What cooking method yields tender chicken breasts?

[Jeekinz]

Amazingly enough, it seems like pot roast to me, according to definitions I've found. From kitchen charts | cooking terms | recipes to go

<quote>
Pot-roast - To brown meat in a small amount of fat, then finish cooking in a small amount of liquid.
<end quote>

I've seen several sites that have the same definition, and it doesn't specify how long to cook in liquid, which makes it different from a braise.

So the difference between 'pot roasting' and 'braising' is the cooking time..........which isn't specified....................and it never reaches the oven.

 

[kitchenelf]

I pound out my boneless, skinless chicken breasts to make them more uniformly thick (not thin), season them well, then I crank up either my George Forman grill or my panini maker to the highest heat, and grill them for 5 minutes. Let rest for 5-10 minutes.

Perfect!

Lee

Bingo!

And if I want them pounded out thin I cook for may be a minute or less on each side in a skillet or a minute total in a panini maker. I usually use seasoned flour when pounding out thin and a marsala-type mushroom "gravy" topped with fontina and spring onions - toss in oven for only about 15 minutes. The chicken stays moist due to the sauce.

 

[Jeekinz]

I'll accept Quick Braise.

From Cookbook:Braising - Wikibooks, collection of open-content textbooks

Braising (from the French "braiser") is cooking with "moist heat," typically in a covered pot with a small amount of liquid which results in a particular flavor.
Braising relies on heat, time, and moisture to successfully break down tough connective tissue and collagens in meat. It is an ideal way to cook tougher cuts. Many classic braised dishes such as Coq au Vin are highly-evolved methods of cooking tough and unpalatable foods. Swissing, stewing and pot-roasting are all braising types.
Most braises follow the same basic steps. The meat or poultry is first browned in hot fat. Aromatic vegetables are sometimes then browned as well. A cooking liquid that often includes an acidic element, such as tomatoes or wine, is added to the pot, which is covered. The dish cooks in relatively low heat in or atop the stove until the meat is fork-tender. Often the cooking liquid is finished to create a sauce or gravy.
A successful braise intermingles the flavors of the foods being cooked and the cooking liquid. Also, the dissolved collagens and gelatins from the meat enrich and add body to the liquid. Braising is economical, as it allows the use of tough and inexpensive cuts, and efficient, as it often employs a single pot to cook an entire meal.
Familiar braised dishes include Murshed, pot roast, beef stew, Swiss steak, chicken cacciatore, goulash, braised tilapia and beef bourguignon, among others. Braising is also used extensively in the cuisines of Asia, particularly Chinese cuisine. Vegetables can also be braised. Glazed carrots are an example of a quick-braise, one which is done for a short period of time.
Retrieved from "Cookbook:Braising - Wikibooks, collection of open-content textbooks

 

[kitchenelf]

I have tried boiling just until done, braising, roasting, frying, in soups.....the chicken always turns out dry. The only place I've had tender chicken breasts is in the rotisserie chickens that I buy at Costco. I usually use boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Are there any ways to cook it so it comes out tender? Does marinating help at all? What about brining? I've only ever brined a whole turkey, don't know exactly how to do it for chicken for a single dinner. Any ideas are greatly appreciated!!!

If you let the breasts soak in buttermilk for 4 days then cook I guarantee they will be tender. I have then, after the 4 days, marinated in equal parts teriyaki, white wine, and pineapple juice, for 24 hours, which imparts a great flavor very much like the Steak and Ale Hawaiian Chicken. The chicken will be fine for the 4 days in the buttermilk, it will not spoil.

 

[jennyema]

So the difference between 'pot roasting' and 'braising' is the cooking time..........which isn't specified....................and it never reaches the oven.

No. A pot roast is cooked using braising as the technique. "Pot roasting" is not in and of itself a technique, other than an offhand way to refer to braising.

Braising means cooking something on relatively low heat for a relatively long period of time in a covered vessle with liquid. It is a technique meant to cook tough cuts of meat.

A pot roast is cooked that way. So is beef burgandy and other stews. You can braise pork shoulders and briskets and veal shanks, etc. Things that do poorly with quick, dry cooking. A chicken breast does very well with quick dry cooking and isn't meant to be braised.

 

[KellySeven]

I am quite familiar with the idea of sous vide and the fact that professional chefs use it. I am also quite interested in molecular gastronomy. Hopefully an El Bulli cookbook will be coming my way at Xmas.

BUT Putting chicken in a ziplock bag and into 180 degree water for 15 min. is not sous vide. I highly doubt that the chicken will come to an internal temp of 165 in that time, thus leading to questions about food safety.

