Skinless, boneless chicken boobs: Yuck !

GiddyupTim

Okay. Skinless, boneless, chicken breasts. Tell me how you really feel about them, please.
My grocery store has them on sale all the time, and I am a sucker for a sale (I'm cheap), so I fall for it every time. Then I curse myself.
I think they are terrible. Baked, boiled, stir-fried, whatever. They have no taste. I like chicken, and I can take a breast with the bone and the skin on, and pop it in the oven at 375, and it comes out delicious. I can cook a whole chicken and the breast is moist and scrumptious.
I do the same with the skinless-boneless ones, and I get tasteless rubber.
I make a lot of chicken pot pie for my family, and it is great when I use a whole chicken. But it is bland and boring when I make it using just a few boneless breasts.
Sure, I could marinate these rubber boobs. But, I really do not believe that marinade actually gets in to chicken meat -- maybe if it has enzymes, and you leave the chicken in the marinade for days.
And, what do they do with all the rest of all those chickens? Dog food? Chicken McNuggets?

melt2svelte

I love them. They are one of my main sources of protein. There are many things you can do with them.

Last night for instance, I cut them into strips and threw them into a pot of chicken broth, lime juice, coconut milk, and ginger. Cook some rice to go with, and you have a tasty meal. You can add sriracha, fresh cilantro, avocado, and fresh squeezed lime juice to go with on top.

Another dish I make often is chicken tagine (a Moroccan dish/stew) and couscous.

So, so, so much you can do!

Edited - If you have a Pinterest account, the recipes are never ending.

AlabasterVerve

I actually like them with enough added fat and seasoning to use in salads and stir fries just because they're quick and easy. But I agree with you chicken on the bone tastes much better and is more nutritious. Whole chickens and bone-in split chicken breasts with the skin is what I mostly buy these days.

brower47

I smack the hell out of them until they are about a quarter of an inch thick. Then I spread the delicious spread of my choice on them, roll them up, season the outer layer and stick them in the oven. It's the only way I really enjoy them.

GiddyupTim

ccw -- Yeah, but . . . with all due respect . . . that is cheating. You have them so doctored up with sauce you cannot tell what you got. Wouldn't tofu be just as good . . . maybe better? And, wouldn't the chicken breast meat you used for this meal have much greater flavor if you had cooked it with the skin and bone, and then cut it up for your soup?
I am just trying to figure this out because I think they are really flavorless, and I don't know why cooking them on the bone should make any difference. The skin? Maybe I can understand that. It has fat.

neanderthin

It's the tofu of meat, no redeeming qualities whatsoever when butchered and left naked. On the bone skin one or roasted whole chicken is barely acceptable.

GiddyupTim

Brower -- That is a good idea. I used to make breaded chicken cutlets that way. But, i really think those were only good because you could get butter and a bit of squeezed lemon juice in the breading.

TromaRon

I love them. I cook up at least a 5lb package every week. I brine them for an hour then smoke them. Super moist & tender, and a terrific flavor. Sometime for a change I'll marinade them in State Fair Chicken Marinade for 12 hours before I smoke them. Either way they're great by themselves, or on a sandwich or salad.

Athena4E

Seriously dude. Douse them in spices. Seasoned salt, cayenne pepper, jerk spices, coat them in Sriracha etc. The spicier the better. I don't understand the problem. It is what you make of it.

GiddyupTim

Whoa, neanderthin ! Isn't that a little harsh? You, of all people, should know that we have probably been knocking chickens down out of the trees and eating them since we could first throw rocks.
Not even a whole chicken, on a spit, with rosemary inside, and butter on the outside to make the skin crispy so that it really holds the juices in?
C'mon . . . I can hear your stomach growling from here. . . .

Jen800

I eat them all the time. It's about what you do to them. I make my own sauces, spices, marinades, etc. They taste amazing, and I never get tired of them and I rarely have the same thing twice in one month, and I eat A LOT of chicken.



And, in response to the person who said why not eat tofu? Tofu is loaded with processed junk and fake crap (as far as I've seen and heard) whereas chicken is a natural source of protein. I enjoy other parts of the chicken as well, don't get me wrong, but I've always been a chicken breast kind of person :P

talentjar

Lightly pound the breast until uniform thickness, and then brine in a kosher salt bath for 2 hours at most. remove, rinse, pat dry. make a seasoned "mayo" with whatever you want: chiles n lime, plain ol bbq chicken seasoning..you name it...but whip up a few tblsp of light mayo in a food processer with the seasonings and a scant tsp water. increase as needed for chicken. Baste the chicken boob lightly with mayo mix before grilling on bbq, grill, in fry pan, etc.
Juicy every time and only adding about 50 extra cals.

eringraczyk

If you still dislike boneless, skinless chicken after trying this, there's something wrong with you. Aside from the spices, the measurements are just rough estimates--I never use 6 chicken breasts (family isn't that big), and I just eyeball the margarine and toss in some Parmesan cheese and crushed crackers/croutons. I always get rave reviews when I make this.

