# Chicken help



## LT72884 (Mar 25, 2008)

Ok three questions here.,

1) this is a dumb question but no matter how hard i try i ant seem to pound the chicken breast to a 1/4 inch thick with just a meat hammer. Any tips for smashing meat would be nice?

2) Simple and very tasty breaded chicken thighs? what is best to use? is shake n bake good or is there any one with some good homemade seasonings for breading chicken and baking it to make it very crsipy?

3) simple stuffed chicken breast and or thighs and flank steak?

thanx guys.


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## suziquzie (Mar 25, 2008)

what kind of hammer do you have?
the first one I had really sucked but I have a heavy kitchen aid one now that could beat anything paper thin. 
I also found that beating it on a cutting board acts like a shock absorber, put it on plastic on the counter. 
you could use a wrapped up brick....
i gotta find my recipe for the breading, but please dont use shake n bake i may have to shake you!!


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## suziquzie (Mar 25, 2008)

oh yeah duh...
italian style breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese
dip the chick in flour, then some beaten egg w/ a little water, then crumbs. 
the breading sticks better if you let them sit awhile before you cook them.


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## LT72884 (Mar 25, 2008)

suziquzie said:


> what kind of hammer do you have?
> the first one I had really sucked but I have a heavy kitchen aid one now that could beat anything paper thin.
> I also found that beating it on a cutting board acts like a shock absorber, put it on plastic on the counter.
> you could use a wrapped up brick....
> i gotta find my recipe for the breading, but please dont use shake n bake i may have to shake you!!


Ok i wont use shake n bake, but why?

Well my hammer is about 2.5inch x 2.5 inch sqaure and has a flat side and a poky side. I have to pound in a bag because if i dont chicken guts and juice fly every wheres.


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## Andy M. (Mar 25, 2008)

The pounding motion should not be like hammering a nail. Rather, the blows should be glancing. Pound down and to the edge in a sweeping motion to force the meat to spread out. 

I sometimes find it easier to beat it up a little with the 'pokey' side first to make it easier to flatten.

Shake and Bake has way too much salt in it for my taste.


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## suziquzie (Mar 25, 2008)

^^^ thats why. TOO salty. I musta used it 1 too many times when I had my 1st apartment. My bf at the time would eat anything...... 
put it in a bag but leave it open just a little so the air gets out and doesn't cushion the blows.


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## LT72884 (Mar 25, 2008)

i feel so stupid for asking such an odd question. I mean how hard can pounding chicken be?

Ok what if i dont want a italian style chicken. would cornflakes be good?


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## suziquzie (Mar 25, 2008)

yeah cornflakes are very good, even crushed rice crispies. 
mix in whatever seasonings you like


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## LT72884 (Mar 25, 2008)

suziquzie said:


> yeah cornflakes are very good, even crushed rice crispies.
> mix in whatever seasonings you like



so to make them ultra crispy by baking i would need to use oil such as olive oil? or do i even need oil?


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## kitchenelf (Mar 25, 2008)

I like to grind up melba toast and then season it with something as simple as salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  Dip chicken in egg white, dredge in melta toast crumbs, and fry up in a bit of olive oil.  Because you have pounded the chicken so think you might not even to finish it in the oven.  Just tent for about 5 - 10 minutes and it should be done.

Andy M. described the pounding technique perfectly.  Make a slight "sweeping" motion to the outer edges of the chicken breast.  I pound a bit harder straight down on the thicker parts and then use the sweeping motion once it's a bit softer.

For stuffed chicken breasts you can use just about anything.  Once you have pounded out the chicken first sprinkle with salt and pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil  Then you can spread on some goat cheese, layered with fresh basil, sun dried tomatoes or even some pesto.  OR, any julienne veggies, spinach, and shrimp.  OR ham, swiss cheese....  For any of these just roll up and saute the seam first.  I like to arch it a bit too when I put it in the pan.  Brown on the other side too then finish in the oven.


