Boneless skinless

anemoneprose

My plan is to bake a whack of chicken breasts (like in the title) for lunches (sandwiches/burritos/souvlaki type stuff). How can I cook them to make them usable with a range of spreads (mustard, pesto, tzatzkiki, salsa, etc)?

What is brining exactly, have heard that might help.

I don't like this kind of chicken usually, I just need a low cal protein filler for non-smelly lunches I can eat on the go. (Otherwise would have gone for tuna, egg salad, really anything.)

mariabee

If boneless skinless chicken breast isn't your favorite, I would suggest grilling it instead of baking. If you want a neutral protein, nothing wrong with a little salt and pepper.

But when I grill an entire tray of breasts for the week, I just gather up all my favorite spices then start sprinkling:

3 of them Cajun
3 of them with Herbes de Provence
3 plain with salt and pepper
3 with just pepper, then baste with bbq sauce

Or what about chicken thighs? Not as lean, but much more flavor.

Pork tenderloin is super lean too.

Beckboo0912

I got slightly excited however, brining is letting it sit for a certain amount of time in water, vinegar, salt or some other kind of spice. I usually grill mine or poach (with a little water and lemon juice) if I grill it I use pepper and salt once in a wile I'll use something else but salt and pepper or just pepper.

anemoneprose

Thanks for your replies!

So, I sat them in lemon juice, garlic, olive oil & salt for 2 hours, and then tried to broil them in the oven (no grill). Did not succeed in making them not-disgusting.

If I quantify the dollar amount of my nausea, it is totally worth spending an extra couple of bucks for a cafe to make me a whole grain panini.

Do appreciate your thoughts, though!

whierd

Grilling is your best bet to hit all of those types of sauces. Otherwise I would recommend boiling.

whierd

Thanks for your replies!

So, I sat them in lemon juice, garlic, olive oil & salt for 2 hours, and then tried to broil them in the oven (no grill). Did not succeed in making them not-disgusting.

If I quantify the dollar amount of my nausea, it is totally worth spending an extra couple of bucks for a cafe to make me a whole grain panini.

Do appreciate your thoughts, though!

At what heat did you broil them? And what did you find disgusting about them?

anemoneprose

Thanks for your replies!

So, I sat them in lemon juice, garlic, olive oil & salt for 2 hours, and then tried to broil them in the oven (no grill). Did not succeed in making them not-disgusting.

If I quantify the dollar amount of my nausea, it is totally worth spending an extra couple of bucks for a cafe to make me a whole grain panini.

Do appreciate your thoughts, though!

At what heat did you broil them? And what did you find disgusting about them?

Heat: Ok well, I am not great at skinless boneless in the oven so started off wrong - 425 for 10 mins, then 400 for 25 mins. At that point it had reached an internal temp of 190 F. But it didn't *smell* cooked, & if I were served that at a restaurant I'd give it back. So I stuck it back in at 500 for another 6 mins. Wasn't dry, was cooked, MADE ME WANT TO BARF and I still feel queasy.

I can *roast* a chicken, I can pan-fry breaded chicken, I can make a Moroccan chicken tagine, I cannot cook this stupid skinless boneless stuff for sandwiches.

This isn't the first time, this is like experiment #8. It's over.

But thanks!!

anemoneprose

Ok I'm trying to think of a way of describing what the disgustingness is about.
- no flavour
- my mouth recoils from the food & i have to choke it down
- idk what else, it's gross

whierd

Thanks for your replies!

So, I sat them in lemon juice, garlic, olive oil & salt for 2 hours, and then tried to broil them in the oven (no grill). Did not succeed in making them not-disgusting.

If I quantify the dollar amount of my nausea, it is totally worth spending an extra couple of bucks for a cafe to make me a whole grain panini.

Do appreciate your thoughts, though!

At what heat did you broil them? And what did you find disgusting about them?

Heat: Ok well, I am not great at skinless boneless in the oven so started off wrong - 425 for 10 mins, then 400 for 25 mins. At that point it had reached an internal temp of 190 F. But it didn't *smell* cooked, & if I were served that at a restaurant I'd give it back. So I stuck it back in at 500 for another 6 mins. Wasn't dry, was cooked, MADE ME WANT TO BARF and I still feel queasy.

I can *roast* a chicken, I can pan-fry breaded chicken, I can make a Moroccan chicken tagine, I cannot cook this stupid skinless boneless stuff for sandwiches.

This isn't the first time, this is like experiment #8. It's over.

But thanks!!

Want to give it one more try?

