Did I cook it wrong?
jmkim196
Posts: 6 Member
I'm trying to slowly get into this meal prep thing and was told to start with Chicken as it was the easiest one to cook and cheap as well. I purchased 6 giant chicken breast and was told to put them in the Oven on 450 for 30-45 minutes. Once the time was up and I took them out, I gave them a few minutes to cool down before cutting them in half(I don't have a digital thermometer currently). After a while I cut them in half and noticed there were still a few spots that were pinkish, but was told cooking them in the microwave when I'm ready to eat them would cook that pink away, so I left it alone. When I microwaved one of the chicken breast for my first meal, the Pinkish turned to a brownish-blackish, but I decided to just cut that part out and eat it since I took the time and money to make them. Roughly about 1-2 hours later I started feeling nauseous. After a few days I decided to throw away the chicken breast so I didn't risk my health, or others health that live with me.
Did I just cook them wrong? Is there a recommended way of cooking them? Any help is greatly appreciated!
Did I just cook them wrong? Is there a recommended way of cooking them? Any help is greatly appreciated!
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Replies
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First place chicken in a pan with edges. Add a quarter cup water and then any spices you want on top. I recommend basil, Italian seasoning, or savoury. Cover with tinfoil. While prepping, set oven on 360degrees. Let cook for 1 hour. Uncover and cook a bit longer, 10mins or so. If you want it a bit crispy, broil on low.
Your chicken will be fully cooked and good to eat for up to 4-5days.1 -
Buy a digital thermometer if you are paranoid about food borne illness from under-cooked chicken. It is the only way to know, beyond cooking to a dried out piece of shoe leather, if it is cooked well enough until you get more comfortable/experience cooking. No one on the internets can tell you if yours was cooked enough without seeing it firsthand. Plus, no one knows if your oven temperature is calibrated, either (i.e.., 450ºF may not really be 450ºF)
Also, pound out a boneless chicken breast to an even thickness for even (uniform) cooking throughout. Even the bottom of a glass/mug/jar will do the trick, no fancy kitchen tool required.
I do know if I oven bake my flattened, olive oiled, b/s chicken breasts in my oven, at my altitude, 30-40 minutes at 350ºF is plenty cooked. With bone and skin (and not pounded out), right around an hour.
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You should never use the microwave to cook raw chicken, so yes, I would say you cooked them wrong. 30-45 min at 450 sounds like a reasonable amount of time for a normal chicken break, however you described them as "giant" so maybe it wasn't long enough. If I get a particularly large breast, I butterfly it (meaning cutting it in half horizontally, so you cut the thickness in half), that way it cooks better.
When it doubt get a food thermometer so you can test the internal temp before you finish cooking. They're pretty cheap for a basic one.3 -
Are these boneless, skinless breasts or skin-on, bone-in breasts or what?
I don't understand the turning to brownish/blackish -- how long did you microwave them? (I'm not big on microwaving chicken, I normally eat leftovers cold unless it is in a sauce I need to heat up.)1 -
Was it filet or bone-in?2
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My bad, skinless, boneless. And I put then in a container with some brown rice and Broccoli, then microwaved them together for 2 minutes.lemurcat12 wrote: »Are these boneless, skinless breasts or skin-on, bone-in breasts or what?
I don't understand the turning to brownish/blackish -- how long did you microwave them? (I'm not big on microwaving chicken, I normally eat leftovers cold unless it is in a sauce I need to heat up.)
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If after 30-45 minutes in a 450 degree oven didnt' cook them thoroughly your oven may not be calibrated properly. Always use an oven thermometer to check that your oven is the right temp (especially if you're a renter. They also may have been a little too thick. Brown/black spots in boneless chicken is very weird. Typically cooked chicken shouldn't be kept more than a few days in the fridge because it will start to go bad.
Meal prepping in advance is always a great idea. Chicken can be roasted in big batches and whenever I have leftover chicken breasts I boil them and use them in tacos, quesadillas, to mix into salads or with pasta.2 -
You can always cut one in half to see if they are done. At least until you buy a thermometer.1
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There are multiple ways to cook chicken - depending on thickness, preference, etc.
