Guidance for cooking chicken breast

duskyblue
duskyblue Posts: 14 Member
in Recipes

Can anyone suggest a good way to cook plain chicken breasts (for using in chicken salad and other recipes) so they don't get tough?

I've been vegetarian for a long stretch. I'm now eating some chicken but my meat cooking skills are dodgy at best. ๐Ÿ˜…

Answers

  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 7,077 Member

    Poaching is pretty easy. The method I use is pretty much just heating water (or broth) till it simmers and then add the chicken, put the lid on and set aside for 20 minutes.

    https://www.recipetineats.com/poached-chicken/

  • nossmf
    nossmf Posts: 13,819 Member

    Two things will dry out chicken very rapidly: too thin and too hot.

    When trimming your chicken breasts of excess fat, your goal should be about an inch thick (fingertip to first knuckle). Thicker takes longer to cook and runs the risk of the outside getting done while the inside remains undercooked; thinner gets dry and tough.

    Heat-wise, aim for medium heat. Baking at 350 takes 25-30 minutes; baking at 425 is faster, but often yields dried out leather. Same with grilling: indirect heat is better than actual flames touching the meat.

    Besides the poaching idea above, you can also set the oven to 350. Put a wire cookie-cooling rack inside a baking tray to hold the chicken up from the pan and allow the oven hot air to reach all sides of the chicken (no need to flip halfway through cooking). I personally spray the wire rack with a non-stick cooking spray, then bake the chicken for 25-27 minutes (thicker pieces need longer times).

    Pan-searing chicken is also relatively quick and easy, just set a skillet to medium heat, spray with a non-stick spray, add chicken for 4-5 minutes, flip and sear other side for another 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and cut into the thickest part of the thickest slice: if the color is not a consistent white throughout, put back onto the skillet.

    One other aspect to remember is these processes work best with thawed chicken. There are ways to work with frozen chicken, but they take longer and cooking can be inconsistent from one piece to another.

  • jodymaro1
    jodymaro1 Posts: 239 Member

    you can steam it or bake it. my instructions are below:

    1. get a frying pan. roll up three balls of aluminum foil and put in frying pan spread out, place plate on top of the 3 balls for balance, put water in the pan and chicken on that plate. cover and steam for as long as needed. I like to check it every 10-20 minutes.
    2. bake it in a pan with pam spray on bottom and cover the pan with aluminum foil completely. alternatively you can make a broth or sauce instead of using the spray, inside the pan with the chicken, but it may take longer to bake. lastly, bake for like I don't know maybe an hour or two. check and make sure fully cooked. I have cooked short ribs for 4 hours this way with a brothy sauce inside the pan, fully covered with the foil, and it came out soooo fricking tender!

    Both ways above I always end up with very moist chicken.

  • Corina1143
    Corina1143 Posts: 4,653 Member

    I used to always overcook chicken breasts. It made them dry and chewy. It took me a while to figure out to take it off the heat when you're not really sure it's done yet. It stays hot inside and finishes cooking off heat. Then I discovered legs are easier to cook, stay moist and tender, have more flavor, and the calories and macros are very similar.

  • dadsafrantic
    dadsafrantic Posts: 188 Member

    brine it first. i like this one. https://www.mamalovesfood.com/chicken-brine/

    i will add some granulated garlic too sometimes depending on what the dish will be. then i cheat. i either sous vide/pan sear the chicken https://www.seriouseats.com/the-food-lab-complete-guide-to-sous-vide-chicken-breast or use the anova precision oven set to a chicken recipe. either way tastes like you cheated. so amazingly good and not dry. breasts, legs, whole birds.

    another way is to pound them into paillards https://www.chefsresource.com/what-is-chicken-paillard/

    i like to grill them or quick sear in a pan. once you remove them from the heat you can douse them with some home made vinaigrette. as it cools it sucks in the flavor.

  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 8,185 Member

    Use an instant read meat thermometer. Itโ€™s a piece of equipment that costs maybe $10 on Amazon (donโ€™t bother with the very expensive models), and takes about the same room to store as a fork in a kitchen drawer. When the probe says the internal temperature is 72C the chicken is done. My price estimate might be on the low side because I bought mine 6 years ago.

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