Cooking chicken breast with no oil

thewindandthework
thewindandthework Posts: 531 Member
edited November 20 in Recipes
I have recently started tracking my macros instead of just my calories, and finding that my fat tends to be high and my protein low. So I'm adding more meat into my life after years of eating very, very little of it. I'm a good cook, but clueless about meat.

What's your favorite way to cook skinless boneless chicken breast without any added fat?

EDIT: After several helpful comments and some consideration, I have decided to incorporate two new methods into my bag of tricks: Grilling (in a grill pan, in my case), and poaching.

Slower methods that would also work are roasting and crock pot, for those rare moments when I have some time.
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Replies

  • PWRLFTR1
    PWRLFTR1 Posts: 324 Member
    Fire up the grill
  • thewindandthework
    thewindandthework Posts: 531 Member
    I can't have a real grill but I have been considering a grill pan for my stove for a while. That's a good idea!
  • RunsWithBees
    RunsWithBees Posts: 1,508 Member
    You can boil it and shred it or cut it into chunks.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,458 Member
    edited July 2017
    crockpot? baked?

    I don't worry about going over on fat, and I use a little butter in the cast iron skillet with chicken breast, otherwise it sticks. Meh. a gram or two of fat isn't a big deal. You can use broth, just watch for sticking.
  • thewindandthework
    thewindandthework Posts: 531 Member
    I have been skeptical about boiling, steaming, and microwave options because there's no opportunity for Maillard, but I could probably be convinced.

    How is the flavor when they're boiled?
  • thewindandthework
    thewindandthework Posts: 531 Member
    Roasted makes a lot of sense to me, and it's what I do when I'm doing food prep for multiple days, but it's too slow for a weekday dinner for me. I've never even used my crockpot because I am a spontaneous cook. I'm already pushing my patience by planning two meals a day ahead of time, I don't think I could handle all three.

    I'm not worried about a gram or two of fat, but 40 grams in a teaspoon of olive oil is enough to make a real difference. Even 20 in a half teaspoon would cut a sizable amount of cabbage or broccoli out of my dinner.
  • jordyngiulio
    jordyngiulio Posts: 157 Member
    I second the crockpot! I also love to make it on the George Foreman grill thing - it sounds lame but chicken comes out great on there.
  • thewindandthework
    thewindandthework Posts: 531 Member
    Thanks for your help everyone!

    I do think I'm going to obtain a grill pan, since I was wanting one even in vegetarian mode, and I'm going to experiment with poaching the chicken. I think if it's not a rolling boil it shouldn't get too tough.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    Simply not overcooking can make a big difference.

    How about poaching in a little wine and stock?
  • thewindandthework
    thewindandthework Posts: 531 Member
    lol, I was already coming up with different poaching liquids. I always have wine, garlic, and a ridiculous collection of herbs and spices. Getting creative with combinations will be fun.

    Commercial stock isn't really in my toolbelt for reasons of sodium and general disappointing flavor, and I don't think I'm ready to start making my own yet, but it's definitely something to consider.
  • dklibert
    dklibert Posts: 1,196 Member
    Look up Rachael Ray's recipe for poached chicken. She used bone-in skin on chicken breast, onion, garlic, carrot, celery, bay, peppercorns, herbs, lemon. It is really a great method plus you can strain and separate the broth and fat. Then you have great chicken and broth for recipes. Takes time but a great outcome.
  • AngryViking1970
    AngryViking1970 Posts: 2,847 Member
    poach it
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
    thewindandthework wrote: »
    Thanks for your help everyone!

    I do think I'm going to obtain a grill pan, since I was wanting one even in vegetarian mode, and I'm going to experiment with poaching the chicken. I think if it's not a rolling boil it shouldn't get too tough.

    America's Test Kitchen and Alton Brown have excellent methods for poaching.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    thewindandthework wrote: »
    I can't have a real grill but I have been considering a grill pan for my stove for a while. That's a good idea!

    When I lived in my apartment and couldn't have a bbq grill, I had a George Foreman grill...I pretty much cooked all of my meats on that thing.
  • thewindandthework
    thewindandthework Posts: 531 Member
    I was just pricing a Foreman grill on Amazon and am seriously considering it.
  • wimdroid
    wimdroid Posts: 56 Member
    Tried sous-vide?
  • piperdown44
    piperdown44 Posts: 958 Member
    I think pounding them down until they are about 3/8-1/2 thick, then marinade in a zip lock or dish, and a quick grill (4-5 mins) per side is the way to go after trying quite a few methods. They come out flavorful and moist. You can either serve them as is or cut into strips to add to salad.
    I've used different marinades such as Italian dressing, buffalo sauce, teriyaki, chipotle, bbq, garlic and herb, etc.
  • BurgerLovinBulker
    BurgerLovinBulker Posts: 38 Member
    Fat isn't that bad....I generally eat chicken with a few strips of bacon, so the chicken is fried in the bacon fat.

