# ISO help cooking chicken breasts



## ingenieur (Oct 22, 2021)

I'm sure this has been asked many times before but how do you cook chicken breasts without them becoming tough? 

I have a couple of theories which didn't work out. 

1. Leave chicken breasts out of the fridge to get to room temperature before cooking. = I don't think this works? 

2. Freezing chicken breasts causes the water in them to freeze and when you thaw them the water is released so water is absorbed during cooking.  

As I say neither of these things seem to make chicken soft! 

So how do you do it?


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## GotGarlic (Oct 22, 2021)

Hi and welcome to Discuss Cooking [emoji2]

You're right - neither of those will work. The trick is easy - don't overcook it. Chicken breast is done at 160F. Use an instant-read thermometer to check the temperature.


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## ingenieur (Oct 22, 2021)

Could you estimate the right amount of cooking without a thermometer? 

I know when I cook steak that there is a general rule of thumb for getting it right. Similarly for fish. 

I have recipes I like for chicken which involve either frying or grilling the chicken breast and it's difficult to point a thermometer and get an accurate reading in those cases?


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## GotGarlic (Oct 22, 2021)

It depends on the cooking method you're using and how thick the chicken is. Fifteen to 20 usually is enough. You'll get a feel for it with practice.


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## Sir_Loin_of_Beef (Oct 22, 2021)

Poach it. No, I don't mean steal some chickens from the King's hen house. You're not Robin of Loxley!

Select a pan that will hold your chicken breasts in a single layer. Fill the pan with water. aAd garlic cloves, sliced lemon and bay leaves (all optional) and bring to a boil. Add the chicken breasts, cover the pan and remove from heat. In 20 minutes you will have perfectly poached chicken breasts, tender and moist.


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## ingenieur (Oct 23, 2021)

I like the poaching idea.  Not thought of that before.  Would it be nice to brown them a bit on a hot pan before poaching?


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## Sir_Loin_of_Beef (Oct 23, 2021)

Aw, why do you want to go and ruin it?


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## dragnlaw (Oct 23, 2021)

Hi ingenieur, Welcome to DC! 

To take the temp of the meat, while roasting/baking, remove the pan from the oven, steady the meat with tongs and insert your thermometer.  Return to oven.  In a frying pan, just steady with the tongs and insert thermometer. 

Without a thermometer, you will have to pierce and make a tiny slice with a knife to see if the meat is done!  

Use your recipe as a basic guide line for time.  Maybe start 5 or 10 minutes before they say it is done to give you a visual on the difference for when it is still not finished as to when it is. 
Thermometers are really not that expensive and well worth the investment.

I poach mine a little different, well actually, almost every time I poach it IS a different routine.
I've poached from frozen, halved or whole.  I generally use chicken broth or as Sir LOB has suggested, your own flavourings.  I've also put the meat in directly and brought to a boil, or boil first then add meat. 
BUT - once it has come to a boil - REDUCE to a simmer.  Simmer for about 10 minutes and then take off heat and let sit for another 10 minutes.  Keep in mind that the size of the pieces will be different in timing. This is all assuming that the chicken is boneless and skinless. (I've never done it with them, only without)
Take out a piece and check it! 

Just try not to overcook.  It will get tough and possibly dry once out of the poaching liquid. 

I also strain and save the flavoured poaching liquid. 

Hope this helps.  Let us know how you get on.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Oct 23, 2021)

Boiling water will eventually overheat, and overcook the chicken, making it dry, and tough.  Poaching is much more gentle, cooking in barely simmering water.  This makes it harder to overcook the chicken.  

My three methods for juicy, tender chicken are as follows:

*Chicken fingers:*
Cut chicken breasts into 1/4 inch thick strips.  Combine 1 cup flor with 1 tsp. salt, 1 tbs. coarse grind black pepper, and 1 tbs. granulated garlic.  Mage egg wash from 1 egg, beaten with 2 tbs. milk.  Dredge chicken strip in flour, the egg wash, and again in flour.  Heat 2 inches of oil in frying pan until is shimmers 9360' F.)  Shake excess flour from the chicken; and place into the hot oil. taking care not to overcrowd the pan.  Fry until lightly brow.  Flip and repeat.  Drain on cooling rack above paper towels.

