# Help! Dinner Tonight! Thin Chicken.



## Mylegsbig (May 2, 2006)

Hey guys the cicken i have tonight is boneless skinless chicken breast but specified as "thinly sliced" id say it is a bit less than half an inch thick.

they are filets, not strips.

normally i sear then finish by transferring skillet to oven.

But this chicken is so thin maybe best option would be to just cook all way in stainless steel skillet? willthis make chicken tough? What temperature should i cook it at to cook all the way through?  For searing, i turn it to MED-HIGH/ HIGH, for 2 mins on each side then finish it in oven.

If i cook it the whole way through with these thinner breasts, should i still cook it at MED HIGH - HIGH ?

ALso, will any liquid be needed besides olive oil? like stock or anything?

im gonna marinate the chicken in rosemary, chardonnay, chicken stock, olive oil, then pat EXTREMELY DRY to get a good sear.

I would like a crispy texture on the chicken to combine with the soft teneder flavor of the farfalle pasta.  will be serving this chickenand pasta with a chardonnay, shallot, chicken stock, rosemary reduction.

I can still deglaze right even if i dont put the skillet in the oven?

Basically i want my dish to be grilled chicken, farfalle, parmagiano regggiano, with a white wine shallot reduction


What is the best way to cook this chicken?

It is about .80 pounds of chickenand i plan to use about 6  oz of pasta.

Just curious if cooking the chicken the whole way on the steel skillet will make it TOUGH.  It is high quality chicken. please tell me how to make this dish tio perfection.

Chicken is marinading now.  Let me know quickly, i can count on you guys! Specially GB Andy Robo and Jenny and Ironchef.


WOuld cookign this chicken in a stainless steel skillet on a lower temperature with some liquid in there produce more tender chicken? isnt that called braising>? or should i just sear the **** chicken?

Sorry if im incoherent im on xanax and i've been drinking some vodka.

bear with me.

Love you.

Legsbig


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## Robo410 (May 2, 2006)

I would: do like a picatta, quick sear flip sauce and serve

or for future, a milanese...light flour coating, egg wash, seasoned herbed cheesed crumbs (panko) then a quick pan fry in evoo w/ canola lightly garlic infused ... would also be great


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## Andy M. (May 2, 2006)

Hot oil, hot pan, sear for a minute or two on each side.  They will cook quickly as they are thin.  They will only be tough and dry if you overcook.

Sounds like a tasty dish.


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## jennyema (May 3, 2006)

For this time .... What Robo and Andy said.  Cook quickly, remove, and then make your pan sauce.  Put chix back in pan to heat back up in sauce (for like 30 seconds) and serve.  *Bon Appetit!*

For next time .... What you have there are basically cutlets which are great for Chicken Piccata (lemon,butter,parsely, caper sauce) and Chicken Marsala (marsala wine and nmushroom sauce). Here is a basic description.

Both are quick, easy and excellent over pasta.


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## SizzlininIN (May 3, 2006)

How about this one.......I planned on it being our first meal when the kitchen was done but still haven't gotten around to making it.  It sounds wonderful though and looked really delicious when she made it.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_26392,00.html


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## GB (May 3, 2006)

Sorry I missed this thread yesterday, but let me just reiterate what Andy said. The chicken will only be tough and dry if you over cook it. The cooking method does not matter. 

Brining will help too. If you brine the chicken then you will have a little leeway in case you overcook it. It really does help.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (May 3, 2006)

Brining will help.  You can do much with this chicken.  If you dip it in eggwash, then cornstarch before frying, it will help portect the meat from overcooking.  The same is true if you dredge it in flour.  You could also make a batter of 1//2 cup water (or milk if you prefer), 1/2 cup AP flour, 1/2 cup cornstarch, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1 large egg.  You now have a tempura batter that will allow you to deep fry the chicken to perfection.  Then you can take the tempura chicken and serve it in a stir-fry, with sweet & sour sauce, with a barbecue sauce, cover it with marinara or a ragu sauce, you can serve it with a good chicken gravy, etc.