    Grilling is a great option. So is poaching, but I can't stand the taste.

    Sous vide & a quick sear with a blow torch?
    Baked with onion, garlic, & lemon?
    Slow cooker with chipotle & a Mexican spice rub?
    Reverse seared and smoked under a hood? Or even smoked in a smoker with a chipotle BBQ sauce.

    Chicken is a great base for just about anything
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,349 Member
    edited July 2017
    Panda8ach wrote: »
    I use coconut oil :) Still not great but better :#

    How better? Same calories, high in saturated fat, becoming widely recognised as having been totally over-hyped in recent history...

    I personally don't like poached chicken breast. I tend to season and fry in a non-stick pan.
  • Evamutt
    Evamutt Posts: 2,797 Member
    george froman grill
  • Chadxx
    Chadxx Posts: 1,199 Member
    m073qhgbkl7b.jpg
  • bray149
    bray149 Posts: 118 Member
    Grilling and crock pot are your best bet for convenience. Grilling only takes a few minutes. Good Crock-Pot with a timer can cook while you sleep.
  • monica859mfp
    monica859mfp Posts: 2 Member
    My mom's smoker.
  • firef1y72
    firef1y72 Posts: 1,579 Member
    Wrap in foil (or greaseproof paper) with herbs, spices, flavourings, then roast until just cooked. One of my favourites is a little chilli powder with lemon juice and sliced mixed peppers (they add moisture), by wrapping in foil it kind of steams as it bakes meaning it doesn't dry out as much especially if you add something like peppers, onions, courgettes or anything with a high water content.
  • firef1y72
    firef1y72 Posts: 1,579 Member
    Oh and if I'm (stir) frying I don't use oil, I've got one of those pans that doesn't need it even for eggs. So I'll slice the chicken in thin strips, season (I have a huge collection of herbs, spices and spice/herb mixes), fry quickly at a high heat and add loads of veggies. Or I'll cut in to chunks, season and make shish kebabs (with lots of veggies) to put under the grill. I eat a lot of chicken and it really doesn't have to be boring, although I will say that thigh meat is worth the few extra calories for more flavour.
  • Andy10725
    Andy10725 Posts: 68 Member
    Method one:
    Steaming
    Put to plate and put any spices that you want. Salt, garlic, ginger are the basic.
    Steam for 7 min depending on the size

    Method two:
    Pan fry
    What you will need. A good stainless steel pan with lid. Yup, stainless steel not the non stick cook ware. Matter of fact, avoid non stick cookware with this method if you don't want to break it.
    Heat up the pan on mid high heat. Wait till the pan is super hot. You can do water droplet testing on it to test the hotness, if the droplet roll around instead of evaporating right away then it was golden.
    Turn the heat to mid. Put the breast on the pan without oil. Press it down lightly to get rid of any trap air between pot n meat.
    After about 2 min, the fat from the meat should have melted on the surface of the meat and make it effortless to flip over. If it's sticked on the pan then cook it longer. Don't try to force it off.
    Another 2 min after u flipped it. Turn off the heat and put lid on. Let the residual heat from the pan do the rest. After 15-20 min, you should have a crazy tender breast.
  • randilyn2013
    randilyn2013 Posts: 40 Member
    If you're a spontaneous cook look into a programmable pressure cooker or instant pot. I'm keto so I can't do the pasta or rice meals but raw chicken is shreddable in about 15 minutes and you can add pasta and cook for 4 more minutes and have an entire meal. Frozen chicken takes about 35 minutes. They're great for a lot of other stuff too, just cooked spaghetti squash in 15 minutes the other day.
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    I actually do microwave chicken - I found these ready to go meals at the store (but you can also buy Ziploc steamer bags) - throw some chicken in, some vegetables (right now I'm using broccoli) and then some compressed butter (like scampi or black pepper flavored) - cook for about 6 min
  • kelly_stevens81
    kelly_stevens81 Posts: 79 Member
    Use cooking spray, its such a small amount of oil it doesn't even count calorie wise.
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