Help! Stupid question! How do I cook chicken?

[BlondieK143]

Okay, don't laugh. All my roommates are gone for awhile and there's no one else to ask. Seriously. I just bought skinless, boneless chicken breasts at the store last night and some AWESOME marinade. But now I'm kinda stuck. I know I need to clean them, or do I? Oven on 450? I normally just cook beef or pasta so I'm not too sure. HELP!

On edit: The marinade is one of those bottle A-1 marinades. The only thing you have to do is let the chicken sit in the marinade for 30 minutes in the refrigerator (come on, give me some credit. I can't start making my own marinades when I don't even know how to cook chicken!) :)

[punpirate]

1. You might describe the marinade...

... most advice might not help you without that information. "Awesome" doesn't exactly say what's in it. :)

[BlondieK143]

5. There ya go!

:)

[punpirate]

11. Ah, from that, I guess you don't really need help....

:)

[BlondieK143]

15. Not on the marinade.

Just the chicken part! :)

[punpirate]

16. It's all of a piece...

... how you spice the chicken determines how you cook it and what it should go with....

If you have a specific marinade you intend to use, what is it called, and what's in the ingredients? "One of those A-1 marinades" just doesn't provide enough information.

Keep in mind, if you worry too much about a chicken breast now, it will make you crazy in later life. :P

[BlondieK143]

17. I'm not sure of the ingredients.

Sorry, I guess I'm not being of much help. I'm at work so I can't scoot off to the kitchen and get the bottle. But thanks for trying to help :D

[punpirate]

19. Any one of these?

http://www.kraftfoods.com/a1/bn/c_marinades/

[BlondieK143]

21. You're good!

It's the Mesquite. And I got the original for steak.

[punpirate]

25. Gimme a minute to look at it....

... but I think you'll probably have to grill these with that stuff on it. Wait a sec....

[BlondieK143]

28. Awww man!

Thanks!

[punpirate]

35. Bad news? No grill?

Do `em under the broiler on some aluminum foil, but keep a watchful eye on them--they'll cook faster than on charcoal or gas.

[BlondieK143]

40. For how long?

Like 10 minutes or so?

[punpirate]

47. Turn frequently...

... you'll be able to tell from the feel of them when you pick them up to turn them over. With an electric or gas broiler on full blast, I'd turn and baste every 3 minutes for about twelve minutes, depending on size--big ones might take 15-18 minutes. If you're not sure if they're done, just poke a knife tip into one, and if the juice is clear, they're probably done. If the juice is pink, or the meat is pink, give `em a while longer.

Cheers.

[punpirate]

33. Geez, if it were me...

... I probably wouldn't use that stuff, but I'm fussy. It really does look more like a barbecue sauce than a marinade.

Well, I don't know where you live and if you can buy wine, but I would take about half of this stuff, mix it with an equal part of cheap white wine (if you can't get white wine, use about a 1/4 cup of white wine vinegar), and then break up a couple of rosemary sprigs (or mix in a couple of teaspoons of dried rosemary), mix it all up and put it and the chicken breasts into a covered bowl, and turn the chicken breasts a couple of times every 20 minutes to make sure they're coated.

Before marinating, look at the chicken breasts and see if you find a hard, white piece of cartilage near the point where the breasts are joined, cut the breasts in two between the pieces of cartilage, then grab the end of the cartilage, put a knife down near your fingers and strip the cartilage out of the meat by dragging the knife blade edge along the cartilage away from you.

Then take each chicken breast and lay it flat on a board and pound it with something like the bottom of a coffee cup for a couple of minutes. Then put the chicken breasts in the marinade and turn as above for maybe an hour, or an hour and a half.

Then pull `em out and put a little black pepper on `em and grill `em over a hot fire for maybe 8 minutes on a side, and brush on the marinade each time you turn `em. When they're about 3/4s done, slice some fresh tomato and throw some pieces of those on the grill for just a minute or two with some pepper and serve with the chicken and whatever else you're cooking.

Try that.

Remember, you don't need to buy marinades--you can often make better ones in your own kitchen. Try just making a marinade out of olive oil, white wine, basil, rosemary, garlic and a maybe half a squeezed lemon, along with a tiny bit of white pepper and let the chicken marinade in that for three or four hours before grilling. You might be pleasantly surprised.

Cheers. Bon Appetit.