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## LT72884 (Mar 25, 2008)

kitchen elf thanx, 

im not a fan of goat cheese. thats the stuff that looks like the color of peanut butter and it sticks to your face and mouth, right?

or is there other kinds of goat cheese?


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## suziquzie (Mar 25, 2008)

pesto and mozzarella cheese is good too for stuffing. 
you can drizzle some olive oil on them, but you wont really need it. 
i always end up drizzling too heavily and knocking off some breading.


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## kitchenelf (Mar 25, 2008)

No, goat cheese is pure white.  It can also have herbs or pepper coating the outside.  If you had goat cheese that was the color of peanut butter no wonder you don't like it!  

Any cheese will do - mozzarella, swiss, jack, if you like hot use pepperjack.  ANY cheese you like will work.  Let us know what you do - it can't be bad no matter what you use.


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## LT72884 (Mar 25, 2008)

it was Norwegian goat cheese. i think thats what my moms friend called. she moved here from there and loves the stuff.


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## LT72884 (Mar 25, 2008)

kitchenelf said:


> No, goat cheese is pure white.  It can also have herbs or pepper coating the outside.  If you had goat cheese that was the color of peanut butter no wonder you don't like it!
> 
> Any cheese will do - mozzarella, swiss, jack, if you like hot use pepperjack.  ANY cheese you like will work.  Let us know what you do - it can't be bad no matter what you use.



ok cool. i have to learn some nice classy chicken dishes to impress the ladies. if you know what i mean. Next i have to learn how to present it. make it look sexy and yummy.


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## kitchenelf (Mar 25, 2008)

I guess it could stick to the roof of your mouth though if you took a big enough bite of it - maybe you need to try it again - smaller bites.  It's more of a spreading cheese versus taking a hunk and eating it (oh, I do that too though)


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## GotGarlic (Mar 25, 2008)

LT72884 said:


> 3) simple stuffed chicken breast and or thighs and flank steak?
> 
> thanx guys.



Another member posted this from his blog recently: Livingston Cooks: A DIFFERENT KIND OF STUFFING

Just use whatever kind of cheese you like, as KitchenElf said. HTH.


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## RedBedHead (Mar 25, 2008)

I like to use feta and basil as a stuffing for chicken. My kids hate it so I do their's with string cheese  when I make it.


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## LT72884 (Mar 26, 2008)

RedBedHead said:


> I like to use feta and basil as a stuffing for chicken. My kids hate it so I do their's with string cheese  when I make it.


MMMMM i love feta. Feta and bsil sounds good.


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## LT72884 (Mar 26, 2008)

http://www.cheesesupply.com/images/ekte_gjetost.jpg

this is the stuff im talking about.


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## kitchenelf (Mar 26, 2008)

This is what I'm referring to.


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## LT72884 (Mar 26, 2008)

kitchenelf said:


> This is what I'm referring to.



never had that kind. Does it taste like feta?


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## SixSix210 (Mar 26, 2008)

if you put the chicken between two pieces of plastic wrap and put it on the counter, then spray or wet the plastic on top, whack it with a heavy pan with a smooth bottom.  Works well, and helps keep the chicken from tearing.

As for recipes...
flour, then egg, then any kind of bread crumb/seasoning mix youd like.  Put a few cups of bread crumbs in a bowl and season until they taste the way you want!

For stuffed breasts, I pound them flat, and marinate them.  While they are sitting in the marinade, I cook up a nice amount of spinach, and once it's cooked down, I'll add 2-3 cloves of garlic, half a diced onion, and about a pint of heavy cream, and a touch of lemon juice and cook it all down.  The I lay the mixture onto the breasts and roll them up.  I put them into a pyrex, coat with parmesan and cheddar cheese and bake at 350 until done.


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## GotGarlic (Mar 26, 2008)

LT72884 said:


> never had that kind. Does it taste like feta?



