When I make chicken...

ladybug4233

I am trying to eat healthy (not totally there yet!!!) . I got some great ideas for cooking fish from this site so thank you. Now on to chicken. When I make it it is either bland, tough or dry. Any suggestions and tips are greatly appreciated.

Thanks for the help,
Candie

Nmama

crockpot! super tender!

BlessedMomX2

If your gonna bake it, spray the chicken with I cant believe its not butter spray, top it with salt & pepper. And its always comes out moist! Plus theres no extra cals from the I cant believe its not butter, and its gives it lots of flavor!

wolfchild59

My first piece of advice to you is to get a quick read meat thermometer. They don't cost much and can be found at cooking stores or probably even the kitchen gadget aisle of the supermarket. You just stick the tip into the meat about halfway and it tells you the internal temp. You cook the meat to 5 degrees below the temp required for the meat you're cooking then remove it from the heat. Let it rest for five minutes before cutting into it or serving it. That five minutes will provide the cooking time for the last five degrees as well as help the meat retain it's juices when cut into. And this is for all meat across the board, not just chicken.

As far as the flavor, well chicken is a blank canvas and there are infinite ways to cook and season it. Just start playing with your favorite spices and herbs until you come up with a combo you really like.

she_elf

I love baking chicken covered in stewed tomatoes! I don't think I've ever had a problem with it being tough or dry that way.

If you bake your chicken, make sure you've got some extra juices in the pan--that should keep it from drying out.

ItsJustVicki

Marinate it in salad dressing and bake it helps

Pandorian

If you're baking your chicken, I do, from frozen, do it at a lower oven temperature. Unless I'm broiling something my oven doesn't go over 350F, my chicken doesn't come out dry, I might have to cut it in half (thickness) to get it to cook thoroughly.
Steaming works, poaching works, crock pot certainly works and I love crock pot cooked dishes, slow and steady for even tough cuts of meat!

elainecroft

Second to the meat thermometer! It's awesome! If you get one with an alarm you can let it cook and then come back when it is ready

sexygenius

I always butter fly them and pound them to make them thinner, then salt and pepper both sides and cook in a pan with non stick spray or a little olive oil, flavourful, easy, and quick (it cooks sooo much faster this way) and there are a million things you can do with this basic chicken,it's just salt and peppered so it goes with anyother dish perfectly

WolffEarl

I love chicken. I normally make my lunches for the week, often using skinless, boneless chicken breast. I basically cook them (I cook 6 at the same time in a big pot, (basically like boiling them) enough for 6 meals) in just a bit of oil (like a table spoon). The cooking keeps them tender and then when they are done I use the water (that comes out during the cooking) to add curry spices or recently discovered "Masala Garam" spice mix that is quite tasty (has cumin, coriander, black pepper, cinnamon, clove and cardammon in it) and let if boil some more to let the flavours sink into the meat. Sometimes I am lazy and buy some chicken cooking sauce instead, all kinds of "hotness" levels available.
Mix that with some asian Sitrfry frozen veggie mix (which I cook separately) and you got yourself a colourfull, flaovour ful and definitely not dry meal. Hope this helps.

slimkitty

For chicken cutlets - I cut the cutlet in smaller pieces and pound it with a meat mallet to flatten them. This really reduces the cooking time so they don't dry out. I sprinkle them with Mrs. Dash Table Blend, rub a little olive oil on them and cook on the grill or in a pan.
For soup - I cook all the vegetables in the soup first, then, almost at the very end I add small chunks of chicken. When the chunks are really tiny it only needs to cook for about a minute or two. Simmer, don't boil, or it will toughen.
Another way I tried and I liked it was to vaccum pack the chicken with a food saver and then cook it (in the bag) in barely simmering water.
In general I avoid cooking large pieces of chicken as it tends to dry out being cooked for a long time. Of course if you cook it with the skin on it will stay moist, so just remove the skin before eating. I am assuming some of the fat under the skin would have seeped into the chicken during cooking.
I like to cook chicken drumsticks at a low temperature (300F) for a couple of hours. I love the flavor when they are cooked this way but have to stick to just one drumstick because of the extra fat in the skin.
When chicken is a little bland and dry I like to spray it with Bragg's Liquid Aminos. It add a good smoky flavor.

baisleac

Spices are your friend! And chicken is a delicate enough flavor that spices can make or break it.

As for tender... My secret is to bake it at 450 F for 15 minutes before turning the oven down to 375 until internal temp is 165 F or higher. The high temp seals the juices in. It works for whole birds as well, but then I up the high temp to 30 minutes.

