# Most Tender Chicken Breasts Ever



## Mylegsbig (Apr 1, 2005)

Okay im hoping someone can replicate this recipe because i want to do it here at my house.  Very simple.. Fresh Herbs, white wine, Chicken breasts.

I saw my good friends dad cook chicken breasts this one time and have basic idea of what he did, but no recipe...

Basically he covered a 13x9 baking dish with white wine and maybe lemon, and fresh herbs, and simmered chicken breasts in there till the meat was extremely tender.  He cooked them over a period of several hours, at like 250 degrees or something... Anyone know of a recipe like this?


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## jkath (Apr 1, 2005)

couldn't you use those same ingredients and cook the breasts in a roaster? And,if you don't want them "soaking" as they would in a crock pot, just put in the wire rack that comes with the roaster. Hope this helps


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## Mylegsbig (Apr 2, 2005)

Just asking what i know, i dont have any roasting pans nor have i ever roasted...


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## jkath (Apr 2, 2005)

No, not roasting pans - here's a NO-FAIL roasting method! Reallly!

go to wal-mart and get a GE 18-qt Roaster (I think that's the size). It's under $20. It looks like an oval crockpot on steroids. The inner pan is metal, as opposed to the crock pot's crock, which is ceramic. I can put 2 chickens, a ton of veggies, & some broth in there and 3-4 hours later I have a great dinner. It's also really a quick clean up!

I also cook my Turkeys in there - no more oven mess! I can go from a thawed bird to a "so moist the bones literally slide out" turkey in 4 hours. 

that's why I figured if you wanted a really good chicken breast recipe, you could use the roaster, put in your ingreds & *Poof* in 3-4 hours, you'd have it!


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## Chef red (Apr 2, 2005)

Throw your wine, a couple of halved lemons and some chicken stock in a tray or a fry pan with a metal handle. Then heat to a simmer, throw in some peppercorns, bay leaves and I reckon some fresh tarragon would be a nice touch add chicken breasts and cover with foil, then simply throw into a cold oven (about 90 celcius, don't know farenhiet) and forget about it for 2 hours or so. This will be so tender and juicy, you could also reduce the cooking liquid on the stove top, add a little pure cream and some fresh chopped tarragon and presto you have a magic little sauce to go with the super tender chicken. Try it you won't be dissapointed.


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## Mylegsbig (Apr 2, 2005)

thanks for all the feedback!!!!

so a cast iron skillet will do the trick?  How much wine should i put, juust enough to cover like the bottom half of the chicken breasts????   90 celsius, i can get a translation of that for sure.....


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## jennyema (Apr 4, 2005)

Wine in a cast iron skillet is not the best idea in the world. It will react with the acid in the wine. Won't kill you, but it may affect the taste of the dish.

If you want tender chicken breasts, try brining them.

Also, 90 celcius is only 200F.  I'd preheat the oven.


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## lutzzz (Apr 4, 2005)

Ya know.. that brings up an interesting point I'll toss out for the "experts" comments... I was watching some cooking show awhile back (darn if I can remember which one.. might have been Michael Chiarello).. anyway, he was demonstrating not only a procedure for cooking a "tender" chicken breast.. but for holding it almost indefinitely without it overcooking and becoming tough.

What he did, as I recall, using an instant read probe thermometer.. was to bring his poaching liquid, chicken stock I think (in an electric fry pan), up to the temperature he wanted (160 or 165 degrees for chicken breast?) and then poached the breasts.. he claimed you could leave them in that same poaching liquid for a LONG time without overcooking them.... He was using them for some kind of salad for a party and wanted to hold them for awhile until his guests came.

I haven't tried this but thought I'd toss it out just in case it makes any sense


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## Mylegsbig (Apr 4, 2005)

jennyema said:
			
		

> Wine in a cast iron skillet is not the best idea in the world. It will react with the acid in the wine. Won't kill you, but it may affect the taste of the dish.
> 
> If you want tender chicken breasts, try brining them.
> 
> Also, 90 celcius is only 200F.  I'd preheat the oven.



This method used it more around 250.  Thanks for the tip about skillet.  What about just a Steel skillet?


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## jennyema (Apr 4, 2005)

Steel skillet (ovenproof, of course) is great.


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## Mylegsbig (Apr 6, 2005)

jennyema said:
			
		

> Steel skillet (ovenproof, of course) is great.



