Blahhh Chicken! Help Please?
I love most foods and I'm a pretty decent cook, however chicken is like my arch nemesis. I like chicken...when it's drowning in sauces and coatings so basically when it's prepared to be horrible for you. I want to be able to bake or use a slow cooker to make chicken and it be good for me but I always find it so bland and pasty/chewy. Would love to hear how you are prepping and cooking your chicken without a million ingredient expensive recipes 
Thanks!!
Thanks!! 0
Replies
-
Lately, I'll poach it and smother it in hot sauce... Sometimes I'll poach it and mix it with rice, broccoli, and mission cheddar cheese sauce (since I poached the chicken, the cheese actually serves as my only source of fat!). If you're drinking enough water and can handle the sodium, those little marinade packets aren't too bad. If you can afford the fats, chicken thighs are a lot more flavorful and are great with some soy sauce.
Most importantly, if you don't like chicken without high calorie sauces, don't eat chicken! Fish isn't much more expensive and has about the same macros.0 -
Mediterranean lemon chicken -- allrecipes.com
1 lemon
2 teaspoons dried oregano
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
6 chicken legs
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
In a 9x13 inch baking dish, grate the peel from 1/2 the lemon, squeeze out the juice (about 1/4 cup) and add to peel with the oregano, garlic, oil, salt and pepper. Stir until mixed.
Remove skin from chicken pieces and discard. Coat chicken pieces with the lemon mixture and arrange, bone-side up, in the baking dish. Cover dish and bake for 20 minutes. Turn and baste chicken.
Reduce heat to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) and bake uncovered, basting every 10 minutes, for about 30 more minutes. Serve chicken with pan juices.0 -
I make a crockpot chicken dish that even my boyfriend's 4 year old loves, and if it can trick her into eating chicken it'll work for you
-frozen chicken breasts (i usually use 5-6)
-2 packets dry italian dressing mix
-1 can cream of chicken soup
-1 can cheddar cheese soup
-1 can mushrooms
Mix the dressing with a bit of water (little more watery than a paste) and dump it on the chicken. Cook on high for about an hour. Add the cans of soup and mushrooms and mix it all up. Cook for about 4-5 hours. Pull chicken out and add some more sauce on top if you wish. I usually have a lot of cheese sauce left over so I save it and add it on top of veggies throughout the week.0 -
Coat the chicken breast in garlic and onion powder. If you hit it with high heat it will make a crust on it. Works for me like that.
You can also chop it up and add it to rice and veggies and it works even better that way for me0 -
www.skinnytaste.com has a bunch of awesome slow-cooker recipes! or recipes in general i should say :happy:0
-
It's all about the cooking method! Slow cooker chicken sucks if you like moist chicken. At least I find breasts gets stringy and dry regardless of how much sauce is on there. And wings get mushy and gross. If I use a slow cooker for chicken, it has to be a stew and the pieces have to be small so the texture doesn't bug me.
Try taking the chicken breast and putting it in a tin foil packet. Bake it on a cookie sheet in the oven at 350F for about 25 minutes (check it though, the size of the breast determines the cook time). You can broil it for 2 - 3 mins at the end to get a bit of a brown crust on top if you like that (after opening the foil packet).
I like to mix 1/4 cup of sour cream, 1/4 dijon mustard, 1 tsp of garlic powder, 1 tbsp dried dill together and dip the raw breast in that first (this amount should coat 4 breasts). Another option is salsa and sour cream. Add a sprinkle of cheese or even a slice of cheese when you go to broil it. It's also super easy to just sprinkle your favourite spices on the chicken without sauces! It still stays so moist (magically even if you accidentally over cook it).
I've also tried putting a bit of chili powder on top during the cook, then adding guacamole covered with a Havarti cheese slice during the broil. It was so good! A bit higher calorie though.0 -
I've found some decent crockpot chicken recipes that are easy and pretty flavorful. (I find a lot of good recipes at sparkpeople heheh)
Crockpot salsa chicken
http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=871817
And this recipe is one I just saw and want to try...
Slow cooker buffalo chicken soup
http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=2122096
I tend to like spicy...and with the right ingredients spicy and flavorful doesn't have to mean high in fat and sodium..0 -
Mix together 4 tbsp of honey, 4 tbsp of wholegrain mustard, 1 tbsp of lemon juice
OR
mix together 3 crushed garlic cloves, 60ml soy sauce, 60ml ketchup and 30ml of honey
then pour over 7-8 skinless/boneless chicken thighs and bung in the slow cooker for 8-9 hours.
Rather tasty with some rice and stir fry veg.0 -
I prefer thigh meat to breast meat (both boneless/skinless) - it's not much higher in fat/calories and retains more moisture and flavor when cooked. If I do use breast meat, I usually dice it up for a casserole or soup or cut it into smaller chunks so it cooks faster and more evenly. Most breasts these days are huge and take forever to cook thoroughly so they end up dry and tasteless if left whole.
