Any SECRETS on how to keep my chicken from drying out while cooking it?
I want to use this for putting in my salad or maybe to have with a sauce to add to pasta. I never have problems baking it if it is whole but I have purchased a large amount of chicken breast and want to maybe cut in strips and cook to use for other dishes. I like to watch my diet and try not to use anything but the healthy types of fats and try to stay away from sugars and sweeteners since they are bad for us.
Thanks for all that help.
I like to bake chicken breast in aluminum foil. I like to wrap individual portions. Put the breast in aluminum foil. Drizzle a little olive oil. I sprinkle a little Mrs. Dash (flavor of your choice) and then top with sliced oranges.
Wrap each one tightly and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for roughly 45 min. Let set a couple minutes before unwrapping and be careful. I’ve been burned by steam by not paying attention. Always comes out moist and tender.
For a variation I’ve used sliced lemons or limes. With the lines instead of using Mrs. Dash I add a little chili seasoning instead.
A little melted butter will do the trick.
Spray it with nonstick spray or brush lightly with olive oil, season, and cook it long and slow. Or, if the pieces are smaller, wrap them in foil with whatever marinades and/or spices you want to use and form packets out of the foil– this keeps them extremely moist and locks in the juices and the flavors.
The biggest problem with drying out chicken is when you over cook it. The second biggest problem is if you cut it up too quickly. Any meats you cook need to rest for a few minutes so the juices can be reabsorbed. Otherwise they all end up on your cutting board.
wrap it in aluminum foil while you bake it, that will keep all the juices in the chicken and keep it very tender. An alternative would be to boil the chicken, though I find this alters the taste a good deal.
When I eat boneless skinless chicken breasts, a lot of times I boil them in seasoned water (normal seasonings you would put on chicken). They have never come out dry.
turn it onto its breast and finish cooking it. thisway the juices have to go through the breast to escape….
it will retain most of the juices……..
You can cut it up in strips and put a little olive oil in the pan, just dont have the heat up too high, maybe on medium and cook it slowly. When you notice the bottom and sides of the chicken start to turn white, then its time to turn it over and cook for the same amount of time. When it looks like it has all turned white, check one of the biggest pieces by cutting it with a knife. If all the pink is gone, its done, if not then cook for just 2 or 3 minutes longer. Just keep checking it. And if you check one of the big pieces then you know all the other pieces are done as well.
I put mine in a crockpot with a can of soup (depending on what you’re making). Juiciest chicken you’ll ever taste.
XOXO
I slow roast a whole chicken for 2-3 hours with a little water in the tray, covered with foil for the first 4/5 of the time. The temp should not be too high until the last blast without the foil.
This produces the most tender, juicy, fall-off-the-bone chicken you can get.
Keep basting every 15-20 minutes or so to keep the skin moist.
I have not mentioned seasoning, as you can decide what to do here. A good one is fajita or cajun season mix on the skin prior to oven.
Good luck!#
h2h ;]k
If you have boneless chicken breasts, your problem is that there is a thick part and a thin part. This makes for uneven cooking. Take your chicken and pound them until they are uniformly thick. As for cooking, once pounded thin, Saute them in a medium high pan with 1/2 butter and 1/2 olive oil. Season before cooking. A little garlic can be added once you turn them. They don’t take long.
cook in a little olive oil. fry it and leave lid on unless you’re checking to see if its done.
Don’t put any salt for flavoring on the chicken while it is cooking. if a recipe calls for salt put it on after it is cooked and just don’t do qite as much.
pour a half bottle of the cheapest Italian Salad Dressing you can find into a large bowl. de-fat the breasts (cut off all visible fat peeking out from under skin). Using a baggy to apply a thin coating of either bacon grease or butter (I use both in fact) then drop each breast into the salad (coating thoroughly) dressing and set bone up (that is large piece of skin down) in the pan and add all your favorite seasonings (thickest on showing bones) bake on high temp 400 degrees for twenty five minutes. Take out of oven and turn chicken over re seasoning (lighter amounts) and reduce oven temp to 325 degrees and return to oven for forty minutes. The brown in the pan will make an excellent stock base for soups and gravy (pour all fat and grease off first). and the chicken you will die for. I like seasoning for purposes and will change combinations of seasonings for completely different flavors or theme dinners. cajun, lemon herb, Italian, Mexican or Indian
surprised to see you asking a cooking question. lol. you put everyone else down for it.
but hey, guess some people are better then others.
season your chicken as you like it add touch of broth and cover tightly with tinfoil and bake on a lower heat maybe 325 for about 40minutes. should do the trick just fine.
i do this often. also i use other fave maranades such as lite italian dressing, salsa, etc.
WOW the almighty perfect Msjantastic asking a cooking question, well i will be dammned. lol..amazing.
perhaps google or a cookbook might work? lol. ( thats what you tell just about everyone else isnt it? )
for boneless skinless chicken breast they come out good if you pound them out just a little bit.
i put slits or fork punctures in the chicken and let them soak in a mix for about an hour or even over night before cooking. One of the following:
zesty italian dressing
worstchire sauce with fave spices
chicken broth
garlic, seasonings, water
creamy garlic ranch
lemon juice, olive oil, italian seasonings.
–use the amounts you need according to how much chicken you are cooking at one time.
then when you put it in the oven add the chicken and maranade mixture to oven safe dish cover with foil and bake 350 for 30-40 minutes.