No, it's soft and creamy and crumbly, with a sweet, mild flavor, similar to fresh mozzarella. Here a pic of a spinach and goat cheese salad: 
Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese, Candied Pecans, and Sherry Bacon Dressing


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## LT72884 (Mar 26, 2008)

mmmm, soft and creamy


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## AllenOK (Mar 27, 2008)

LT72884 said:


> Ok three questions here.,
> 
> 1) this is a dumb question but no matter how hard i try i ant seem to pound the chicken breast to a 1/4 inch thick with just a meat hammer. Any tips for smashing meat would be nice?


As already mentioned, I use two pieces of plastic wrap (actually, one LONG piece folded in half).  I make "glancing blows" as well.  I'll have to take a pic of my meat tenderizer and post it.  It's huge, and one solid piece of 1/2" thick 18/10 stainless steel.  Ye Olde Traditional Blunt Instrument.


> 2) Simple and very tasty breaded chicken thighs? what is best to use? is shake n bake good or is there any one with some good homemade seasonings for breading chicken and baking it to make it very crsipy?


Standard breading procedure is flour, egg wash, then a final breading ingredient.  That can be flour, cornmeal, masa harina, panko bread crumbs, crushed rice crispies, crushed cornflakes, etc.  Most restaurants use panko bread crumbs.


> 3) simple stuffed chicken breast and or thighs and flank steak?


Do you know how to make a basic mushroom duxelles?  It's a really good stuffing ingredient.  Stuff the chicken, brown it in a pan, place the breasts in a baking dish, jack the heat up to high, add some onions and mushrooms, saute just until they start to color and get limp, remove and cover the chicken with the onion/mushroom mix, reduce the heat, deglaze with chicken stock and/or white wine, and add some cream of chicken soup.  Cover the chicken with the sauce, cover the pan with foil, and bake at 350 degrees F for an hour.  MMMMMMMMMMMM!  My wife has been hinting that she wants this soon.


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## buckytom (Mar 27, 2008)

hey, i LIKE shake-n-bake. but only on pork. yeah it's salty and i'm pretty sensitive to salt since i cut it way back in my diet, but once in a while it's a hypertensive treat. ya have to cut it with applesauce though (on the s-n-b'd pork chops.)

lt, my wife makes excellent breaded baked chicken thighs using kelloggs corn flake crumbs. she soaks the thighs in milk, then tosses them in the crumbs that have been mixed with a tsp of seasoned salt. then, put them into a glass baking dish, and spray lightly with pam, evoo, or drizzle on a little melted butter. then bake at 350 for about a half hour.


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## babetoo (Mar 27, 2008)

cooked pork chops last night for dinner. flour,egg,panko . for the first time in a long time, i got a crispy, moist chop. 

used olive oil and med heat. delicious oh yes sprinkled with seasoned salt(very) small amount. also used a lot of pepper.

babe


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## GotGarlic (Mar 27, 2008)

AllenOK said:


> Standard breading procedure is flour, egg wash, then a final breading ingredient.  That can be flour, cornmeal, masa harina, panko bread crumbs, crushed rice crispies, crushed cornflakes, etc.  Most restaurants use panko bread crumbs.



LT, you can add any seasonings you like to the flour or breading layers Allen described. Fresh or dried herbs (thyme and sage are a favorite combo of mine), Parmesan cheese, ground nuts, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, onions powder, paprika, taco seasoning, Cajun seasoning, Italian seasoning, Greek seasoning, etc., etc. 1 to 2 teaspoons of seasoning per cup of flour should work. HTH.


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## LT72884 (Mar 27, 2008)

GotGarlic said:


> LT, you can add any seasonings you like to the flour or breading layers Allen described. Fresh or dried herbs (thyme and sage are a favorite combo of mine), Parmesan cheese, ground nuts, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, onions powder, paprika, taco seasoning, Cajun seasoning, Italian seasoning, Greek seasoning, etc., etc. 1 to 2 teaspoons of seasoning per cup of flour should work. HTH.



it sure does. im thinkin of stuffin chicken with feta and basil and breading with  greek seasonings


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## Michael in FtW (Mar 30, 2008)

I can see why LT would not want to stuff chicken with _Ekte Gjetost_ cheese now that I know what it is.