Take the breasts, give them a dry rub of your favorite spices. Preheat the oven to 350. Put a tablespoon of oil in a large skillet with a metal handle and heat it on a very high flame. Put the breasts in the pan, sear both sides for 5 minutes. Again, a high heat is necessary. Then pop the whole pan in the oven for 15-20 minutes depending on breast thickness. Makes an amazingly moist chicken.

anemoneprose

Thanks for your replies!

So, I sat them in lemon juice, garlic, olive oil & salt for 2 hours, and then tried to broil them in the oven (no grill). Did not succeed in making them not-disgusting.

If I quantify the dollar amount of my nausea, it is totally worth spending an extra couple of bucks for a cafe to make me a whole grain panini.

Do appreciate your thoughts, though!

At what heat did you broil them? And what did you find disgusting about them?

Heat: Ok well, I am not great at skinless boneless in the oven so started off wrong - 425 for 10 mins, then 400 for 25 mins. At that point it had reached an internal temp of 190 F. But it didn't *smell* cooked, & if I were served that at a restaurant I'd give it back. So I stuck it back in at 500 for another 6 mins. Wasn't dry, was cooked, MADE ME WANT TO BARF and I still feel queasy.

I can *roast* a chicken, I can pan-fry breaded chicken, I can make a Moroccan chicken tagine, I cannot cook this stupid skinless boneless stuff for sandwiches.

This isn't the first time, this is like experiment #8. It's over.

But thanks!!

Want to give it one more try?

Take the breasts, give them a dry rub of your favorite spices. Preheat the oven to 350. Put a tablespoon of oil in a large skillet with a metal handle and heat it on a very high flame. Put the breasts in the pan, sear both sides for 5 minutes. Again, a high heat is necessary. Then pop the whole pan in the oven for 15-20 minutes depending on breast thickness. Makes an amazingly moist chicken.

Right now I am resisting forcibly evicting what's currently in my guts so have strong chicken-hate, but that sounds pretty decent. I might give it a go next week, for reals. Thanks!

elizabeth616

I actually just pulled 5 lbs of chicken breasts out of my crock pot and shredded it. I don't flavor the chicken in the crock pot much at all because i use it for so many different things. I mix it with pesto, bbq sauce, curry, on salads, tacos, omelettes with avocados, pizza (pesto, light alfredo, bbq, marinara), like a cream cheese chipotle dip thing, chicken salad...the list goes on. I shred it, portion it into 3 oz and put in freezer zippy bags. I cook all my chicken for 2 weeks at one time.

What I do:

Spray crockpot with Pam
Trim chicken breasts
Put them in the crockpot and season with pepper, poultry seasoning, ms. dash
Cook on low 6-7 hours
Cool, shred, portion, freeze!

Hopes this helps! Gives you lots of way to cover up the "chickeny-ness" of chicken!

cpsf73

Just a suggestion... you could invest in a panini press. I don't like chicken breast in the oven either. I feel like the chicken is too wet/moist, even when it's cooked through. I got a panini press from target for 29.99, and recently discovered that, aside from making sandwiches, I can grill my chicken breast there too. It leaves beautiful grill marks, and cooks my chicken perfectly. I don't even need to coat it in oil since it's non-stick. It's ridiculously easy to clean up too.

anemoneprose

Those sound like efficient solutions, I appreciate you guys chiming in

efwolfcub

Weber makes seasoning packets that use citrus (usually lemon) juice as the liquid. They are my favorite way to do grilled chicken - the seasoning packet is likely just salt and garlic flavor, but after marinatting with that an lemon juice for 4 hours and then grilling it turns out absolutely delicious. highly recommend.

towens00

Bump

NarneyK

Personally I like to poach it with some garlic or garlic powder, salt, & pepper. It keeps it super moist. If you add fresh garlic, onions, celery and carrots to the mix, you'll end up with a nice broth as well.

snazzyjazzy21

Personally I'd boil them, let them cool and just shred them. I like my chicken dry and this way works like a charm

ammadove

I bake a whole tray of chicken breasts in a large cooking bag with a little water at 350 for about one hour. Then slice them in half length-wise and freeze them individually. When I thaw and heat them to serve I add seasonings that go with what I am serving them with, like barbeque sauce, spaghetti sauce, etc.

cmkile1003

Bump

KGill67

Another vote for poaching. It's foolproof, and produces moist yet firm meat (excellent for sandwiches). Here is what I do:

1. Fill a large pot with water; add some chunks of onion and some peppercorns (optional)
2. Bring water to a boil.
3. Add chicken breasts, and boil for 5 minutes.
4. Turn off heat, cover the pot, and allow chicken to continue cooking in the hot liquid. By the time the liquid has cooled enough not to burn you, the chicken will be cooked through.

I'm poaching a tray of chicken like this today, and my son will use it for his sandwiches for the week.