out dry, but since I switched to this time/temp it always comes out perfect!

Cook them like this, hot and fast. It seams to seal the skin and keep the juices inside, I've had them squirt all over (uhhhh) when I've cut into them so be careful of that. A temperature probe with alarm is very useful, tell's you precisely when to take them out.

I find high heat to be good over all in cooking. Not just for retaining natural liquid but for flavor as well because things start to caramelize. You can also fry/sear chicken breast in a pan similar to how you would cook a steak.

PWRLFTR1

I used to have the same problem when I grilled chicken breast, I brine before grilling.

sardelsa

I bake mine on a cooking rack and use a meat thermometer to check for doneness. Just a touch of oil and seasoning. Comes out amazing.

mjbnj0001

mjbnj0001 wrote: »

Lots of good suggestions here above: marinade, yogurt marinade (buttermilk is even better), flat like schnitzel, thermometer and proper meat temperature control, use thighs on the grill, etc.

The "flat" suggestion is actually quite good. To add my two cents, ...

Tonight, it's cool and rainy here, so I made up a batch of baked-then-broiled-to-finish "lemon-yogurt-marinated-Moroccan-style" chicken. Stayed very moist. Trim the chicken up sort of how I said above, this time not so much for thinness to grill, but smaller chunk size and more marinade surface area. Bake 400F for about 40 min to reach proper meat temp, then finish with a few minutes under the broiler to give brown highlights. Stays nice and moist. I perched the yogurt-coated pieces on a bed of rough-chopped carrot and onion in an open dish to bake; the roasting veg also helps ensure the chicken stays moister. Marinade: greek yogurt, lemon juice, lemon zest, a glug of olive oil and a good dose of the spice mix (Raz el Hanout).