Parmesan Chicken

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tbsp melted margarine
½ cup Parmesan cheese
¼ cup crushed croutons or crackers
¼ to ½ tsp each oregano, parsley, black
pepper, salt and paprika

Have melted margarine in one bowl. Mix all dry ingredients together in another. Dip chicken in margarine then roll in dry ingredients. Place in baking dish (I prefer glass). Spread remaining dry ingredients over top of chicken. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until chicken is tender.

GiddyupTim

Seriously dude. Douse them in spices. Seasoned salt, cayenne pepper, jerk spices, coat them in Sriracha etc. The spicier the better. I don't understand the problem. It is what you make of it.

Okay. Maybe I need to try harder.
But why should I have to doctor it up like that? What is the difference when the bone and skin are missing? And, is it really worth it if I have to do that much work? Wouldn't even a really cheap piece of beef be better -- even if I had to chew each bite a thousand times to get it down?

eringraczyk

I know you said you weren't big on marinades, but here's another idea: Buy the cheapest Italian dressing you can find. Take your chicken breasts and while still slightly frozen, score them with a knife, being careful not to cut all the way through. Put the cheap dressing in a Ziploc bag, throw your chicken in, put it in the fridge, and forget about it for at least 6 hours (I've left it as long as overnight before). When you're ready to eat, throw the chicken breasts on the grill and cook until done.

brower47

Brower -- That is a good idea. I used to make breaded chicken cutlets that way. But, i really think those were only good because you could get butter and a bit of squeezed lemon juice in the breading.

Oh certainly, if they aren't heavily modified, they tend to be, as you said, tasteless. If I'm going to use chicken, I love the thighs. I have a great french recipe that involves setting them on fire using brandy... simply the best.

I usually buy the whole chicken. I like to make my own chicken broth and the best way to do that, I'm sure everyone already knows, is to use the picked over carcass. Good luck finding ways to use those on sale breasts though.

hastinbe

They can get tremendously boring. Sometimes combining it with other recipes works well enough. Tacos, tortillas, homemade chicken soup, chili, rice, etc. These days chicken breast is hardly the main course for me anymore. I think the breasts are on par with pork chops when it comes to plain white meat that can't help itself when by itself.

GiddyupTim

I love them. I cook up at least a 5lb package every week. I brine them for an hour then smoke them. Super moist & tender, and a terrific flavor. Sometime for a change I'll marinade them in State Fair Chicken Marinade for 12 hours before I smoke them. Either way they're great by themselves, or on a sandwich or salad.

That's a lot of work. Maybe that's what it takes.

knittnponder

I used to love them with avocado and mango salsa but now that I've discovered I'm allergic to avocado I can't do that anymore.

One of my favorite things to do is simmer them in a little chicken broth until they're done then shred them. You can make chicken salad with them with a lot of variety. I like it with curry and toasted almonds and my other favorite is tarragon and toasted almonds with a little smoked sea salt. It's also good with celery, grapes, walnuts and diced apple. I either eat it with a fork or I wrap some in lettuce. Sometimes I just stir chopped lettuce into it and make a bigger salad.

melt2svelte

Tufel, it kind of is cheating, I guess, but I love the flavors. You're right about it tasting much better when it comes from the whole chicken. In all fairness though, I also eat them baked with just a dash of Johnny's seasoning salt and olive oil, too. I like the taste.

It works for my small family, though. I wouldn't be able to fit a whole chicken or its finished product in the fridge, or the freezer for future meals even if I wanted to! It's tiny! :P

neanderthin

Whoa, neanderthin ! Isn't that a little harsh? You, of all people, should know that we have probably been knocking chickens down out of the trees and eating them since we could first throw rocks.
Not even a whole chicken, on a spit, with rosemary inside, and butter on the outside to make the skin crispy so that it really holds the juices in?
C'mon . . . I can hear your stomach growling from here. . . .

LOL. I'm a chef and have cooked chicken to ad nauseum and unfortunately the chicken on this side of the Ocean is not what I'd call tasty. I would never order chicken out, ever. Saying that I do eat chicken, but my go to protein is venison and lamb, have friends that hunt and supply me or my close neighbor who raises sheep.

zoukeira

I don't really eat any other part of the chicken. Even when I was fat they were pretty much the only part I ate. They're incredibly popular here in New Zealand, I don't know why they aren't popular elsewhere. The've got falvour and are sooo versitile!

