How do YOU cook chicken breasts for maximum

[babylonsister]

tenderness when you want to make them for other things, like chicken salad, add-on to noodles, etc.? I don't want to slather them with anything too spicy, but don't want them to dry out either. Thanks!

[NMDemDist2]

1. boil them with some garlic, pepper and whatever else you want

to throw in there '


I usually throw in some onion, celery and carrots

[OldLeftieLawyer]

2. Put them in a big pot

Cover them with cold water.

Add whatever seasonings you might want - I like bay leaves, good granulated garlic, whatever else I might be thinking of.

Slowly bring to a boil, uncovered.

As soon as the boil is full and rolling, remove the pot from the heat, cover it, and let it sit for a few hours. You'll have the juiciest, unstringiest White-Cooked Chicken, just the way my husband's ancestors have done it for centuries because of their lack of fuel.

Of course, now they go to McDonald's.......................

[babylonsister]

8. OLL, as your recipe seemed the easiest, I'm trying it. (Did

I mention that, while I love to eat, I'm lazy?) Have you ever worried about poultry sitting at room temp for any length of time and possible resulting bacteria?

[OldLeftieLawyer]

9. Reasonable

I've left chicken breasts overnight using this method, and nothing bad has happened. They take a long time to cool off. But, normally, I let them sit for at least 2 hours, although they're usually pretty well done after 1.

I'd never leave uncooked poultry out of the fridge, even for a short time.

I'm lazy, too. I hope you like the method. Try throwing chunks of ginger in the water, or lemon quarters, or whatever appeals to you. It's sure-fire.

Enjoy .....................

[petron]

3. Fry them in an iron skillet

I usually fry chicken breasts in a iron skillet on mid-high heat for max flavor.

Just salt and pepper the meat to your tastes. Sometimes I sprinkle a little garlic powder on it. Yummy. If you brown the outside of the meat, you'll be able to keep the meat moist and tender. Also, it's important to let your meat sit under tinfoil for about 5-10 minutes after cooking.

When I say fry I don't mean "deep" fry. I am talking about using 1 tbsp or less of oil in a 13 inch skillet. So it's a very thin layer of oil. And I use olive oil almost all the time.

IMHO, I would never boil chicken. Ugg. But hey that's just me. (Unless of course I am making a stock and I don't intend on eating the meat.)

Another option would be to broil the chicken. Put a little oil on the chicken and then salt and pepper it up. Use your own judgment on cooking times, but make sure it's cooked all the way through. You don't want any translucent meat.

[ernstbass]

4. Poached

in a little white wine and chicken broth.

[NashVegas]

5. Pound 'em Out

Use a meat mallet and get them to an even consistency before you cook - guaranteeing you won't have to overcook part of them to get the insides done enough.

[Stinky The Clown]

6. No chicken sushi?

Just kidding! :)

[babylonsister]

7. Thanks for all the varying suggestions, folks! May steer

clear of the sushi :scared: !

[Lisa0825]

10. Question.....

I read somewhere that it is very important to let steaks come to room temp. before grilling. Does this matter when cooking other things, like chicken or other ways of cooking beef?

[Stinky The Clown]

11. Yanno ..... that depends on a lot of things .......

I tend to prefer to let things come to room temperaure - or at least lose their refrigerator chill - before cooking them. In the case of steak, specifically, I almost never cook a steak without some sort of 'marinade', even if it is just to coat it with butter or oil and some salt and pepper before grilling it. If a product is being marinated, I always take it out of the fridge an hour or more before cooking it. For the fast marinates (coating in oil or butter) I just let the raw meat get to room temp ..... and that's usually less than an hour.

My exception to this is chicken. I'm not a big chicken fan to begin with and know it is not the cleanest of meats. I tend to treat it pretty carefully. In the case of fresh chicken, I wash it in salted water as soon as I get it home and then wrap it very tightly to hold or to freeze. I **always** thaw it in the refrigerator. I never take it out to cook except right when it is ready to hit the pan. For chicken brought process and then frozen (like, say boneless breasts, or whatever), I'm less concerned. I let it thaw in the fridge and then cook it from cold.

[lavenderdiva]

12. I put them in a large pot, cover with cold water

then add garlic powder, onion powder, and whole black peppercorns, stir to dissolve the powders in the water and mix the peppercorns throughout the pot. Bring to a boil, then lower the temperature to medium, and let simmer for approx. 30 minutes. Drain to a colander, rinse. Toss the peppercorns in the trash, as I'm not sure how a disposal will react to so many peppercorns (I use approx. 1/4 - 1/2 cup of peppercorns per batch). Remove the skin, and shred the chicken from the bone, and refrigerate. This chicken is absolutely delicious in salads, soups, enchiladas, whatever you can think of that needs to include pre-cooked chicken... Good Luck!

[bearfan454]

13. Steaming them works good too.

It leaves them juicy and not dried out.

[magnolia]

14. For very tender chicken breasts....

...or any chicken part, or whole chicken or turkey:

Put in a bowl, cover with water, add a couple of tablespoons salt (salt brine), more salt depending on quantity of water. then let sit in fridge for a few hours. I leave turkey sit overnight. Then prepare anyway you like. Breasts will be tender and juicy.

[housewolf]

15. Chicken for chicken salad, creamed chicken, etc.

I use this method from "The Joy of Cooking." It's very easy and pretty quick, and it's never failed me.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Place chicken breasts skin-side up on a rack in a large shallow pan. Brush them with melted butter, allowing 1.5 tbls butter per each whole breast

Bake about 40 minutes, basting with melted butter frequently. When slightly cooled, remove the skis and bone the breasts. Cover and refirgerate the meat until ready to use.

:popcorn:

[Tsiyu]

16. Roast at very low heat for a long time

This is what I do: take off skin, pour on any liquid ( OJ, salad dressing, Sprite) and sprinkle with light coat of paprika, lemon pepper and garlic powder. Roast at 200-225 degrees ( depending on the oven.) It takes a lo-o-o-ong time for the juice to run clear when cooking these, but the chicken will be extremely tender.

[mandyky]

17. I get frozen, boneless skinless breasts

and bake them frozen. I season them and cover with tin foil, and bake for an hour or two at 350. I usually cook 6 to 8 at a time.

Some times I par boil if I am in a hurry. That adds to juiciness and tenderness.

[SoCalDem]

18. 'Bestest' chicken salad EVER

olive oil.. + chicken breasts/
cook thoroughly then sprinkle with Salad Supreme just before removing...(both sides)

drain on paper towel..

If you have enough left to make chicken salad..

food chopper + chicken set aside

chop finely..celery & sweet onion

mix all together with mayo & more Salad Supreme...chill and serve on Oatnut bread w/lettuce leaf & sliced tomato

[ironflange]

19. Summertime, grill 'em

Wintertime, fry 'em.

Did I say "fry?" I meant "saute."