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## LT72884 (Mar 31, 2008)

Michael in FtW said:


> I can see why LT would not want to stuff chicken with _Ekte Gjetost_ cheese now that I know what it is.



yeah that stuff is nasty. Cheese should not have a fudge like texture and taste like carmeled milk. Its more of a texture like fudge mixed with peanut butter. 

Whenever i hear goat cheese, this is the first cheese that comes to me mind.


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## oneoffour (Apr 2, 2008)

For chicken marsalla I don't use a tenderizing hammer.  A basic french rolling pin straight round no handles it is like a 2' diameter wooden dowel  or a mini baseball bat. Slice open a heavy grade 1 gallon freezer bag along the seams. then put the boneless chicken breast on half fold the other half over and start swating. The rounded pin helps spread the meat out not just crush. The heavy weight of the plastic survives all the pounding and you can move pieces in the plastic easily as they don't stick to it. Found that the end can equal the face of a mallet if you have to work a firmer spot. It is easy to spin a piece in the plastic to hit from all directions. I pound on a cutting board close to the edge of the counter to avoid having my fingers between the pin and counter top.


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## GB (Apr 2, 2008)

oneoffour I am curious, why do you slice the bag open? Why not just put the chicken in the bag without sealing it?


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## oneoffour (Apr 2, 2008)

GB said:


> oneoffour I am curious, why do you slice the bag open? Why not just put the chicken in the bag without sealing it?


Thanks for asking GB,
As it thins out it sticks to the plastic as I learned the first time I did it. On that first time I tried to pull the chicken out of the bag it was so thin it pulled apart. Now I slice the freezer bag open along the seams so I can separate the plastic from the chicken as one would the back of contact paper. Handling by the plastic the chicken can be gently placed either in flour or onto a piece of wax paper for easy further handling.


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## LT72884 (Apr 2, 2008)

oneoffour said:


> For chicken marsalla I don't use a tenderizing hammer.  A basic french rolling pin straight round no handles it is like a 2' diameter wooden dowel  or a mini baseball bat. Slice open a heavy grade 1 gallon freezer bag along the seams. then put the boneless chicken breast on half fold the other half over and start swating. The rounded pin helps spread the meat out not just crush. The heavy weight of the plastic survives all the pounding and you can move pieces in the plastic easily as they don't stick to it. Found that the end can equal the face of a mallet if you have to work a firmer spot. It is easy to spin a piece in the plastic to hit from all directions. I pound on a cutting board close to the edge of the counter to avoid having my fingers between the pin and counter top.


so how do you prevent all the juices and water from splashing out the cut seems?


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## GB (Apr 2, 2008)

oneoffour said:


> Thanks for asking GB,
> As it thins out it sticks to the plastic as I learned the first time I did it. On that first time I tried to pull the chicken out of the bag it was so thin it pulled apart. Now I slice the freezer bag open along the seams so I can separate the plastic from the chicken as one would the back of contact paper. Handling by the plastic the chicken can be gently placed either in flour or onto a piece of wax paper for easy further handling.


That makes perfect sense!


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## oneoffour (Apr 2, 2008)

LT72884 said:


> so how do you prevent all the juices and water from splashing out the cut seems?


 
Wow you have me on that! Maybe I just haven't had liquidy chicken breasts? The source I have is a local farm. The chickens are free range birds. I place an order for 20 lbs of either breasts or legs and two weeks later they are killed and butcherd and I pickup that afternoon.
Fresh or thawed they are't splashing juices. Hmm the bag does get a little wet but the plastic so extends beyond the meat that it is moistend shut enough that it won't squirt. 

Before I found out about the farm I was using breasts from the local Giant supermarket. I am thinking by having them on a plate by the board I just never thought about the juices on the plate being the excess that you maybe asking about.


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## GotGarlic (Apr 2, 2008)

LT72884 said:


> so how do you prevent all the juices and water from splashing out the cut seems?



I think you're still hitting it too hard!!!  Lighten up. You don't need to do this to the poor chicken:


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