*Oven fried chicken.*
Make seasoned flor as in above recipe.  Lightly dust onto chicken breasts.  Fry in hot oil until lightly browned on all sides.  Transfer to foil-lined baking sheet.  Roast for 40 minutes in 375' F. oven.  This chicken will squirt you when you bite into it.  Have napkins ready.

*Pan-Fried Boneless/Skinless Chicken Breast*
Place breast onto parchment paper.  Cover with a second sheet.  Pound to an even thickness of a half inch.  Dredge in seasoned flour, egg wash, the panko bread crumbs.  Fry in 350' F. oil until medium brown.  Flip and repeat.

*Velveted Chicken:*
Combine 2 tbs. lite soy sauce (I like Kikkoman), 3 tbs. rice wine vinegar, and 1 tsp. cornstarch into a slurry.  Cut chicken into small strips, about 2 inches long.  Place in the slurry.  Let marinate for 20 minutes.  Heat oil to 320' F., or water to 200' F.  Place chicken strips into the oil, or water, and cook until the coating turns opaque.  Remove and drain on paper towels.  Add to stir fries, or other Asian dishes.

Seeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


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## jennyema (Oct 25, 2021)

You really do need to use a meat thermometer.  You cant time a chicken breast because they vary so much in size and thickness.

You can buy a cheap one in the grocery store.  Test it first with boiling water.

Cook to 160 and let rest for 5 minutes, covered


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## dcSaute (Oct 25, 2021)

not sure how chicken breasts run in UK - but in USA producers have gone hen wild for bigger thicker massive chicken breasts.  a single breast can easily approach one pound / 450g and thickness approaching 5 cm

I have found the thickness to be a major issue.  by the time the inner bits are done, the outer bits are overdone.

I use a pair of round sticks to "nicely" slice the breasts in half - here's one pix, dowels not shown, but you can see how the breast has been split thickness wise.  I have found 'cooking to perfection' much easier with the thinner pieces.


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## taxlady (Oct 25, 2021)

dcSaute said:


> not sure how chicken breasts run in UK - but in USA producers have gone hen wild for bigger thicker massive chicken breasts.  a single breast can easily approach one pound / 450g and thickness approaching 5 cm
> 
> I have found the thickness to be a major issue.  by the time the inner bits are done, the outer bits are overdone.
> 
> I use a pair of round sticks to "nicely" slice the breasts in half - here's one pix, dowels not shown, but you can see how the breast has been split thickness wise.  I have found 'cooking to perfection' much easier with the thinner pieces.



I have a really hard time cutting chicken breasts in half to make them thinner. What do you do with the dowels to make it easier?


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## Andy M. (Oct 25, 2021)

You can use wood chopsticks. Lay the breast between two chopsticks and use them as a guide for your knife as to slice horizontally to halve the breast.


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## taxlady (Oct 25, 2021)

Andy M. said:


> You can use wood chopsticks. Lay the breast between two chopsticks and use them as a guide for your knife as to slice horizontally to halve the breast.



I don't understand at all.


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## caseydog (Oct 26, 2021)

Butterfly your chicken breasts, or use a meat mallet to pound them to an equal thickness. 

The problem with whole boneless breasts is that but the time the middle is done, the much thinner ends are way overcooked, dry and tough. Butterflying them, or pounding them to a uniform thickness gets the whole breast done at the same time. The thinner meat also cooks faster, and cooking fast is important with white meat chicken. 

Butterflying is really not hard. You'll need a long enough knife -- longer than the Brest by an inch or two. Then lay the breast flat, and slice horizontally with the palm of your had on top of the breast. Use slow stokes. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3ybkJoq6OU


CD


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## dragnlaw (Oct 26, 2021)

Depending on how thin you want to slice them. 

For really thin slices, Chopsticks would work if you pounded them first, yes. 

But I would think that chopsticks are a little small for a regular slice in half.  I would find/get thicker dowels.    You have multiple choices of wood dowel sizes at a hardware store (Rona, Reno, etc), Michaels or maybe even Ted's Hobby shop (down by the lake in the Pte Claire shopping centre)


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## dcSaute (Oct 26, 2021)

this is 1/2 inch dowels for chicken:


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## taxlady (Oct 26, 2021)

I have no problem butterflying pork. My issue trying to cut chicken breast into to thin slices is that the side that was attached to the bone has uneven loose bits. I may have to take a picture next time I cook chicken breast. I don't have a problem cooking them whole without them drying out.