[BlondieK143]

36. Thank you very, very much!

I really appreciate all the help! :hug:

Basically, the reason why I bought the marinade to begin with is for what you said, it's almost just like BBQ sauce. And I'm a BBQ sauce FREAK. Plus, I'm trying to tackle small things at a time. It's about managing my time and not making too big of a disaster in the kitchen. But I will definitely try making my own marinade after doing this, you've inspired me. Thanks again for your help!

[punpirate]

44. Time's important...

... but so's food. :) If you put effort into it, and it tastes better than anything you can get out of a package, there's satisfaction in that. If it doesn't taste that good, you know you weren't on the right track and there's a better way to do it. :P

Want to know one of the best and simplest restaurant meals I've had recently? Chicken breast. In an Italian restaurant in Santa Fe, NM, last year. Just a bit of steamed cabbage rolled up inside a puunded-out chicken breast, sauteed, with a little brown sauce strongly flavored with fennel. For vegetables, some braised potato chunks and spinach leaves, fresh green beans and fresh asparagus sauteed in garlic, butter and a little olive oil. To die for, and probably took 10-15 minutes to make.

Cooking's an art, some say. I concentrate on the fun of it.

Keep on cookin'.

Cheers.

[Connie_Corleone]

2. Cleaning them would be a good start

I usually cook at 350 degrees. But that's just me.

[BlondieK143]

6. So....

I just stick it under some water and that's it??

[Ganja Ninja]

3. Depending on the size about 45 min to 1 hour at 350.

But that doesn't mean I approve of chicken eating.

[BlondieK143]

AH! Great!

Thank you! and um, yeah, I didn't say you approved on chicken eating. :D

[Bronco69]

4. I just throw them in a

George Foreman grill for 8 minutes and they're done. :-)

[BlondieK143]

8. I miss my George Foreman!

Actually, it was my aunt's and I don't live there anymore. :( That thing is AWESOME!

[MissMillie]

7. remove any leftover skin or fat

throw them in a glass dish with the marinade.

(Do not rinse them. It's unnecessary and will contaminate your sink.)

Marinate according to instructions (or, if you're like me--all day). When you remove them from the marinade, you can roll in bread crumbs, if you like.

If you're going to bake them, oven at 350. check the fattest one at 30 minutes. If the fattest one is done, they all are.

[BlondieK143]

9. Thank you!!

Didn't know not to rinse them so thank you very much! Bread crumbs... hmmm. I might have to try that on one of them. Thank you again!

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

10. What I do is marinate them

(poke the breasts repetedly with a fork to get the marinade inside) let it sit for a while. If he marinade is very acidic let them sit for a little less time.

Then I get a pan really hot (REALLY HOT) sear either side for around 3 minutes to get a nice brown and then into a 350 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes. Cut a test piece of 1 breast at 15 minutes . The absolute earliest time that pink disappears take em out. Let them rest for 5- 10 (crucial step!!!) and then mangia!!!

Hope that helps - I get rave reviews from my SO and past SO's!

[BlondieK143]

12. Great!

What's the difference between putting them in the hot pan and just baking it for longer? Is it just better all around or does the marinade do better? Thanks again for the help!

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

18. AH - good question. Searing them quickly seals in the juices which is

vital with chicken breasts which get real dry. Trust me - there's a huge difference. Baking them longer = drying them out.

[BlondieK143]

22. Thank you!

I think I'm going to try to do it both ways (hey, i get off of work early today lol) to see how it works out. Thanks for giving me that option! :)

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

32. Any time!

Good luck

Peace

- CStheT

[Dirty Hippie]

13. If you want to get a bit more involved...

Place the breasts between two pieces of clear wrap (Saran) and pound the thicker part with the edge of a coffee mug (what I use) until the thickness of the breast is more uniform.

Then marinate.

When ready to cook, heat skillet with olive oil. Coat the breasts in flour or bread crumbs by pressing the breasts into the coating (Put the coating on a plate works best).

Then pan fry.

[BlondieK143]

14. Thank you!

I was wondering how I was going to pound them out! That's a great idea.

If I pan fry the breasts, how long should I do that for?

[Dirty Hippie]

24. Just a few (2-3) minutes on each side.

The pan should be about medium high heat. The outside should be browned and the chicken should feel firm to the touch.

Try not to overcook, they will be dry.