Another great meal for your chicken is to lightly cook, with a bit of moisture (half-cup of water), remove to a seperate bowl.  Then in the same cooking pan, add bias-sliced bock choy, bias-sliced celery and carrot, sliced onion, and bean sprouts, with a bit of garlic.  Add jsut a tsp of sugar and cook until everything is crunchy-tender.  Add the chicken strips along with 2 tsp. cornstarch and a splash of light soy sauce.  You now have chop suey.  Add soft noodles and you have chicken lo-mein.  Add hard, chow-mein noodles and you have chicken chow-mein.

Hope this helps.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


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## BreezyCooking (May 3, 2006)

I cook these thin cutlets all the time.  I just toss them around in a Ziplock bag with seasoned flour & then saute them for a few minutes on each side in extra-virgin olive oil in a medium-hot pan (#8 out of 10 on my electric stove).  

I then remove the chicken to a warm plate & deglaze the pan with whatever sauce ingredients I want.  For a piccata - lemon juice, white wine, & capers; for Marsala - Marsala wine & previously sauteed mushrooms, etc., etc.  You get the idea.

I then just plate the chicken & it's sides & pour the sauce over.  Whole meal takes about 15 minutes tops.


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## RMS (May 3, 2006)

I like the thin cutlets too!  The cook so fast and IMO taste better.  I'm not much of a chicken person though.


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## RPCookin (May 13, 2006)

I used this recipe from Cooking.com for some breast halves that I had thawed and needed to use. I do the slicing myself... almost never cook whole breast halves. So I did this one with cutlets:
(Sorry about the hyperllinks... I didn't have time to remove them all...)

Chicken Breasts with Sauce Supreme

[FONT=arial, helvetica]*RECIPE INGREDIENTS*
[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, helvetica][SIZE=-1]For Chicken:[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,][SIZE=-1]2 tablespoons margarine or butter[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,][SIZE=-1]4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (1 pound total)[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,][SIZE=-1]Salt[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,][SIZE=-1]Pepper[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=arial, helvetica][SIZE=-1]For Sauce:[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,][SIZE=-1]1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,][SIZE=-1]1/4 cup finely chopped shallots[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,][SIZE=-1]1/4 cup dry white wine[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,][SIZE=-1]1 cup chicken broth[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,][SIZE=-1]2 tablespoons all-purpose flour[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,][SIZE=-1]2 teaspoons snipped fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,][SIZE=-1]1 bay leaf[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,][SIZE=-1]3 tablespoons whipping cream[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,][SIZE=-1]Salt[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,][SIZE=-1]White pepper[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,][SIZE=-1]
Hot cooked linguine or fettuccine[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=arial, helvetica]*RECIPE METHOD*

[/FONT][FONT=arial, helvetica][SIZE=-1]FOR CHICKEN: In a large skillet melt margarine or butter over medium heat. Add chicken breasts and cook for 10-12 minutes ( I did it with cutlets at about 2 minuts per side), or till chicken is tender and no pink remains, turning once. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Transfer to a serving platter; keep warm.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=arial, helvetica][SIZE=-1]FOR SAUCE: In the same skillet cook mushrooms and shallots in the chicken drippings for about 3 minutes, or till tender. Spoon over chicken; keep warm. Add white wine to skillet, stirring to loosen crusty browned bits in the bottom of the skillet. Stir together chicken broth, flour, thyme, and bay leaf. Add to skillet. Cook and stir till thickened and bubbly. Cook for 2 minutes more. Stir in whipping cream. Remove bay leaf. Season sauce to taste with salt and white pepper. Serve sauce over chicken and hot cooked pasta.[/SIZE][/FONT]


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## Constance (May 13, 2006)

It would also be great for Chicken Parmesan or Cordon Bleu.


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## Gretchen (May 13, 2006)

I think these "thin" cutlets have already been injected with brine. If it was frozen I would be almost positive about that.


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