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## dcSaute (Oct 26, 2021)

these are thinner for rouladen:


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## taxlady (Oct 26, 2021)

dcSaute said:


> these are thinner for rouladen:



Thank you for the picture. Now I understand.


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## dcSaute (Oct 26, 2021)

taxlady said:


> I have no problem butterflying pork. My issue trying to cut chicken breast into to thin slices is that the side that was attached to the bone has uneven loose bits. I may have to take a picture next time I cook chicken breast. I don't have a problem cooking them whole without them drying out.




that can create issues - I find pressing the breast down, a thump or two, usually flattens them enough the bottom cut is more uniform.


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## taxlady (Oct 26, 2021)

dcSaute said:


> that can create issues - I find pressing the breast down, a thump or two, usually flattens them enough the bottom cut is more uniform.



It's more a problem of loose bits falling off. I think one of them is called the fillet.


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## Andy M. (Oct 26, 2021)

taxlady said:


> I don't understand at all.





Sorry. 

The chopsticks act as a guide so you can cut the top half of the breast off. You are slicing the breast in half horizontally so you end up with a top half and a bottom half.


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## taxlady (Oct 26, 2021)

Andy M. said:


> Sorry.
> 
> The chopsticks act as a guide so you can cut the top half of the breast off. You are slicing the breast in half horizontally so you end up with a top half and a bottom half.



Thanks Andy. DcSaute's photos helped. The penny finally dropped. D'oh!


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## Andy M. (Oct 26, 2021)

taxlady said:


> Thanks Andy. DcSaute's photos helped. The penny finally dropped. D'oh!



Great! I looked for photos online but didn't find any.


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## GotGarlic (Oct 26, 2021)

Cooks Illustrated/America's Test Kitchen suggests cutting breasts into three pieces, like this, so the thinner end is less likely to overcook.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Oct 26, 2021)

When you get a chicken breast, you get two muscles, the large muscle, and the tenderloin.  Separate them, and save the tenderloins for another meal by freezing the in zipper bags.  This will give you a nice piece of meat to butterfly, or slice.

Seeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


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## karadekoolaid (Oct 26, 2021)

Yes, chief - the tenderloins will cook in no time at all, whereas the breast takes a whole lot longer. 
I keep the tenderloins apart, as you do, and save them for skewers. I often make chicken satays, and they´re perfect for that. 
Just a note, though, and I learned this from watching Sarah Moulton, years ago on Food TV. There´s a white tendon that runs through the tenderloin. Press down on one end, with your thumbnail, and run your knife along the loin to remove it, otherwise you may have a chewy bit in the middle.


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## WhateverYouWant (Oct 26, 2021)

OK… late to the party, but in the last year or two I have replaced almost everything I use breast for with boneless thighs. This includes tacos, enchiladas, chicken salad, and more. I think it is more flavorful and easier to cook.


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## taxlady (Oct 26, 2021)

Yeah, I suppose it would be simpler if I removed the filets/tenderloins from the chicken breasts. I have been reluctant to do that because I am often using frozen chicken breast, so I don't really want to freeze them again. No, it would not be simple to just take the tenderloin off before freezing the breasts. They come individually cryovac packaged, so I just toss them in the freezer like that when I find that I won't get to them before they would go off.


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## dragnlaw (Oct 26, 2021)

When I buy chicken breasts (on sale) there are usually 5 to 7 of them in a package.  As soon as I get home they are individually wrapped, weighed and marked, into the freezer.  If they are huge, I remove the tender to a separate wrapper, again, weighed, marked and ito the freezer. 

I love them for stir-fry. Works for me!  

Even if I want to butterfly or pound them out, those big ones are just tooo big! So, off come the tenders!  With 7 large breasts I will get 9 meals as there are usually 2 packages of tenders gotten from the 7.

Edit:  although I certainly agree with taxy! If I were to go to the expense of buying them individually cryovac and frozen I would NOT defrost, break the seal, just to remove the tenders!


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## taxlady (Oct 26, 2021)

dragnlaw said:


> <snip>
> 
> Edit:  although I certainly agree with taxy! If I were to go to the expense of buying them individually cryovac and frozen I would NOT defrost, break the seal, just to remove the tenders!



These are locally raised, organic chicken breasts. That's just the way they sell them. They taste great.


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