What are good/fast ways to make A LOT of chicken for a week?

dannylives

I decided to get serious and make my meals for the entire week or at least 5 days so I don't have to decide what to eat. I just cooked 4 chicken servings on top of the stove. I'm using boneless skinless chicken breast. There has GOT to be a faster or smarter way to cook all this chicken up. It took me forever and it was only 4 servings of 4 oz. each. Would like to hear some advice and suggestions, please?

Acg67

oven/grill

dannylives

By the way. I will be cooking nothing but Boneless skinless chicken breast NOT MIXED up into a casserole or anything like that.

arewethereyet

it just took me 15 minutes to cook 4 chicken breasts on my george forman grill. the grill was 25 bux. I will now put this on the salad, with a sweet potato, with brown rice, brocoli

jo2907

I've got a George Forman grill, in the past ive cooked up quite a bit of meat in one go! and its a healthy way to cook it as any fat it contains runs off!

taso42

oven/grill

Yep. Grilling it would be the most delicious. Oven is simple and convenient. Highly recommend brining first. Once you start brining your chicken, you'll never go back.

innerfashionista

Bake it. Throw the breasts in thawed and wait until the timer beeps. I bake mine at 400 for 40 minutes.

wannababyH

Get yourself a large Pyrex baking/casserole dish. Toss in as much as it will hold and cook at 375 until all juices run clear. Thickness of pieces will determine the actual cook time. Usually never longer than 35 minutes. Make sure all pieces in the dish are very close in size as they'll cook more evenly. To check for doneness, cut the top open a little bit and see if there's any pink. It should be 100% white inside.

Over time, I've come to find that thawed chicken will only dry out. Moist chicken comes from marinading, or baking it frozen.

You can buy Pyrex dishes for very cheap at thrift stores. And it's glass, it washes. I've gotten a $60 dish for $3 and it was mint condition.

Pandorian

Oven suggestion here, I can do up a dozen or more in the same time one takes...
Or for set it and forget it, crock pot... bit of broth for moisture and let it simmer away while you're at work.

eddyca

I found this yummy looking recipe on skinny taste:

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/03/grilled-chicken-with-spinach-and-melted.html

I already bought the ingredients so I can make it for dinner tonight. I'll let you know how it is!

gp79

I fit 6lbs of chicken into my electric skillet. A broiler pan in the oven is another easy way.

rosebarnalice

Bake it. Throw the breasts in thawed and wait until the timer beeps. I bake mine at 400 for 40 minutes.

Or if you don't want to turn it into chicken leather, slow-temp bake it to retain the juices. Covered casserole dish spiced as you desire 250 oven for 60 minutes.

Kelly_Wilson1990

Grill or bake.

bjfmade

I season/marinade and entire family pack of boneless/skinless chicken breasts and bake in the oven until done. Slice them up and freeze them. Then I take out what I need each day (usually for my salad) and it is thawed when I go to eat it.

hikeout470

Don't knock the great chicken boil! Throw in to the water a cubed white onion or 2, garlic cloves, carrots, celery and stalk to taste. Save the liquids. Cold chicken and veggies go excellent with a crisp dill pickle in the lunch box or reheated over ginourmous salads Winter time sick meal for both family and doggies, add rice to make a nice soup.

RMinVA

I brown each side in a cast iron skillet for about 4 mins. Then throw them in a large baking dish and 375 oven for about 20 mins to finish them off. They are browned on the outside and nice and juicy inside when you do them this way.

dannylives

Thanks everyone! Maybe I'm stupid but what is "grilling" Does that mean to cook it in the barbque pit in the back yard?

wannababyH

Yep, or you can buy a "grill" that you use inside the house. They have table top ones, and then just iron shaped sort of like a grill that you use on the stove top.

taso42

Thanks everyone! Maybe I'm stupid but what is "grilling" Does that mean to cook it in the barbque pit in the back yard?

This sort of apparatus

Tzipporah90

IMO baking is the easiest way. And there alot of great recipes online; foodnetwork.com is a great site.

vz11

My husband and I get already made grilled chicken strips from foster farms at costco. Very low calories and we use frozen stir fry veggies from costco as well. I usually get bored fast but with this lunch i don't get as bored it tastes good to me. Its also fast and easy to pack in the am for a week ahead cause its all frozen.

hikeout470

I am not totally anti-grilling but the number of grilling posts made me want to share this article:

hikeout470

Healthy Grilling: Avoid Those Carcinogens!
By Talli van Sunder on May 23, 2009 in Articles, Nutrition
Grilling
Photo by Mess of Pottage via Flickr

Mark was unloading the bags of groceries he picked up for “Mark’s Mega Memorial Day Barbecue Extravaganza.” Well that’s what the guys called it anyway. And with ten pounds of beef, ten pounds of chicken, five packages of hot dogs and some sausages, he felt like he’d definitely earn that distinction this year. It was going to be awesome!

“Mark?” Stacy called from the door leading into the house as he grabbed a couple more bags and carried them to the garage freezer. “Jill next door just told me that she heard that grilling foods causes cancer.”

“What?” Mark turned around, caught off guard. “Grilling is healthy. That’s why we do it. All the fat drips off making the meat leaner.”

“Well, she said there were studies and everything. And I know with your family history of cancer, you’d want to know.”

