I do not know about you guys, but I am getting very tired of eating dried out chicken breast with no flavor. I know there are ways to prepare these things so they taste delicious, but I do not know how to cook. Is there any recipes you guys know to make them taste great?
Appreciate your help.
Take a trip down the Spice/Cooking Oil aisle at the grocery store. Some basic things to look for would be salt (I use Morton’s Lite), pepper (black and crushed red), chili powder, garlic powder, and Italian seasonings. I also like to use spice blends such as Tony Checere’s (?sp), Emeril Lagasse’s Bam, and Cavander’s Greek seasonings.
Look for plain old Olive Oil. Not the Exra virgin stuff (that should only be used on salads, despite the idiots on Food Network), but plain old Olive Oil. It should say good for baking or saute. You could also use peanut oil.
The main problem with chicken breast drying out is the lack of fat. With any of the oils listed above and some selected seasonings, you can make a good marinade so the chicken doesn’t dry out. You can lightly tenderize the breast before you put it in the oil for better penetration, but that isn’t necessary.
I first pound the breast to thin it out (so you are not eating big dry hunks when its said and done). Season it with salt and pepper and whatever other seasoning I feel like (I use Montreal Steak seasoning - it works well on chicken and turkey burgers too) then sautee in olive oil. Once browned on both sides I dump in some barbecue sauce and let it simmer for about 10 minutes.
I usually cook 3 to 4 breasts at a time this way, and then portion the breast out into individual meals, adding cooked sweet potatoe and a vegetable (broccolli, green beans, etc). Break out the tupper-ware and I have 4-6 perfectly proportioned meals I can eat whenever I want over the next couple days.
Sometimes I buy a pre-marinated pork loin and substitute that for the chicken for a change of pace. This is not all I eat, but this gives me a handful of perfectly proportioned meals with the ideal ratio of nutrition I can eat whenever I want.
I agree with you in that I can’t eat something that doesn’t have good flavor. I used to be so strict in my diet that I refused to bread or add fat to my cooking, but that has changed as I’d cook stuff and they’d sit in their little meal containers until they went bad and were thrown away, I became that bored with the bland, dry breasts.
Those Tyson premarinated chicken breast three-flavor packs at Costco are really moist and taste good.
So are those Hormel premarinated Pork Tenderloins that the above poster mentioned.
If you’re not extremely strict with carbs, this stuff called Dixie Fry is a coating for chicken (sold next to the Shake and Bake in the grocery store), you can fry or bake. I spray a cookie sheet with Butter Flavor Pam, coat the chicken, then a light spray of Pam on each piece, and bake. My guy grew up eating real fried chicken, and he loves the Dixie Fry chicken.
You could always do asian style with the chicken by cutting across the grain in bite sized pieces and stir frying in garlic, olive oil, a pre-made bottled sauce such as black bean or chili-garlic, a sliced vegetable such as green beans/broccoli/bell peppers/mushrooms, and serve with brown rice.
I’m a big fan of brines and marinades for chicken.
A brine is nothing more than a very salty and sweet solution in which the meat sits for an amount of time. Osmosis draws water out of the chicken because the brine is so much saltier than the chicken. But the chicken eventually reaches equilibrium with the brine, and some of the salt and sugar enters the meat.
This serves two purposes. First, the increased salinity means a faster rate of transfer between the brine and the meat. So any flavorings you add (whole black peppercorns, bay leaves, oregano, thyme, etc.) will have a better chance of getting into the meat than if the salt content were lower.
And second, salt carries water with it. This gives you a little cushion with your cooking because you are less likely to dry out the meat. Overcooking the meat coagulates the proteins and wrings out the water. Salt in the meat helps combat that.
I limit my chicken brines to 3/4 cup of salt for 6-10 lbs of chicken. Any more than that, and the chicken becomes too salty for my taste.
My current favorite is an orange juice brine. I heat one can of OJ concentrate with 1 can of water. Then I add the salt, a couple bay leaves, 1 Tbsp whole black peppercorns, and some sage and rosemary. I let that simmer, then add it to my stock pot with lots of cold water so the chicken doesn’t cook. Then I add the chicken and fill it with just enough water to cover the meat.
After 4-5 hours of sitting on the counter (don’t worry, the high salt content prohibits bacterial growth) I pat the chicken dry, lightly coat it with oil, and grill it.
As for the marinade, I like to make a base of acid and oil. The acid helps break down the tissue and soften it, making it more tender as well as offering more pathways for flavor. The oil adds moisture to the mix.
One of my favorites is a fajita marinade. I zest six limes and squeeze their juice into a bowl. Then I add 1/4c olive oil, some paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, cumin, and honey.
Whick that together and pour it into a gallon Ziploc bag with the chicken. Let it sit in your fridge for 5 or 6 hours.
In a pinch, store bought oil and vinegar salad dressing or any Italian dressing will make a great marinade.
Try some steak. I’ve heard it’s good…
First, you find some skin and wrap the breast in it. Then you cook it. Then, if you’re like preparing for a show in 6 weeks, you take the skin off and eat it. Otherwise, enjoy a piece of chicken skin.