Boiling

[Chopstix]

I agree with Jennyema. Simmering, or poaching, chicken is the way to go! You get very tender juicy chicken all the time.

What I do is first boil enough water to cover entire bird. Add 1T rock salt. (An excellent option is to add 2-3 pounded fresh lemongrass root to enhance the chicken flavor.) Place the bird and wait for water to boil again. Then turn down the fire until only little bubbles are coming up. Put lid on. Wait 45 minutes. Make sure to check that the water does not go back to a boil or strong simmer.

Sushi, if you can, please try out this method. I think you'll like it. Good luck!

 

[Chopstix]

I forgot to mention that I tried brining chicken breast and porkchops 2 weeks ago for the first time. I brined them for 48 hours and they were excellent! I grilled them and on another occasion, pan-fried them and they were juicy and tasty! Best of all, brining them makes for more forgiving meat -- they stay juicy even if you overcook them a bit!

 

[Zereh]

I guess I've been a herbivore too long ... but what exactly is "brining"? It sounds like an acidic liquid of some kind. Is it a fancy word for marinade?


Z

 

[GB]

In simplest terms, a brine is a salt water solution. You can have other flavors in a brine if you want, but it must contain liquid (usually water) and salt to be considered a brine. The meats you are brining will actually drink up that liquid and make for a much juicier and more flavorful meat.

 

[Zereh]

M Google is a wonderful thing. =P Guess I should do some research before I fire off questions I could easily answer myself.

Brining... it's salted water! I did know what it meant somewhere in the back of my mind, it just needed a little prompt to move it back up into the "active" section of my brain. haha

Here's a cool link that describes why brining works so well. At the end of the article are a couple other links about it as well. I'm learning lots today!


Z

 

[luvs]

i have only boiled chicken for my cats. i like to brine it. sush, you can brine for one. it's easy. just cut down on the amounts.