A good slow cooker recipe I tried recently was for chicken cacciatore. I used boneless/skinless thighs (semi-frozen), a large can (28oz I think) of crushed tomatoes, baby bella (cremini) mushrooms, green pepper, onion, garlic, italian spices and let it cook on low all day. It was fairly low in cal since it was mostly veg and was quite yummy!0 -
Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken
1 bag frozen skinless boneless chicken breasts (or breast tenderloins)
1 - 12 oz bottle Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Wings sauce
Put chicken in crock pot and pour half the bottle of sauce over the chicken. Cook on high about 6 hours or low about 8 hours. Drain off most of the liquid (reserve about 1/2 c.). Shredded chicken and stir in rest of the sauce and the reserved liquid. Cook on low for 2 hours or longer.
Great served on tortillas with a little shredded cheese on some jalopeno slices.0 -
It's all about the cooking method!
This! My favorite ways of cooking chicken are spatchcock (butterflied and seasoned) in my Big Green Egg with applewood, or sous vide with a quick finish on the stove or in the oven. Spatchcock has more flavor - like a really good rotisserie chicken - but sous vide is easier and similar to crock pot cooking. Sous vide gives you a very even, juicy cook and is forgiving when it comes to cooking time.
Sam0 -
Great responses and great ideas. I'm sure a lot of it is my cooking method, I tend to over cook chicken in fear of poisoning my family LOL and I grew up on rawhide steaks and pork chop hockey pucks....I love you mom hahaha I will give some of these ideas a try and change things up. I love using my slow cooker in the winter months 0
-
RANCH CHICKEN - ADD A PACKET OF HIDDEN VALLEY RANCH POWDER
CHEESY SALSA CHICKEN - ADD SALSA & CHEESE
TACO CHICKEN - ADD PACKET OF TACO SEASONING
ONION CHICKEN - ADD PACKET OF ONION SOUP SEASONING & CRISPY ONIONS ON TOP IF YOU LIKE
LEMON GARLIC CHICKEN - ADD GARLIC, LEMON, OREGANO, AND OTHER SPICES TO YOUR LIKING
COME ON NOW...DID YOU REALLY NEED A POST FOR THAT? THERE ARE 1000'S OF IDEAS0 -
I do chicken breast almost every Sunday to have for the week. I have found that cooking in the oven is the best for bulk cooking. I use the McCormick Grill-Mate Marinades dry seasoning packet. I don't even marinate. I prep the chicken (trim fat, skin and butterfly). Put the chicken on the baking sheet, pour marinade packet over chicken and mix together. Then bake @ 400 for 10-12 minutes. Its not dry, even after reheating in the microwave. And since the chicken was butterfly cut, it cooks faster and more evenly. I love Chipotle flavor. Also, Alegro liquid marinade is great too.0
-
Easiest receipe ever:
2 lbs chicken breast
1 jar of salsa (I prefer medium)
Leave in slow cooker for 6-8 hours. Shred when done in the crock pot (do not drain) and eat. Great alone, great in tacos, pretty much just great.
EDIT: Keeps well and makes leftovers for days too.0 -
I put chicken with a jar of Stubbs bbq sauce in the crockpot and let it cook. I've never had dry chicken in it, ever.
I've also made a mandarin orange chicken and a southwest chicken out of the Fix It & Forget It...Lightly cookbook. My chicken always turns out great! But I absolutely love chicken too. LOL0 -
Try this one, its delish! Grilled chicken with apples and vermont sharp cheddar. Just enough cheese to add flavor not smother it.
https://www.facebook.com/TheSassyGourmet/photos/a.456698244404756.1073741831.282449018496347/699782686762976/?type=1&theater0 -
Not exactly slow cooker recipes, but some of my favorite quick and easy chicken recipes:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Yogurt-Marinated-Chicken-Kebabs-with-Aleppo-Pepper-353832
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/easy-garlic-broiled-chicken/
http://wendolonia.com/blog/2013/02/28/my-kids-ate-it-buffalo-chicken-thighs-with-buttermilk-blue-cheese-mashed-potatoes/
http://www.madeitateitlovedit.com/2012/03/sweet-and-sour-chicken.html0 -
here are a couple of crockpot ideas for you.
any chicken will do.. whole, breast, thighs whatever you want to use..
1 pkg dry italian mix
1 jar sliced peppercinis
put these over the chicken and cook on low 6-8hrs
i also do this one and i use chicken thighs for this one but again you can use whatever part of the chicken you want.
1 can rotel (diced tomates/green chilies)
1 can chipolte in adobo sauce
put on chicken and cook on low 6-8hrs... shred and put in tortilla with cheese, lettuce, black olives...
these are both delish...0 -
I found an amazing recipe for crispy chicken. It requires no fat (you dry fry it) and it stays really moist.
