chicken breast's are getting dry and unbearable

[georgie24]

how the fuck do you marinade chicken? i need an idiots guide to marinading/cooking chicken. i HATE chicken now but i do eat it as im cutting right now. im to determined to get ripped this time however my chicken taste like shit and its dry...


please help


i usually buy 30-40 breasts at a clip. i cook them all sunday and freeze them. then i use micro to heat and eat..

 

[JKurz1]

don't cook them so long....just till the insides are white...........if they are skinless, they just stay moist...........

 

[ebear]

You've guessed it, marinating is the key. It's really easy. Basically, you need spices/salt, oil and a bit of something acidic like lemon juice or white wine. You can also add chopped garlic (dried garlic will do quite well, too), chilis, honey, soy sauce, etc. Experiment and see what you like. Try using different oil mixes like sesame, chili and olive. Softer meats like chicken only need about 3-4 hours. Pork & beef do better with longer marination (overnight) to get really tender. Cutting meats into smaller pieces also adds more flavor and tenderness.

One of my favorites is mixing chicken & beef (cut into flat pieces) and marinating in oil, a pack or two of hot thai or indian spice paste and some lemon/lime juice. I then sauté in a very hot pan and freeze into portions. Good stuff!

 

[georgie24]

do they sell a good bottled marinade/tenderizer

 

[Cut]

I wrap them in foil when cooking them (obviously not in the micro) to help keep them moist.

 

[onerepmaximum]

i usually buy 30-40 breasts at a clip. i cook them all sunday and freeze them. then i use micro to heat and eat..

if you're not worried about sodium, just about any marinade would be good. I cook about one week's worth of chicken breasts at a time and I put them in tupperware inside the fridge. Maybe by you freezing them, the makes them a little drier than they would have to be. I put hot sauce on most things too. That helps to break up the monotony. I would say, try cooking less at a time.

 

[georgie24]

thanks guys

 

[Omegasox]

Or you can get Chicken Stir Fry where it's pre-cut and cook that with some veggies and partition it later. Since it's pre-cut, it stays moist and is very good when re-heated.

 

[heregothere]

you don't even have to marinate

just boil them in chicken broth until they're cooked through and pop them in the freezer

grilling and baking (dry heats) tend to leech water out of chicken, especially since it's an extremely lean protein

 

[Judo Tom]

how long do you boil your chicken heregothere?

 

[SoreArms]

So you are cooking 30-40 chicken breasts at a time and freezing them?

Why not just cook a couple of days worth at a time an not freezing them? I leave cooked chicken in the fridge up to a week and it's still good.

I bet the freezing, thawing and microwaving is not doing much for the taste either.

 

[adam wj]

judo tom i generally boil my chicken and go do something else.. by the time the "oh shit, i forgot about my chicken!" hits it's usually fine

from the pot right into a sealed tupperware container keeps them moist for me for a couple days

 

[jenscats5]

If you are cooking the chix breasts whole, be advised that after you remove them from the heat they keep cooking so let them sit a few minutes & then slice to keep in the juices. If you slice too early, all the juices/tenderness leaches out.

Otherwise take a little time when you buy your giant packs of chicken. But a big ass pack of boneless skinless breasts & slice into strips & put into baggies raw & freeze. When you are ready to cook, the strips cook much faster without drying out....Takes a little time but worth it.....

 

[Muskrat]

I prefer to cut my chicken breasts into smaller stir-fry pieces. Cooking the whole breast is a friggin tightrope act. Literally moments after the meat is heated through correctly, it turns into shoe leather. If you miss that minute window, your meal sucks. Smaller pieces cook through quicker so there's less time for the moisture inside to dry out. Also, If you cut into small pieces THEN add salt and pepper (or other seasonings) every bite is surrounded by flavor.

I do have some great tips for cooking the whole breasts that make it easier: first off, cook the over medium heat, not medium high. If its a large breast, it'll probably be much thicker on one end. (This adds to the problem) You can cover the breast in plastic wrap and pound the thick end firmly (not too hard) to make the meat the same width throughout. If its way thicker you may want to consider filleting it as well. Also, if you don't mind the extra calories, breading them will form a nice seal that hold in juices and keeps the outside of the breast from getting tough.

 

[the guy on the couch]

can I use my teflon-coated pan and cook them on medium heat?

george foreman heats up to damn quickly and gets too damn hot. it's like a friggin' science to keep the damn thing from burning on the outside while making sure the inside is cooked all the way through.

 

[Muskrat]

Experiment. I sautéed cut up pieces tonight with some salsa that came out perfect. I'm still working on technique. I cut the breast in half, dividing the thinner portion from the thick end. Then I filleted the thick end into two thinner pieces and cut it all up into 1.5 inch pieces. About 6 minutes, just over medium heat, and these little guys were all tender. The difference between tender, juicy poultry and over done is like night and day.

 

[onerepmaximum]

can I use my teflon-coated pan and cook them on medium heat?

george foreman heats up to damn quickly and gets too damn hot. it's like a friggin' science to keep the damn thing from burning on the outside while making sure the inside is cooked all the way through.

I've never had that problem, but then again, I have an imitation George Forman grill. I like it better because it's easier to clean. But to answer your question, you could cook it in a pan too. They didn't always have GF grills.

 

[jerkbox]

here's what i do:

marinate in

olive oil
garlic
basil
a little bit of salt
lemon juice
maybe a little bit of tarragon vinegar

put em in a plastic bag in the fridge for at least a few hours.

i bake em in the oven, still turn out very moist