Jen, not really ready to brine yet.  Say i do this recipe my style, bake for couple hours at very low temp..., and toss in bay leaf, lemon slices, and white wine.

How far should i pour the wine?   Should i maybe just submerge the breasts halfway? or less than half?  Also, i should cover the pan / skillet with foil? Will this make the chicken breasts juicer? One poster mentioned this....


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## Mylegsbig (Apr 6, 2005)

jennyema said:
			
		

> Steel skillet (ovenproof, of course) is great.



Jen, not really ready to brine yet.  Say i do this recipe my style, bake for couple hours at very low temp..., and toss in bay leaf, lemon slices, and white wine.

How far should i pour the wine?   Should i maybe just submerge the breasts halfway? or less than half?  Also, i should cover the pan / skillet with foil? Will this make the chicken breasts juicer? One poster mentioned this....


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## jennyema (Apr 7, 2005)

I'd use a ceramic baking dish or a steel skillet and use a half and half combo of chix broth and decent white wine (savig blanc or pino grigio would be good). Or 2/3 wine and 1/3 broth. 

Plus any herbs or other seasonings (think garlic clove).

If you don't use broth, season with some salt and pepper.

I'd cover the dish.

Try cooking at 250 and next time cook at 375 and see if you can tell a difference.

---------------------------------------
Edited to add that I make a similar dish all the time 'cause it's a crowd pleaser.

I cube up potatoes and brown them, lightly dust chix breasts in seasoned flour and brown them, and chip up a carrot or two and an onion. And I peel a whole head of garlic into cloves.

Then I put it all into a casserole or a SS skillet or large sautee pan, garlic on bottom. I pour in about a cup of white wine and a 1/2 cup of chicken stock (mixed).

If I am using a skillet, I bring just to simmer on stove and then cover and put in 350 oven for maybe 20 to 30 minutes (timing is a guess -- use a meat thermometer to tell doneness).  If in a baking dish, I just cover and put in oven.

Make sure the liquid does not boil and make sure you do not overcook -- that's how chicken gets tough and rubbery.

The garlic cooks down and is very mellow.


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## masteraznchefjr (Apr 7, 2005)

Mylegsbig said:
			
		

> Okay im hoping someone can replicate this recipe because i want to do it here at my house. Very simple.. Fresh Herbs, white wine, Chicken breasts.
> 
> I saw my good friends dad cook chicken breasts this one time and have basic idea of what he did, but no recipe...
> 
> Basically he covered a 13x9 baking dish with white wine and maybe lemon, and fresh herbs, and simmered chicken breasts in there till the meat was extremely tender. He cooked them over a period of several hours, at like 250 degrees or something... Anyone know of a recipe like this?


 
hmmm.. i proabably can replicate this but i cook with stovetop. First you take your chicken breast and roll around in corn startch like maybe 2 teaspoons. like harshly roll it around. den let it sit in fridge for like 1 day. In a pan put in a little olive oil throw in the chicken on low medium heat. Let one side cook cook for like 40 seconds and turn over and cook for another 40 seconds. Add in white wine maybe 1 cup. and half of the amount of fresh herbs needed. Cover the pan and turn on low heat and let the chicken simmer. This might take awhile wait. for 10-15 minutes or less lol. you can check ever 5 mintues to see if the chicken is done. The time depends on the power of your stove. After that is done. Add in rest of fresh herbs and cook on medium heat for 30 seconds with occasional turning of the chicken. (fresh herbs - i usually use thyme and parsely) or (oregeno and parsley and just add lemon)


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## Mylegsbig (Apr 8, 2005)

jennyema said:
			
		

> I'd use a ceramic baking dish or a steel skillet and use a half and half combo of chix broth and decent white wine (savig blanc or pino grigio would be good). Or 2/3 wine and 1/3 broth.
> 
> Plus any herbs or other seasonings (think garlic clove).
> 
> ...



brown potatoes and chicken?   Do you mean put them in a skilet with light oil on medium heat until they brown up?

im coming to realize this is a common cooking procedure, i like it . adds another great dimension to the dish


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## jennyema (Apr 10, 2005)

Mylegsbig said:
			
		

> brown potatoes and chicken? Do you mean put them in a skilet with light oil on medium heat until they brown up?
> 
> im coming to realize this is a common cooking procedure, i like it . adds another great dimension to the dish


 
Yes!  Exactly.  Though use med-high heat.

Browning meat is a key to flavor.

See this thread on Maillard reaction: http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9749


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