For 2 breasts:
Squeeze the juice of one lemon and one lime into a flat dish, add a pinch of chili flakes or a finely sliced chili
Place the breast smooth-side down (the side where the skin would have been) in the mixture and let it marinade for at least an hour
Heat a non-stick frying pan on high until the pan starts to smoke slightly
Throw your chicken breasts in and cook for 5 minutes, flip and cook on the over side for 3-4 minutes (or until cooked through)
If you want blackened bits, cook for a little longer - these are tasty, crispy and sticky, so the best bits imo 0 -
When I cook chicken in a crock pot, I add in unsalted chicken broth, bay leaves, a roughly chopped onion, smached cloves of garlic, and whole peppercorns.
When it's cooked through, I drain the chicken (reservimg about 1/2 cup - 1 cup of the liquid), shred the chicken, throw it back to the hot crock pot, and add about a cup of my favorite bbq sauce. If it's too thick, add the cooking liquid until you're satisfied with the consistancy.0 -
I love most foods and I'm a pretty decent cook, however chicken is like my arch nemesis. I like chicken...when it's drowning in sauces and coatings so basically when it's prepared to be horrible for you. I want to be able to bake or use a slow cooker to make chicken and it be good for me but I always find it so bland and pasty/chewy. Would love to hear how you are prepping and cooking your chicken without a million ingredient expensive recipes Thanks!!
I don't like chicken, but I like turkey, I either rub it in steak or cajan spice (the dry type) and bake it in the oven lovely and no extra cals.0 -
My diet is pretty restricted and I eat almost only chicken and fish. I bake chicken breasts (seasoned) at 400 degrees for about 22 minutes and they are still juicy and flavorful. The trick is to not overcook them so they are not dry and tasteless. I also cube them and saute them in olive oil with chile powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and whatever spices you may like. A juicy leftover breast is good cut up and served in a salad also.0
-
Why do you feel like you need to eat chicken? Especially if you don't like it? There are plenty of other much healthier protein choices out there! For example, beans, quinoa, tempeh, tofu... You can substitute tofu really well in almost any chicken recipe!0
-
Blackened Dijon Chicken (Peace Love & Low Carb)
INGREDIENTS:
4-6 Ounce Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
¼ Cup Dijon Mustard
3 Tbs. Blackened Seasoning
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 400°. Coat each chicken breast liberally on both sides with blackened seasoning. Brush each side with Dijon mustard. In a large, oiled skillet over medium-high heat, sear the chicken for 3 minutes on each side. Remove chicken from pan and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes.
NUTRITION INFO (recipe makes 4 servings):
Per Serving:
Calories – 220
Protein – 38 g
Carbs – 1 net g
Fat – 3 g0 -
breaded and baked on 375 for 30 min...delish0
-
Take boneless, skinless chicken breasts and cut them into four strips each (I use kitchen scissors). Wrap each piece with a strip of bacon (turkey bacon works also). Arrange a single layer in a glass or ceramic baking dish. Mix a can of cream of mushroom soup with about 1/4 of water. Pour over chicken/bacon and bake at 325 degrees fahrenheit. It takes between 1-1.5 hours. About 2/3 way though cooking turn the chicken over. Serve with rice. My son loves this and prefers it with basmati rice. Great for leftovers and taking to work/school to heat up in microwave.0
-
Marinade skinless, boneless chicken in lemon juice. (About 30 minutes .... Don't leave it for many hours or your chicken will be yucky - I did it for 6 hours once and it was a mistake). Put rice crispies in a zip lock bag and crush them. Then put your chicken in the bag to coat with the crushed cereal. Put on baking dish. If a spot is un coated, touch with a bit of lemon juice and drop a few crumbs on the empty spot. Bake at 325 Fahrenheit for apx 1-1.5 hours. (Chicken is done when you pull the chicken apart and the meat is threaded). Timing depends on your oven and chicken breast size. You can serve with potatoes, rice, pasta or salad. It is good cut up into a salad or used in a wrap.0
-
Season it with Slap Ya Mama seasoning and throw it on the grill. If you can't find Slap Ya Mama, Tony Chachere's is an ok substitute.0
-
My go to baked chicken is full of flavor, and 2 ingredients (other than chicken).
Preheat oven to 350.
I use boneless skinless chicken breasts, line a glass baking dish
sprinkle McCormick salad supreme (to taste)
Kraft parmesan cheese (about 1tbs per breast)
Cover with foil, bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10-15 minutes. This is all subject to the size of the chicken breasts, sometimes it is a little extra time, sometimes a little less time. It goes with just about every side dish I've ever made too 0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.6K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.3K Health and Weight Loss
- 176K Food and Nutrition
- 47.5K Recipes
- 232.6K Fitness and Exercise
- 431 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.6K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.4K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.8K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions