Making chicken tasty... (again)

2»

Replies

  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,883 Member
    Chicken thighs are great in the slow cooker, especially this time of year when it's cold where I am and soups and stews are nice.

    My chicken cacciatore recipe is not linkable, but this is a good start: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/246305/chicken-cacciatore-in-a-slow-cooker/ with some changes:
    1. Definitely use thighs instead of breast. I've used bone-in, skin-on, but I find the deboning and skinning at the end to be inconvenient so just use boneless now.
    2. I would saute the onions first.
    3. If you like wine, add some. I'd use 0.5 - 1 C red for that recipe. You can use less, more, or white :)
  • Cahgetsfit
    Cahgetsfit Posts: 1,912 Member
    fitoverfortymom wrote: »
    I almost exclusively make boneless, skinless thighs instead of breasts. Super tender and juicy a d just a hair more calories.

    Me too. Dried chicken breast gets old really quickly.

  • pancakerunner
    pancakerunner Posts: 6,137 Member
    Four words: skin on chicken thighs.
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,967 Member
    I have switched over to almost exclusively using thighs instead of breasts. They just have a lot more flavor.

    Favorite marinade:
    equal parts brown sugar, soy sauce and pineapple juice (better with fresh and then throw the squeezed chunks of pineapple in the marinade as well) then throw in some some garlic, ginger, ketchup and sriracha. I'm not good at recipes, I just eyeball those. I prefer to cook them in my cast iron skillet.

  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,967 Member
    I've made chicken, tortellini, and spinach soup in the slow cooker, and as well chicken and gnocchi soup.
  • nicsflyingcircus
    nicsflyingcircus Posts: 2,379 Member
    One of our favorite chicken dishes is tacos.

    Boneless skinless chicken thighs coated with my homemade taco seasoning, then tossed on a hot gas grill. Yum.

    I also make white chicken chili (breasts for that), and balsamic thighs (marinated in Newman's own light balsamic, then grilled and fresh mozarella melted on top).
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,883 Member
    While I do prefer thighs in the slow cooker, we like grilled chicken tenders (I use a variety of marinades, sometimes as simple as salad dressing with a little extra oil to prevent sticking), and I often use breast in Asian stir fries and always use breast in chicken fajitas.
  • neugebauer52
    neugebauer52 Posts: 1,120 Member
    Rub chicken / chicken pieces with curry powder. Half way through roasting add vegetables of your choice. Voila!
  • XLNC1981
    XLNC1981 Posts: 114 Member
    Am feeling the flavours... kinda looking for to meal prepping come Sunday. Always been a breast man but I’m going to be all over the thighs thanks 2 some of you lot! 😜
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    just_Tomek wrote: »
    Honestly.... with sooo many recipes and cooking methods, I dont understand how people still manage to overcook their chicken breast??!?!

    With so many recipes and cooking methods I completely understand how people manage to overcook their chicken breast. Many recipes completely disregard how overcooked the chicken breast will end up. They count on sauces and liquid offset the dryness (it does not work).
  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,400 Member
    just_Tomek wrote: »
    Honestly.... with sooo many recipes and cooking methods, I dont understand how people still manage to overcook their chicken breast??!?!

    I think chicken breast and fish are easy to overcook. I think because they're afraid it'll be raw in the center. It takes awhile to get the hang of it.
  • missysippy930
    missysippy930 Posts: 2,577 Member
    I’m not a fan of dark meat, and it is easy to overcook boneless, skinless chicken breasts. It helps if you use a meat mallet to pound the breast to an even thickness before cooking and use an instant read thermometer. It should be cooked to 165 degrees F. Use any spices you like to season. I remove from the oven at about 160-162 degrees and let it rest lightly covered with foil. It continues to cook while resting.
  • cosmichvoyager
    cosmichvoyager Posts: 237 Member
    I marinade boneless chicken thighs in a plain yogurt/garlic/cumin/lemon mixture overnight, then bake or grill.

    Another ingredient I love to marinade chicken in is shio koji, it’s japanese. It’s a live fermentation culture and in like 2 hours makes chicken taste beyond delicious. Google shio koji marinade for more ideas.
  • Katmary71
    Katmary71 Posts: 6,533 Member
    I've been making chicken salsa in the Instant pot. I don't like dark meat so I put 2 frozen chicken breasts in with liquid and salsa for 7 minutes natural pressure release. I add extra salsa at the end, some shred it. I don't have a convection oven but my mom marinates with a white balsamic dressing and they come out super juicy.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,883 Member
    snowflake954 wrote: »
    just_Tomek wrote: »
    Honestly.... with sooo many recipes and cooking methods, I dont understand how people still manage to overcook their chicken breast??!?!

    I think chicken breast and fish are easy to overcook. I think because they're afraid it'll be raw in the center. It takes awhile to get the hang of it.

    I used to worry about under cooking chicken but no longer now that I have an instant read meat thermometer.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,883 Member
    XLNC1981 wrote: »
    Am feeling the flavours... kinda looking for to meal prepping come Sunday. Always been a breast man but I’m going to be all over the thighs thanks 2 some of you lot! 😜

    Let us know what you made and how it came out :)
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,589 Member
    For cooking whole chicken I like to spatchcock which means cutting with scissors along the backbone and then flattening out the chicken on a roasting tray or sheet pan. This is the only way I can get breasts and thighs to correct doneness simultaneously when roasting a whole chicken. This technique makes use of the fact that a conventional oven is hotter around the perimeter (where the legs are) as opposed the centre (where the breasts are).

    Also for roasting chicken I swear by dry brining which improves tendersness, which means salting a day in advance.

    https://www.seriouseats.com/2014/11/quick-and-dirty-guide-to-brining-turkey-chicken-thanksgiving.html

Categories