In general though, cook til there is no pink/red in the center. So to check, cut into the thickest piece.
If you want them to cook faster, cut thru the center so they are not as thick.
I sometimes bake w/ seasonings. Sometimes saute on the stove top in olive oil. Or cook on the grill, basting with a combination of butter and vinegar and garlic salt. Or I'll dip in olive oil, then a bread crumb & parmesan cheese mixture then bake.0 -
If the chicken was only partly cooked, then you put it in the fridge, then finished cooking it a few days later, there's a risk of food poisoning. What happens is there can be some bacteria left in the uncooked parts, which start to grow quickly as they have been warmed up, and will continue to grow in the fridge.
With meats like chicken, you need to finish the cooking process all in one go and make sure it is fully cooked before you store it.
I agree with others, get a food thermometer. I'm an experienced cook, but I still use one as it gives me peace of mind and stops me from overcooking things just to "make sure". If you're a beginner, it will be even more helpful, as it takes away the element of guesswork completely. This is especially valuable with chicken and turkey, as sometimes it can have pink or purple spots even when it is fully cooked, especially in the dark meat. And if you overcook it, it dries out.
I recommend the kind of thermometer that has a probe on a wire that can be left in the meat while it is in the oven, and then you can look at the display as you pass by and see how it's getting on. Make sure the probe is in the very centre of the meat, and it's that simple.9 -
Two minutes on mostly cooked chicken was probably too long. Microwaving chicken, especially white meat, often makes it dry and chewy.
As to instant read thermometers -- you can get an analog one in the supermarket for between $3 and $5. I used one forever before I received a digital one for a present. The cheap ones are fine for most purposes.
Fully cooked chicken, especially dark meat but white meat, too, can have a some pink in it even after it has been fully cooked. Any veins or lose blood left in the chicken will turn pretty black with cooking. Chicken bone that have been frozen will also turn black when cooked.
Still in all, the thermometer is the way to go. I even use one to make sure a leftover casserole is reheated all the way to the middle. Just don't submerge it in water and it should last last a good long time.
The recommended minimum temperature for chicken is 165F (75C) but you may find that to still be too rare for you. We like our dark meat chicken cooked to 195F. We find it easy to keep it moist but leg quarters or thighs with the skins, which we like though we usually don't eat the skins, are a lot easier to keep moist than boneless breasts.
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I'm trying to slowly get into this meal prep thing and was told to start with Chicken as it was the easiest one to cook and cheap as well. I purchased 6 giant chicken breast and was told to put them in the Oven on 450 for 30-45 minutes. Once the time was up and I took them out, I gave them a few minutes to cool down before cutting them in half(I don't have a digital thermometer currently). After a while I cut them in half and noticed there were still a few spots that were pinkish, but was told cooking them in the microwave when I'm ready to eat them would cook that pink away, so I left it alone. When I microwaved one of the chicken breast for my first meal, the Pinkish turned to a brownish-blackish, but I decided to just cut that part out and eat it since I took the time and money to make them. Roughly about 1-2 hours later I started feeling nauseous. After a few days I decided to throw away the chicken breast so I didn't risk my health, or others health that live with me.
Did I just cook them wrong? Is there a recommended way of cooking them? Any help is greatly appreciated!
If the chicken still had pinkish areas then it spent too much time in the danger zone 40°f-140° and the black area was the result of that. If you partially cook chicken you risk food borne illness even if you finish cooking the chicken later.2 -
Well I would still want to try to meal prep Chicken, mostly because its basic and cheap. I will probably purchase a digital thermometer this weekend. What is the recommended temperature I put the Oven on, and for how long?0
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I'm still not understanding how the areas got brownish/black after microwaving? I've done all sorts of things to chicken and I've not had that happen.
