Sauteing and Grilling Chicken

[knight76]

Originally Posted by GB

There is no need to brine steak. If cooked properly it will not be dry.

Somehow I knew that was going to be the answer

[bowlingshirt]

Put the breast between two layes of plastic wrap and gently use a mallet to flatten and even out the chicken. You should then be able to saute the breast to nice golden brown color on the outside while maintaining a juicy inside.

[jennyema]

Originally Posted by knight76

For the purpose of the fettuccine dish I would like to brown it as it will look better against the white of the sauce.

With brining - Couldn't you brine a nice thick piece of ribeye and then pat dry, sear and oven cook to finish for a nice juicy steak? I was reading in my link I posted about brining that you need to add some saltpeter to the brine to ensure the meat does not turn white during brining.

Brining doesn't really work with beef the way it works with pork, chicken and shrimp. So you shouldn't try to brine beef.

And NO, there is no reason to add saltpeter to a brine. Salt and sugar do not turn meat white.

[ironchef]

If you need to brine beef--especially ribeye--to make it juicy, you've got problems.

For safety reasons, chicken *should* be cooked to a minimum of 160 degrees F to kill any possible salmonella, but chicken does go from a raw to cooked state at 140 degrees F. Regardless, if your chicken is not brined, cooking it higher than 165 will result in dry cardboard. If you don't have a thermometer, do the juice test. Poke a small hole in the chicken all the way to the center. If the juices run clear, you're good to go.

[DaveSoMD]

Originally Posted by bowlingshirt

Put the breast between two layes of plastic wrap and gently use a mallet to flatten and even out the chicken. You should then be able to saute the breast to nice golden brown color on the outside while maintaining a juicy inside.

Exact;y what I was going to post. I do this all the time with Bnls/Sknls breasts. The other option is to roast bone-in and skin-on breasts in the oven at 350 degrees. The fat from the skin wil help keep the breast meat moist.

Depends on what you are planning to use the chicken for.

[GB]

Originally Posted by ironchef

If you don't have a thermometer, do the juice test. Poke a small hole in the chicken all the way to the center. If the juices run clear, you're good to go.

This is all accurate information. The only problem I have with this method is that juices will run clear at 185. They will run clear at 200. This method only tells you if the chicken is safe to eat because it has been cooked to a high enough temp. It does not tell you if you have overcooked it. Of course if you do not have a thermometer then it is a great way to know if you cooked the chicken until done.

[pacanis]

My thermometer must be 15 degrees off, because the breastmeat of the chicken I cook is always cooked to 180 and has never resulted in dry cardboard. And I don't let it raise to 180, it is 180 when it comes off the grill over stove.
I'll have to check my digital probe against my old dial thermometer.

[jennyema]

Pacanis

180 is way too much for breast meat. Plus if it's 180 when you take it off the heat it''ll be 190 or more after, accounting for carry-over temperature. Just the physics of cooking means that that meat will, in fact be drier that meat cooked to a lower temperature.

Your thermometer may not be to blame. Take the chicken off the heat at 160 and cover it for a few minutes. Then cut into it. I'll bet you $$$ that it will be fully cooked and pretty juicey.

[pacanis]

I'll give it a try next time, Jennyema, after I compare two thermometers, but the thermomter must be off for what I've been reading. Because believe me, I'm the last person that will eat a chicken breast if it is dry. I don't even like white meat.

[GB]

You don't need to compare two thermometers. Just boil some water and put the one thermometer in. It should read 212 (assuming you are at sea level).