“But what do we do with all this meat?” Mark said gesturing back at the freezer, weighing both his mother’s and uncle’s fights with cancer against the weekend’s festivities. “We’re throwing a huge party in a couple days. I can’t cook all this meat in the house.” Mark sighed, rubbing his forehead. But I don’t want to give anyone cancer either.” “Why couldn’t Jill have told you this after the party?”

What makes grilled foods unhealthy?
Well, Jill’s friend was right. Grilling foods produces carcinogens, which are cancer causing agents. That is the case regardless of what meat you grill or what type of fuel you grill with. Grilling exposes the meat and whoever eats it to two separate carcinogenic sources.

Heterocyclic Amines (HCAs): These chemicals are produced when meat is cooked at high temperatures. When the muscle protein in red meat, poultry and fish are subjected to intense heat they create HCAs, which have been linked to cancer, especially cancer of the colon and breast.
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs): These chemicals are produced when fat drips from the meat into the flames and produces smoke. The PAH filled smoke rises and coats the food, contaminating it. But they are also created, and in higher concentrations, when flames touch the meat itself, charring and blackening it.

How can I reduce my exposure to HCAs and PAHs?
The good news is that Mark doesn’t have to give up on grilling and everyone can still enjoy the cookout (including you). Here are a few simple precautions that will minimize the amount of carcinogens that are consumed:

Select smaller cuts of meat: This decreases grilling time and reduces exposure to carcinogens.
Keep fat to a minimum: This reduces the amount of carcinogens. So, choose lean meats, take the skin off poultry and trim any visible fat prior to grilling.
Marinate meat prior to cooking: Marinating meats using marinades made with thin, liquid sauce using vinegar, citrus juice or red wine may reduce the formation of HCAs.
Precook meats: Reducing the grilling time decreases your exposure to carcinogens. So, partially cook your meats on the stovetop or oven prior to grilling. But cook at lower temperatures, because higher temperatures produce more HCAs.
Grill at lower temperatures: Lower the heat on the gas grill and if you are using charcoal or wood, increase the distance of the food from the fire. Temperature is a very important factor, as meats cooked at high heat have the most HCAs. But when you cook at lower temperatures, don’t forget to use a meat thermometer to ensure the interior meat reaches the correct temperature for safe consumption.
Flip your meat frequently: This will cook the meat faster and produce less HCAs.
Use Aluminum Foil: Place foil between the food and the fire. If you place the foil on the grill, perforate it to allow fat to drain off the meat. This will decrease the contact of the food with the flame and decrease the potential of charring or blackening.
Don’t eat charred or blackened foods: This includes grilled vegetables. PAHs form when any food is charred.
Grill fish and vegetables instead: Vegetables will not produce HCAs. And fish usually has less fat than red meat and poultry and requires less time to grill, further reducing the exposure to carcinogens.
Don’t grill too often: Grilling occasionally is not a problem. Our bodies are fairly resilient, but don’t grill too frequently or you could be tempting fate, especially if you have a family history of cancer.

The bottom line:
You don’t have to give up grilling if you really love it. Just follow some simple precautions to reduce your exposure to carcinogens. That way you can enjoy your future cookouts.

dls06

Butterfly boneless chicken breast ( you can cover with plastic and pound to make even pieces) Grill pan or plain fry pan is ok too. Light salt and pepper, nothing else. Let cool and either shread or leave whole and use all week.

CharlieBarleyMom

I just bought 2.5 pounds of thinly sliced chicken breasts and spiced them up and threw them in the George Foreman grill. It was less than 30 minutes to do all of it and I put 3 thin breasts per freezer quart bag and that way I can take 1 out at a time just like a pre-cooked frozen package that you can buy at Walmart -- but way less sodium and I can use the desired spices. I've even done this by marinating the breasts in buffalo sauce before grilling.

Yum!

koosdel

Thanks everyone! Maybe I'm stupid but what is "grilling" Does that mean to cook it in the barbque pit in the back yard?

This sort of apparatus

Gas?

Wouldn't that be dangerous?

joejccva71

Thanks everyone! Maybe I'm stupid but what is "grilling" Does that mean to cook it in the barbque pit in the back yard?

You really can't be serious.

rachmaree

I cover chicken with low fat yoghurt (just enough to cover), a tablespoon of ketchup, tablespoon of mustard, a teaspoon of curry powder (omit if you don't like a curry flavour) a couple of cloves of crushed garlic a bit of paprika/ cumin/ ground coriander depending on your tastes and bake it the following day at about 180degrees for 20-30 minutes. Comes out soft and it's pretty tasty. Then I just portion it out and take it for lunches.
Otherwise I cook it in a non stick pan- enough oil comes out of the chicken to not need to add oil, some garlic, season with salt and pepper and add some thyme.

lkm111

Thanks everyone! Maybe I'm stupid but what is "grilling" Does that mean to cook it in the barbque pit in the back yard?

I have a double burner size grill pan for winter time. It works great, too!

Acg67

Thanks everyone! Maybe I'm stupid but what is "grilling" Does that mean to cook it in the barbque pit in the back yard?

You really can't be serious.

has to be a troll post, no 36yr old male can be that obtuse to not know what grilling is

spottedlee

I've got a George Forman grill, in the past ive cooked up quite a bit of meat in one go! and its a healthy way to cook it as any fat it contains runs off!

Me too! I love it,, not only easy to use but easy to clean afterward.