A real sous vide preparation (vacuum sealed and cooked for longer period at a lower temp) is pretty interesting. Anyone attempting this at home should do it right and not in a zip-lock bag.

Unless done correctly, sous vide raises all kinds of food safety issues, including the risk of botulism (read about that in this very recent article Hence the ban on restaurants using the technique by NYC and also the United States Food and Drug Administration.

There are many other ways for the home cook to prepare a tender chicken breast that are far less complicated and pose far fewer health risks.

If you want to try sous vide at home, you really need to do a lot of homework and do it correctly.

To try it at home I followed simple instructions provided by a top Brisbane chef and it was really nice and nobody died. The internal temperature of food rises 5-10 degrees in the first few minutes it's off the heat so coming to 80C (176F) in a water bath at that temperature for 15 minutes plus 5-10 minutes resting time is ample.

It's not complicated at all, and as far as homework goes, I've certainly learned a lot more about it since mentioning it here.

...and not to be picky, but the article you linked to was published on March 23, 1988.

 

[keltin]

Look at it this way, sure there is a risk in trying sous vide at home. But there is always a risk no matter what you do. Ever make beef jerky? You have beef that sits in a dehydrator at 130 degrees F for 12 hours or more. Or, in the most extreme case, you have meat sitting at room temperature strapped to a box fan for 20 hours or more. But it works!

The danger zone is 40F to 140F, so at least with trying sous vide at home, you’re at 160F with the water temp, and out of the danger zone as you cook. So this sound safer than making beef jerky.

 

[jennyema]

...and not to be picky, but the article you linked to was published on March 23, 1988.

No you should be picky since I claimed it was very recent.

I linked the wrong article. Will try to go find whatever one I read yesterday. But I was posting under the influence on Dayquil and Robitussin ....

Tnx for pointing that out!

 

[sunnysmile]

If you let the breasts soak in buttermilk for 4 days then cook I guarantee they will be tender. I have then, after the 4 days, marinated in equal parts teriyaki, white wine, and pineapple juice, for 24 hours, which imparts a great flavor very much like the Steak and Ale Hawaiian Chicken. The chicken will be fine for the 4 days in the buttermilk, it will not spoil.

Is there something in the buttermilk that keeps the chicken from spoiling? You are talking about 5 days total marination, I guess I always thought chicken had to be cooked within 2 days of being thawed. I certainly could be wrong though. I've never had the Hawaiian chicken you are talking about, but it sounds delicious!

This sous vide technique sounds pretty interesting to me. I read that article that was linked, and though I skimmed it pretty fast, it sounds like the concern is for meals that are made ahead of time, cooked in this method, and stored for several days for service at a later time. I think if you are cooking with this method to eat for your dinner that evening, that it is probably safe. I can't see why it wouldn't be.

I tried brining some chicken, and unfortunately, the recipe for brine that I found said to brine for 24 hours. Um.....no....way too salty. Maybe a few hours, but not 24!

I also marinaded some chicken breasts for 24 hours, and they came out pretty nice. They weren't dry, but they weren't super juicy either. I will keep trying different methods. I have a panini maker, but it is flat without grids on the top and bottom, I suppose it would work anyway.

Thanks for everyone's input, I do appreciate it!

 

[jennyema]

Brine boneless chix breasts for 1-2 hours -- no more. It really works.

 

[MaryE]

I find the best way to cook chicken breasts is with bone-in and skin-on:

Put bone-in, skin-on split chicken breasts on a sheet pan, rub with olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast in a 375 degree oven for 40 to 45 minutes.

The result is some of the moistest and flavorful chicken breast meat you'll ever eat.

Have fun-

-Mary

 

[ducdebrabant]

Nothing beats a pressure cooker

My electric one from Cuisinart does them beautifully -- tender and moist. However, you can always slice boneless breasts laterally and pound them into paillards, then grill or saute them.

 

[jerseyjay14]

I pound out my boneless, skinless chicken breasts to make them more uniformly thick (not thin), season them well, then I crank up either my George Forman grill or my panini maker to the highest heat, and grill them for 5 minutes. Let rest for 5-10 minutes.

Perfect!

Lee

i use a similar technique, only i slice them in half (lengthwise) or butterfly them. much quicker then pounding them out.

if i use them whole i will usually pan fry them on medium heat. you need to really watch it and cook it just right. if you overcook it it will tast dried out, but if you get it just right they come out nice and juicy. You want to remove it from the pan just before it reaches the desired done-ness, as it will kind of cook itself a bit once you take it out

Also, if you dont mind the fat and want more flavor/juiciness you might want to try boneless chicken thighs