To the OP: Chicken breasts these days can be GIGANTIC and they often don't cook evenly. Best thing to do is lay them out flat and slide your knife through horizontally so you get two, thinner pieces. You can also pound them down as another poster said but I've not had much luck getting those big ones down to a manageable size.1 -
My bad, skinless, boneless. And I put then in a container with some brown rice and Broccoli, then microwaved them together for 2 minutes.lemurcat12 wrote: »Are these boneless, skinless breasts or skin-on, bone-in breasts or what?
I don't understand the turning to brownish/blackish -- how long did you microwave them? (I'm not big on microwaving chicken, I normally eat leftovers cold unless it is in a sauce I need to heat up.)
FYI- boneless, skinless chicken breast is about the most finicky P.I.T.A. meat-source to cook. Nearly impossible to not turn into shoe leather without the addition of some type of sauce, especially if you plan to reheat in the microwave. Fattier cuts of chicken and/or cuts with the skin on are much easier to not screw up and cheaper.2 -
Very few foodborne illnesses come up in one to two hours. Most take eight hours or more, and some like salmonella take several days to produce symptoms. The likelihood is that something else made you sick much earlier, or even that your nausea was psychosomatic because you were worried.
Regardless, cook chicken until it is no longer pink.4 -
My bad, skinless, boneless. And I put then in a container with some brown rice and Broccoli, then microwaved them together for 2 minutes.lemurcat12 wrote: »Are these boneless, skinless breasts or skin-on, bone-in breasts or what?
I don't understand the turning to brownish/blackish -- how long did you microwave them? (I'm not big on microwaving chicken, I normally eat leftovers cold unless it is in a sauce I need to heat up.)
FYI- boneless, skinless chicken breast is about the most finicky P.I.T.A. meat-source to cook. Nearly impossible to not turn into shoe leather without the addition of some type of sauce, especially if you plan to reheat in the microwave. Fattier cuts of chicken and/or cuts with the skin on are much easier to not screw up and cheaper.
I used to agree with that but let me say this from experience (because I'm old). I've been cooking chicken breasts for years. Way back to the late 70s/80s. I never had a problem with them getting tough. But I think chicken breeding changed and probably for the last 10-15 years, no matter what I do, they are pretty awful. Even if I don't overcook, I find them to be kind of tough and flavorless. Not like I remember. When I finally got a little money and my kids mostly moved out of the house, I started buying organic chicken breasts. I am astounded at how delicious they are. Even when I *try* they really come out dry and tough. I have overcooked them and they are still good. Just about fork tender.2 -
But I think chicken breeding changed and probably for the last 10-15 years, no matter what I do, they are pretty awful.
Chicken breeds or age at slaughter have not majorly shifted/changed in the last decade. Plumping solution and percentage by weight, however, have. So has, probably, chicken feed composition. No concrete data/facts at the moment to provide, but food for thought.0 -
Well I would still want to try to meal prep Chicken, mostly because its basic and cheap. I will probably purchase a digital thermometer this weekend. What is the recommended temperature I put the Oven on, and for how long?
450 is a very hot oven ... no recipe I have has that high a temp for chicken breast ... unless it's for the last 15 minutes to crisp up chicken skin.
Most temps in my recipes call for cooking chicken in the oven is 350 to 375.
I don't like chicken breasts that are baked as they come out too dry for me ... so I usually pan fry them either as a pounded flat, and possibly butterflied, piece of meat or cut into bits as for stew or stirfry. I also like to poach chicken breasts and then use the meat in chicken based salads, sliced for sandwiches or shredded for burrito or enchilada fillings. When I bake chicken, I prefer the dark meat ... thighs being my favorite.
Here are two recipes for you to try.
Recipe 1 - Perfect Poached Chicken Breasts ... from Cook's Illustrated, recipe publiched March 2014
4 (6-8 ounce) chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, trimmed
4 quarts water
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup salt
2 tablespoons sugar
6 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
Note -- don't use breasts that weight more than 8 ounces each because they won't cook through.
