ISO Braising Chicken Breasts? Will It Work?

[Mylegsbig]

Hey guys, i want to braise some chicken breasts i have in some beer and salsa, but i'm not sure if it will work.

I wanted to do it like i braise pieces of lean beef or pork, just give it a quick sear and then throw some liquid covering half way up it, putting a lid on it, and tossing it a 275 degree oven for a couple of hours.

I want that soft tender texture that you can cut with a fork, if you know what i'm getting at, just super tender chicken.

Will this work on boneless skinless chicken breasts?

Cheers, and thanks in advance

How long would you reccomend cooking them for @ 275 degrees?

 

[Mylegsbig]

to the top...

 

[college_cook]

Chicken breasts won't take too long at 275. For tender meat I think the rule is always low and slow. I might pop them in the oven at about 200 degrees until the internal temp. reached 165-170.

 

[Mylegsbig]

You think the texture will hold up mate?

In a braise the liquid has to at least be simmering i believe, so it would have to be over like 212 farenheit?

 

[college_cook]

I know you suggested a braise, but I think that chicken cooked for a long time at a temp. as high as 275 might result in some really tough and dry meat. I don't really know for sure, but it's always worth doing if you can learn from it.

 

[Andy M.]

MLB:

The breasts are very lean so could be dry. You'd be better off with thighs.

However, what have you got to lose. Give it a try. With a braise, you want the internal temperature of the meat to reach well beyond the safe and cooked stage of 165 F. As you know, you have to get up over 200F to break down the connective tissue internal to the breast so it will be fall apart tender like a pot roast.

 

[Mylegsbig]

Chicken already got cooked but i will give it a go next time.

 

[ChefJune]

You don't braise lean cuts of meat. Those are for roasting, sauteeing, grilling... Braising is for tougher, fattier cuts of meat. The technique will not make a lean cut of meat tender. In fact, long slow cooking will render it stringy and dry.

 

[Mylegsbig]

well it is certainly possible, i am basing this off of a dish i had a friends years ago, the most tender chicken you can imagine, fork tender, and he said he cooked it @ 250 for a few hours...with white wine.

I can only assume he was braising it.

 

[jennyema]

Big,

June is 100% right. Braising is a technique specifically for tough, sinewy, fatty cuts of meat. Like brisket, pot roast, pork shoulder, etc.

If you cook any meat too long, even in liquid, it will dry out. Just think about how chicken broth is made -- the juice in the chicken makes it way out and into the water.

Boneless skinless chicken breasts are the leanest driest cut of chicken. They cook very quickly. Every minute you cook it past done will help to dry it out.

Long-braised chicken breast may be tender but it will also be very dry.

You can achieve a very tender chicken breast by gently poaching it for 20 min. Or, better yet, poach it for 10 min and cover with a tight lid and take it off th heat for 15 or so.

A brined chicken breast will also be very tender after it's cooked.

 

[Mylegsbig]

I'm a student of the game, i know it's against convention

I realize what both of you are saying, for real. I don't go around braising tender meat, i know it's not the rule. The thing is, i can't figure out how else this guy cooked these breasts, because this was years before i learned how to cook.

I remember something about 250 degrees for a couple of hours, and white wine. That is it. They were boneless skinless.

I would just call up the dude and ask, but it was my best friend's mom's boyfriend, and she kicked him to the curb already.

Jenny - I think you may be right. I don't particularly remember it being too moist, but very tender, and the flavor was great. It was served with liquid from the pan so that may have masked the dryness. It was an interesting dish is all, unlike any chicken i've had since.

I think i'll just try to replicate it to the best of my ability and see what happens.

 

[jennyema]

Big,

I think you're right about the liquid masking the dryness of the meat.

I suggest an experiment. Try to recreate his recipe, then sometime and compare it to a breast that you have poached in a seasoned liquid. Bring the liquid just to a boil, turn heat down so it is very gently simmering for 10 min. Then cover and take off heat for 15 more.

 

[Robo410]

poaching chicken breasts works well. I prefer to work with chicken on the bone...gives way more flavor. Yes one could braise/fricassee a tough old bird, but today's chicken is raised to be tender and lean. So if you want a juicy melt in your mouth hunk of bird I would poach or sear then roast.

 

[ChefJune]

I remember something about 250 degrees for a couple of hours, and white wine. That is it. They were boneless skinless.

could it have been sous vide?

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

I would assume you are trying to infuse the chicken breast with the flavors of salsa and beer. To that end, try soaking the chicken for a couple hours in a solution of baking soda and water. This step aloone will insure melt-in-your-mouth-tender chicken. Make sure that you thouroughly rinse all of the chicken to remove as much of baking soda as possible. Then, quickly sear the chicken in a heavy pan, just until lightly browned. You might even want to dip it in egg-wash and flour before searing it. Finally, place the chicken into a convered casserole dish along with your mixture of beer and salsa and place in a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes.

This technique will maintain the juiciness of the chicken while the coating absorbs the other flavors and creates a rich sauce. The end result would be exceptional with rice and saute'd mushrooms (of course I would omit the beer as I detest that particular flavor).

I know from experience that braised chicken comes out very dry and tough. Unlike a chuck roast, chicken breast meat has very little connecting tissue to break down. The meat fibers are more akin to very lean pork and will dry out and toughen up if they are heated much beyond 165' F.

Another tack you might want to take with this is to dice the chicken into half-inch cubes, coat with a beer batter, deep or pan fry until golden brown, then drop into the salsa and serve. I would use the following for the batter.

1/2 cup AP flour, 1/2 cup cornstarch, 1/2 tsp. salt, 2 tsp. active-dry yeast, or 2 tsp. baking powder. Mix with 1 lare egg, 1/2 cup beer and 1/2 cup water.

In this variation, you will get the flavor of the beer or yeast, coupled with the salsa. The salsa can be used as a dipping sauce, or poured over the tempura chicken balls. Garnish wiht fresh cilantro leaves and enjoy.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[Mylegsbig]

Chef June, not familiar with it...

Goodweed, you are always so full of ideas!

Thank you!

Ive never heard of baking soda to tenderize chicken?????? sounds interesting...

 

[Mylegsbig]

Okay - no, it was not sous vide...now that i look back, i remember the dish was cooked in a 13x9 pyrex casserole dish. not sure if it was covered or not.