I absolutely love to cook but I have trouble with chicken breasts coming out too dry. Does anybody have any suggestions for keeping them a little more moist? We love chicken breast and eat a lot of it for health reasons. Thanks ahead of time for any input!
When we bake a bird at my house we turn it upside down so that the breast is against the cooking pan. It forces all the juice in the bird to run through the breast which helps keeps it nice and moist. (02/08/2006)
By Molly
I used to have the same problem whether I marinated them or not until I tried cooking the chicken breasts at a low temperature over a longer period of time. Try marinating them them for an hour then place into a baking dish, into oven at 250 degrees F for an hour, and you would not believe how tender and moist your chicken breasts will turn out. I have not yet tried with thighs, etc., but would assume they may need slightly longer time. Good luck! (02/09/2006)
By Yvette
I'm wondering if you are overcooking the chicken because you are afraid of salmonella. Do you have a meat thermometer? (One of the best kitchen investments ever!) Chicken needs to be cooked to between 165-175 degrees to be safe to eat. But you would take it out about 5-10 degrees cooler and let it rest for 10 minutes to let the juices redistribute.
By Clare
If you cook at a lower temperature for a longer period of time that does give good results, however, use a thermometer to be certain a safe internal temperature has been achieved. This method works for beef roasts & other meats also. Pouring a thin layer of water in the bottom of the baking pan can help keep meats moist. (02/09/2006)
By kidsNclutter
I used to serve what hubby called 'chicken jerky' as no one was going to die from raw chicken.
Solution: when baking I use chicken broth and cover with foil. I put lemon and a little butter on the breasts with salt and pepper and it tastes good
When using grill; I parboil in beer just
rinse chicken and put into stock pot and add garlic, salt, pepper, and beer to cover and when it comes to boil that is parboil take chicken and put on grill it is very tasty and alcohol cooks out
it tastes so good and no worry
it took me along time to eat properly cooked chicken as I thought it had to be burnt to be decent. (02/09/2006)
I heard that you can soak it in water with some apple cider vinegar for an hour or so, it helps keep moist. Have not tried it yet though.
De (02/09/2006)
By Dede
My favorite way to have chicken is place chicken breasts in a shallow baking dish, squeeze fresh lemon juice & bits of lemon pulp (can also put lemon slices in, too, if you'd like) over them and sprinkle with fresh or dried rosemary. Cover with tinfoil & bake for 45-60 minutes at 350 degrees F. MMMMMM! So yummy! Can serve over hot cooked rice or noodles. (02/10/2006)
By badwater
I love making chicken breasts because they are so healthy. I put mine in a skillet, sprayed with Pam and cover. I season them with salt and pepper, Lawry's salt, and peppered seasoning. At first there will be a lot of moisture in the pan. When it starts to dry out I add water to cover the bottom of the pan and continue to do so until they are done. They turn out to be moist and absolutely delicious. (02/10/2006)
By Lisa
Since chicken is a protein, you need to cook at a lower temp. (same with eggs- omelets/scrambled)
Keep the skin on and remove when finished cooking, this will keep the meat moist and juicy. If you are going to fry your chicken, soak overnight in buttermilk. Baking your chicken? breast side down, traps the juice. I stuff the cavity with rosemary, lemon, onion and a few cloves of garlic.
By SweetCali40
Brining is the key. I've used this method over and over again with great results. It is also the method recommended by Cook's Illustrated magazine (the magazine of America's Test Kitchen television show).
Simply dissolve 1/2 cup of kosher salt (or 1/4 cup regular table salt) in 4 cups of cold water. Soak the chicken pieces in this solution for 2 to 4 hours. Then take them out, and cook in whatever manner you prefer.
This method changes the molecular structure of the protein strands so that instead of contracting and squeezing all the liquid out (like it normally would) when cooked, the strands stay more separate and retain a lot of the juices. This method also works wonderfully for pork chops (another contender for "driest cut of meat" fame), and for your Thanksgiving turkey (just make a large quantity of the brining liquid, in the same salt-to-water ratio as mentioned above).
Yes, soaking the chicken in the brine will add a bit of salty taste to the meat. Just reduce or omit the salt that you would otherwise add during cooking. Oh, if you are going to make the chicken in an oriental style, you could also brine the chicken by marinating it in soy sauce or Teriyaki sauce instead of the salt water.
Good luck! (02/10/2006)
By Lynne
Parboil in beer with seasoning (I use a little garlic and black pepper, but occasionally some other stuff, depending on how I'm going to cook it). Then to fry, bread it as usual. To barbecue, just toss it on the grill. An alternative for barbecue is to coat it with yellow mustard and let the mustard burn off, but it's still a good idea to parboil it in beer first. And any seasoning you're looking for... garlic or hot pepper or curry powder, whatever... can be added to the beer. And don't worry, the alcohol cooks out so nobody's going to cop a buzz on your chicken. They might like it though. (02/14/2006)
Oops! one thing I forgot to mention: do not add salt prior to or during cooking. It will dry the meat out. It's much better to add it after the cooking is done, and personally I prefer to add it at the table. I know how much salt I like, but I don't presume to know how much anyone else likes. (02/14/2006)
I marinate mine in Seven Seas Italian dressing for 30 minutes before grilling.
(02/14/2006)
By Kathy
Regardless of the chicken dish I am making, I always brown my chicken (pork too) in a pan sprayed with cooking spray. 99% of the time my chicken is moist (except when I don't hear the timer or lose track of time). (02/15/2006)
By susan
Most times, chicken is dry due to overcooking. I cook my chicken breast 5-6 minutes on each side. I've never had a dry piece. If the chicken is especially thick, I sometimes put it in the microwave for a couple minutes. It still comes out nice and moist, as well as flavorful. (07/18/2006)
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