Remember they will continue to cook a bit after you remove from pan.

When in doubt, take them out and cut into them with a knife. If the liquid is clear they are definitely done.

[BlondieK143]

29. Thank you!

(I'm writing all this down so I don't screw it up too bad!) lol

[rogerashton]

20. As you can see, there are a lot of ways

to cook chicken. I was going to give you my fried chicken recipe, an old family treasure that I invented in 1983, but it starts out "how to cut up your chicken," and it's too late for that ....

Boneless chicken breast is one of the most versatile meats -- my wife fixes it seven, eight different ways, with Indian, Persian, Lebanese and Mexican spices as well as, well, A-1 marinades. Fried is mine.

Hint: For a really top meal (prepared for someone you love, or hope to) get the recipe first, before you go to the grocery store.

http://chicken.allrecipes.com/

http://southernfood.about.com/od/chicken/

[BlondieK143]

23. THANK YOU!!

Those links are awesome! Going to go read now!

[Ganja Ninja]

26. Here's an easy way to cook chicken that I like.

Ingredients: Chicken, Salsa and a package of Yellow Rice.
The amounts really aren't critical.

Take your chicken, either whole or parts and place it in a 4 quart roasting pan add in 1 or 2 cups of your favorite salsa cover and cook in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes.
After 45 minutes take the chicken out of the oven and place it on a stove burner on high heat. Add enough water to equal the amount of liquid required for the rice. (whatever it says on the package minus the liquid in the pan already) Allow this to come to a boil and stir in the rice. When it begins to boil again cover it and place it back in the oven for 25 minutes. Remove it from the oven and allow it to stand covered for 5 minutes then serve.

[BlondieK143]

30. Will it work as well

if I don't use a chunky salsa? I'm not into the whole huge chunks of tomatoes, so will it still give me the same results if the salsa is thinner?

[Ganja Ninja]

38. Yeah it's a pretty flexible formula.

You can even leave out salsa or just use onions.

[BlondieK143]

41. Awesome!

It sounds VERY yummy and I'm going to give it a try! Thanks for the recipe!

[jukes]

27. don't consume flesh

but cook for my SO.

cook chicken slowly, it has to be done all the way through to avoid salmanella.

stuff w/fave cheese, fold & tie or pin w/toothpicks. marinate bundles. roll in breadcrumbs. roast in oven 325/350*, or grill about 6 in above charcoal, turning 1ce.

pierce w/fork, clear juices indicate it's done. ck both sides.


this is a variant of chicken kiev. Debo pigs on it.

[BlondieK143]

31. Do you mean stuff as in

sticking it in the chicken, or like rolling it up? sorry, my brain is working slow this morning.

[jukes]

39. my bad

fold the boned breast over the cheese stuffing 1ce, seal edges.

a bit of fresh chopped spinach adds color/texture/flavor/ juice to chicken.

[BlondieK143]

42. Gotcha!

Thank you!

[quisp]

34. get yourself a copy of Joy of Cooking

and can learn how to cook ANYTHING.

But as for chicken make sure there is no pink and the juice runs clear.

[BlondieK143]

37. That's the second time someone has

mentioned that book to me! Definitely might have to go check it out.

Gotcha. No pink and clear. THANK YOU!! :D

[jukes]

43. BlondieK143

3rd ref on that book; excellent instruxions for novice>experienced cooks. covers damn near everything edible, +tips on purchasing meats/vegetables.

[MissMillie]

50. It's the best cookbook ever

get it spiral bound so that the pages don't flip on you while you're working from it.

[sus]

45. when i first read the header, i thought it said

"Help! Stupid question! How do I cook children?"

[BlondieK143]

46. Awww come on!

I'm not THAT weird or crazy! :P

[sus]

49. no, i was like

DUDE..who doesn't know how to cook children??

years ago, my dad was appointed to a new church and on his first sunday two little old ladies came up to him and asked, "do you like children?" and my dad said, "depends on how they're cooked!"

needless to say, he didn't last long there.

[noonwitch]

48. Cajun chicken

Spray it with Pam, sprinkle cajun seasoning on it and broil it until it's done. Or grill it.
Make rice as a side dish and sprinkle cajun seasoning it that, too.

[Shananigans]

51. Buy a George Foreman grill

and slap it on...I couldn't live without mine!!!