ShelleyBowman

Chicken is limited only by your imagination.
To avoid dryness, cook slowly and remove from heat as soon as it is done.
For flavor options,
*My family's favorite is to marinate in Italian Dressing & grill. (do not add salt)
*Also have marinated in Balsamic Vinegar or Red Wine Vinegar with a bit of olive oil
*Baste with hot sauce and cook
*Any combination of seasonings
*Cook with taco seasoning (do not add salt)
*Teryaki sauce (do not add salt)
*Soy Sauce (do not add salt)
*BBQ Sauce
*Lemon juice & pepper
*Salsa

Good luck! Let us know you're favorites~
]

taso42_DELETED

Thirding the thermometer.

Also want to suggest brining the chicken. Basically you soak the chicken in a solution of ice-cold salt & sugar water for about an hour before cooking. Google it to read more. One caveat - frozen chicken breasts seem to often be already full of added sodium, so you may not want to apply the brine technique to frozen (or at least check the label for sodium).

sarah44254

I have to slice meats, otherwise my boyfriend's paranoid side shines thru and he believes beyond a doubt that I haven't cooked it thoroughly enough

So, I slice a chicken breast or 2. I warm a skillet. I put a tbs or so of honey in skillet. I put the chicken in the skillet! I move it around a little bit, and it's done!

This method works great personally, it adds a sweet bit of flavor, works better than oil (for me), doesn't stick to pan (I'm pushing it around a lot, though) and doesn't take long because it is cooking thin strips compared to dense breasts.

Sometimes I will use my wok, and add in vegetables and spices while I cook. This also works VERY well. I think I want some chicken tonight!

PoorGirlEatingHealthy

My husband and i eat a LOT of stir fry so what I have been doing to save the flavor and moisture is cutting the chicken into lil chunks, tossing them in a little salt (this helps lock in moisture) and spices and steaming them in my veggie steam basket. this has made such a huge difference in the flavor and cut way back on the calories i had been wasting on marinades.

Another delicious way to cook some chicken is marinating it in some lemon juice, olive oil, and spices (I used Italian herbs and red pepper flakes with diced fresh garlic) and then baking it at 350 for 15 minutes with a lemon slice on top, then i reduce the heat to about 300 for the last 5-10 minutes to help keep from overcooking. So yummmy.

melodyg

My quickest and easiest way to make chicken is just to saute in some olive oil (I just used a tbsp for over 2 pounds when I cooked up a batch for supper and lunches for the rest of the week, so the olive oil adds good fats and not lots of calories). I like to buy the raw chicken tenders too, which are even easier. You can flavor with many kinds of spices for variety. These I just sprinkled a bit of seasoning salt on (I know, I know... use something else if you are really monitoring salt). I do homemade taco seasoning a lot of times to use in taco salads, or sometimes just some basil or lemon/garlic. You can also grill on the Foreman, but I find they are more tender when sauteed with the oil.

perrytyra

Try this. If you watch sodium, lower the salt, or leave it out. Turns out great every time. You can freeze the extras, or use in salad the next day.

http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/roast-sticky-chicken-rotisserie-style/Detail.aspx

Also, dark meat does not have as many calories as people think. I love to bake chicken thighs or chicken legs. I believe I usually do a pan of them for an hour at 350 and I never over cook them. Leave the skin on, but then take it off if you don't eat the skin. Leaving the skin on helps keep it moist, but doesn't up the calories (if it does, it isn't much) as long as you throw that skin out.

kpopluvr392

maybe sear it so the juices stay in? and if it has skin leave it on to keep in the moisture?

pinksneakers

I eat chicken every single day and have for years. I marinate it with olive oil and whatever spice mix looks good at the grocery store. Mccormick has lots. And I grill it, tender every time!

PoorGirlEatingHealthy

I eat chicken every single day and have for years. I marinate it with olive oil and whatever spice mix looks good at the grocery store. Mccormick has lots. And I grill it, tender every time!

I agree my husband and I LOVE the Mojito lime one sooo good but we bake them! Maybe you need to get an oven thermometer? Your temps could be too high!

halphord

I pound the crap outta my chicken so it's a thin (and ends up being huge) chicken breast. I pan fry it with about 1/2 tbsp of brummel and brown and seasonings and tomatoes/onion/garlic, or baste it in 2 tbsp of bolthouse farms honey mustard dressing and then cover with panko breadcrums and bake for about 35 minutes at 375. super yummy.

UpToAnyCool

bump

ladybug4233

WOW!! I took my dd to swimming and came home to all of these responses. Thanks for taking the time to help me. I do have a meat thermometer. Is there one you can leave in the meat while it is cooking?

TIA,
Candie

ablueskier

Digital thermometers with an alarm are great for leaving in while cooking. The alarm will go off when it is at your desired temp. I got mine for $7 at Ross and they can go up to around $20.

Definitely cook thin chicken though. The thick breasts have to cook much longer which causes more drying. I cut my chicken breast in half as if I were fileting a fish. Not only is one filet closer to the 4 oz serving but I find this easier than pounding and it tricks my brain into seeing the shape of a whole breast. These cook faster and are much juicier from the faster cooking.