Cover chicken breasts with plastic wrap and pound thick ends genthly until 3/4 inch thick. Whisk 4 quarts water, soy sauce, salt, sugar, and garlic in a large pot (like a dutch oven, soup or spaghetti pot) until salt and sugar are dissolved. Arrange breasts, skinned side up, in steamer basket, making sure not to overlap them. Submerge steamer basket in brine and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Heat pot over medium heat, stirring liquid occasionally to even out hot spots, until water registers 175 degrees, 15-20 minutes to reach temp. Turn off heat, cover pot, remove from burner, and let stand until meat registers 160 degrees, about 17-22 minutes.
Transfer breasts to carving board, cover tightly with aluminfoil foil, and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice each breast on bias into 1/4 inch-thick slices, transfer to serving platter or storage container. Refrigerate left overs.
Recipe 2 - Roast Chicken with Sweet Potato and Broccoli
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Farenheit (about 180 degrees Celcius)
2 yams
2 head broccoli
2 chicken breasts
1/4 cup oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper.
Garnish - sliced basil
Peel and slice the yams into coin sized thick slices. Cut the broccoli into florets. Cut the chicken breasts into slices, and then slice in halve to make medallions.
Whisk together in a bowl the oil through pepper ingredients. Add the chicken to the bowl and toss together with the dressing to marinade the chicken ... allow to marinade for 15 minutes.
Combine the veggies and the chicken, tossing well. Place in a glass baking dish in 1 layer ... if your dish is too small to fit everything in 1 layer, use a rimmed cookie sheet lined with foil.
Bake in the heated oven for 45 minutes. Stirring everything around about half-way through.
to garnish with the fresh basil leaves ... layer some basil leaves one atop the other, roll them like a cigar and then slice through the roll to make thin strips of fresh basil. Scatter over the chicken.
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I like the recipes for poached chicken. Poaching is also a good way of enjoying delicious chicken with crispy skin on without many of the calories, since the fat will melt and run out into the poaching liquid. The trick is to place your chicken in a roasting pan skin side up with the skin above the marinade and the rest of the chicken under it. Bake 45 minutes to an hour in 400 degree oven. If you place the pan in the fridge, the fat will separate and congeal, and you can remove it, reserving the liquid - which will contain gelatin if you used bone in chicken - for soup stock. If you're not watching sodium, Wicker's BBQ marinade is a good chicken marinade for this purpose.
Another quick way of poaching chicken so as to end up with crispy, lower fat skin is to do it in a pan on the stovetop in a non stick pan. First cook skin side down on medium for 15 minutes, until the skin is crispy and brown. The fat will render into the pan. Then flip and cook the other side of the chicken in its own fat for 15 minutes. Pour the excess fat off, and enjoy. There's no need to suffer through boneless, skinless chicken when you're on a diet!
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rheddmobile wrote: »Very few foodborne illnesses come up in one to two hours. Most take eight hours or more, and some like salmonella take several days to produce symptoms. The likelihood is that something else made you sick much earlier, or even that your nausea was psychosomatic because you were worried.
Regardless, cook chicken until it is no longer pink.
Food borne illness can begin quickly or take weeks to appear
"Signs and symptoms may start within hours after eating the contaminated food, or they may begin days or even weeks later. Sickness caused by food poisoning generally lasts from a few hours to several days"
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/food-poisoning/symptoms-causes/dxc-203376131 -
Rebecca0224 wrote: »rheddmobile wrote: »Very few foodborne illnesses come up in one to two hours. Most take eight hours or more, and some like salmonella take several days to produce symptoms. The likelihood is that something else made you sick much earlier, or even that your nausea was psychosomatic because you were worried.
Regardless, cook chicken until it is no longer pink.
Food borne illness can begin quickly or take weeks to appear
"Signs and symptoms may start within hours after eating the contaminated food, or they may begin days or even weeks later. Sickness caused by food poisoning generally lasts from a few hours to several days"
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/food-poisoning/symptoms-causes/dxc-20337613
It depends on the microbe (and dose). For undercooked chicken, I would assume Salmonella (or maybe Campylobacter or E. Coli). These won't cause illness that quickly.3 -
My bad, skinless, boneless. And I put then in a container with some brown rice and Broccoli, then microwaved them together for 2 minutes.lemurcat12 wrote: »Are these boneless, skinless breasts or skin-on, bone-in breasts or what?
