How can I make tender cooked chicken ?

[librarygirl]

I am cooking Mulligatawny soup tonight and it calls for cooked chicken (chopped up cooked chicken breasts was what I used to put in) that I would eventually throw in when the soup is almost done. My experience with this recipe is that the chicken breasts I cooked would sometimes result in rubbery meat or sometimes soft meat (rubbery if I brown it or soft when I cover the meat in about 3 tbls. of olive oil and put the lid on with the heat at around medium for 10 minutes).

My question is: What is the best way to cook chicken breasts so that it results in non-rubbery meat before cubing them for the soup. I want the meat to be nice and tender when eating this inside the Mulligatawny soup. Should I brine it first? Should I cook it in water with the lid on? Ideas?

Thanks!

 

[jabbur]

I would be adding the chicken earlier in the cooking process. While I've not made this particular soup, when I add chicken to a soup I've usually made my own stock/broth by boining the chicken and will cool the chicken just long enough to handle for deboning and chopping then it goes right back into the pot. I've never had a problem with rubbery chicken in soup.

 

[Uncle Bob]

Miss Librarygirl...

As you already know chicken breast "braised" in liquid, soup etc can be very tough and rubbery. A quick idea would be 1. Use dark meat as in thighs that do cook tender in liquids. 2. Briefly cook(saute) the breast meat in butter,evoo or a combination of the two then add to your Mulligatawny. The key word is "briefly" do not over cook. I hope this helps...

Enjoy!

 

[Barb L.]

I agree with Uncle Bob, dark meat is the best (never dry or rubbery). Good luck !

 

[Constance]

Steam or braise the meat, and it be will moist and tender.

 

[Andy M.]

Put the raw chicken pieces into the soup and simmer, don't boil, until done. If you cook them too long, they will be tough and rubbery.

 

[librarygirl]

But if I choose to saute or braise, shouldn't I brine it first to ensure there is a lot of moisture in the chicken and prevent it from getting overdone too quickly?

I've never steamed chicken before. How long should I steam it?

Thanks.

 

[Andy M.]

Brining will help but is not essential. The most important thing to remember to prevent dry or tough/rubbery chicken is to not overcook it.

I've never steamed chicken so I'd steam it to an internal temperature of 165-170 F.