I like mine stuffed with a piquant pepper and a little feta and some spinach... mmmmm yummy! Or grilled with a little oil, then rested (so they stay juicy) and then cut up and eaten in a salad or sandwich with avocado, lettuce onion and a little relish/aioli. Or in a stirfry with a little soy sauce and garlic, maybe even some honey,

neverstray

Hmmm. I just eat them plain. A little seasoned salt, bake them at 425 til the heat thermometer beeps and they're good. I love plain food. I thrive on it. I don't care for fat and oil and stuff.

GiddyupTim

I know you said you weren't big on marinades, but here's another idea: Buy the cheapest Italian dressing you can find. Take your chicken breasts and while still slightly frozen, score them with a knife, being careful not to cut all the way through. Put the cheap dressing in a Ziploc bag, throw your chicken in, put it in the fridge, and forget about it for at least 6 hours (I've left it as long as overnight before). When you're ready to eat, throw the chicken breasts on the grill and cook until done.

Erin -- I don't know why -- because I do not like Italian dressing -- but this sounds very intriguing. Maybe I'll just use a balsamic vinaigrette?

GiddyupTim

Whoa, neanderthin ! Isn't that a little harsh? You, of all people, should know that we have probably been knocking chickens down out of the trees and eating them since we could first throw rocks.
Not even a whole chicken, on a spit, with rosemary inside, and butter on the outside to make the skin crispy so that it really holds the juices in?
C'mon . . . I can hear your stomach growling from here. . . .

LOL. I'm a chef and have cooked chicken to ad nauseum and unfortunately the chicken on this side of the Ocean is not what I'd call tasty. I would never order chicken out, ever. Saying that I do eat chicken, but my go to protein is venison and lamb, have friends that hunt and supply me or my close neighbor who raises sheep.

Ahhh. Lamb. Now, there's a rich, flavorful meat !

brower47

Whoa, neanderthin ! Isn't that a little harsh? You, of all people, should know that we have probably been knocking chickens down out of the trees and eating them since we could first throw rocks.
Not even a whole chicken, on a spit, with rosemary inside, and butter on the outside to make the skin crispy so that it really holds the juices in?
C'mon . . . I can hear your stomach growling from here. . . .

LOL. I'm a chef and have cooked chicken to ad nauseum and unfortunately the chicken on this side of the Ocean is not what I'd call tasty. I would never order chicken out, ever. Saying that I do eat chicken, but my go to protein is venison and lamb, have friends that hunt and supply me or my close neighbor who raises sheep.

I really wish lamb was more popular. It's hard to find good sources of this epically delicious meat.

Jen800

I make my own honey mustard out of greek yogurt, and you can make delicious dill sauce to put on them with it too. Extra protein! I also roll mine in crushed up bran cereal (as breading instead of breadcrumbs) add half an oz part skim mozzarella, and a tiny bit of ham (preferably an all natural source) and eat it with mustard/honey mustard for a delicious take on chicken cordon bleu.


I also liked this : http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/09/skinny-chicken-pesto-bake.html

And I like putting some marinara on top of a spinach stuffed breast with ricotta.

neanderthin

Whoa, neanderthin ! Isn't that a little harsh? You, of all people, should know that we have probably been knocking chickens down out of the trees and eating them since we could first throw rocks.
Not even a whole chicken, on a spit, with rosemary inside, and butter on the outside to make the skin crispy so that it really holds the juices in?
C'mon . . . I can hear your stomach growling from here. . . .

LOL. I'm a chef and have cooked chicken to ad nauseum and unfortunately the chicken on this side of the Ocean is not what I'd call tasty. I would never order chicken out, ever. Saying that I do eat chicken, but my go to protein is venison and lamb, have friends that hunt and supply me or my close neighbor who raises sheep.

Ahhh. Lamb. Now, there's a rich, flavorful meat !

Yeah, the local lamb here is just incredible and a great farm environment.

melt2svelte

Jen800 - Thanks for the recipe! I often do a baked chicken breast with basil pesto, but that looks awesome. Pinned it!

melt2svelte

I wish lamb was more affordable here! It is super expensive.

neanderthin

I wish lamb was more affordable here! It is super expensive.

That's too bad. You might try sourcing lamb from a local farm. I'm paying about 200.00 for a whole lamb, and of course I butcher it and freeze, but they will do that for you, makes it a lot more affordable and there's nothing better than lamb, lol.