I don't understand the turning to brownish/blackish -- how long did you microwave them? (I'm not big on microwaving chicken, I normally eat leftovers cold unless it is in a sauce I need to heat up.)
FYI- boneless, skinless chicken breast is about the most finicky P.I.T.A. meat-source to cook. Nearly impossible to not turn into shoe leather without the addition of some type of sauce, especially if you plan to reheat in the microwave. Fattier cuts of chicken and/or cuts with the skin on are much easier to not screw up and cheaper.
Yeah. Two easy ways to cook them (outside of the sauce) are: (1) pound them thin and cook them on top of the stove in a little oil; or (even easier) (2) put them in a slow cooker with some water or chicken broth plus onions and whatever else you want for a little flavor and cook them on low all day. I do this overnight or when at work and then use the chicken (it's basically falling apart) to put on salads and stuff.
Foolproof is bone-in, skin-on breasts. Cook it at about 425 until done (40 min or so, but check on it).0 -
I used to bake 2lbs of boneless chicken breasts in the oven every week for meal prepping. I had to buy a meat thermometer because the chicken would always come out either under cooked or overcooked. It was a pain but I eventually got it down. It would take about 45 minutes to cook then another 10 to cool, then another 20 for me to cut it all up and store it. I got tired of doing that after awhile and stopped eating chicken lol.
I bought an electric pressure cooker for $50 and now I just throw in one or two breasts, 3/4 cup water, 1/4 cup of salsa and a little s&p. Set it for 10 minutes and then wait another 10 for the natural pressure release and viola, perfectly cooked fork shredded chicken every single time. I will never go back to the oven
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A meat thermometer would be a good purchase.0
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High temperature, short time produces chicken breasts that are completely cooked through and still moist. I think my husband does them at 450 for 25-30 minutes. Perfect every time...0
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The fact is there is no absolute, exact answer to how long it takes to cook a chicken breast and at what temperature. Every chicken breast is different and every oven is different. Hence the thermometer.
I would do them at 180C (350F), for about 30-40 min, but I suspect your chicken breasts were larger than the ones I get here. So start with that, but watch the thermometer.
I would also wrap them in foil or put them in a dish with a lid, to help them not dry out.
As someone else said, a slow cooker can be a good way to cook chicken breasts but don't overdo it. Slow cookers vary so you'll have to experiment for the ideal time without overcooking. In mine, it would be 4-5 hours on Low.
We may never be able to fully explain what went wrong with your chicken breasts this time around, it's very hard to pinpoint a problem without being there. But if you use a thermometer in future you should be able to avoid it happening again, hopefully.0 -
the pink bits that turned brown/black were blood spots...not really poisonous or harmful, but visually enough to make you nauseous - you eat with your eyes and tummies are very suggestable. if you are unsure, you should look for the texture change, as well as colour, cooked chicken has the grains, like wood grain, running through it and raw or undercooked is still smooth1
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Also raw chicken has a sort of jelly texture whereas cooked chicken is firmer and pulls apart along the grain.
It's possible OP's chicken *was* in fact cooked, and the nausea was the result of doubt/worry about food poisoning. That happens. We'll never really know at this stage.0 -
I like to wrap my chicken in foil for the first 3/4 of the cooking time and uncover it for the rest. This helps the chicken to steam while it is cooking, allowing it to cook more evenly and remain juicy.
Your chicken could have been perfectly cooked, but carrying germs for all we know. I wouldn't personally cook chicken that high either, I'm a 180C for half an hour girl and it's never steered me wrong (that's apparently 356F)
Definitely get yourself a meat thermometer, and maybe an oven thermometer too so you can check that's running at the right temp 0
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