Posted by Christine Szalay-Kudra on August 23, 2010
If you generally cook with boneless chicken, you know how convenient it is, but you also might run into one of its biggest problems. Chicken without bones all too often becomes dry and tough; making you feel like every bite has to be washed down. Fortunately, you do not have to put up with dry chicken. There are plenty of things you can do about it, including some methods used by professional chefs. Here is how to make moist, delicious chicken every time.
You May Be Overcooking Your Chicken
The biggest reason that most people end up with dishes that are dry and tasteless is that they are overcooking. Chicken without bones in it can cook much faster than chicken that is bone-in. However, you cannot just reduce cooking time, since you might undercook your chicken or end up with a dish that is not done yet. There are other ways to keep chicken moist.
Adding Moisture Saves The Day
Allowing your boneless chicken breasts and thighs to absorb some extra moisture before you cook can make a big difference. There are several options for doing this and getting a tender, tasty meal that does not suffer from dryness. One is to brine the chicken. This allows you to put extra moisture into the meat that will not evaporate while cooking is going on.
To make brine, combine salt, water, and desired seasonings. Remember not to include as much salt in other areas of the recipe if you choose to brine, and do not dissolve too much salt into the brining liquid itself. Otherwise, you could end up with a sodium laden bird that has other taste problems.
Boneless chicken can also be marinated. Use a vinaigrette, light dressing, Italian Salad Dressing, or a homemade mixture to marinate your meat. Anything with a little acid makes a great marinade. A bonus of marinating your chicken recipes is that you will get some great flavor added.
Baking your chicken properly is another way to avoid drying out boneless chicken. Think about adding water or other liquid in the bottom of the pan, for instance. Red wine is a great choice. You can also put a liquid or sauce on top of the meat to keep the upper areas from getting dry and leathery.
Popular choices are bechamel, marinara, salsa, and many others. Just be creative and you will find you have a recipe for boneless chicken that will be a hit with the whole family. Remember that cooking time and heat matter, too – three fifty degrees and twenty minutes are the most common.
Take some time to consider ways to add moisture to your meat, and your cooking will improve. Boneless chicken is an extremely convenient meat, but it can be tricky to cook well. Learning to work with it can take your meals from edible to spectacular, with only a little effort. There are lots of great options out there, so take the time to find out more.
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Posted by Christine Szalay-Kudra on July 5, 2010
Chicken is an incredibly versatile meat, and it only gets better when the weather starts getting warmer and you can break out the grill. We are always ready for a break from the usual stir-fried, pot pie, and baked methods of cooking by that point, so grilling is a welcome change. It does not matter whether you favor charcoal or gas. A great grilled chicken is the same everywhere.
Birds that have been grilled well have a crisp, burnished skin, and are never burnt on the outside or raw on the inside. The meat is moist and juicy, and the flavor will be lightly tinged with smoke. Do not expect good grilled meat to be underdone in the middle or dry. Having trouble attaining this ideal? Here are a few tips that could help you fix the problem.
There are multiple ways to prepare grilled chicken recipes, from use of different cuts to various glazes, marinades, and rubs. No matter what recipe you are using, you can adapt it to create a delicious result. Just make sure you follow a few simple rules to turn out tender, moist meat with a crisp, delicious skin.
Depending on what part of the bird you are cooking, you will need the right grill temperature and cooking time to make sure that it turns out well. That is because poultry is much less forgiving and offers less leeway when cooking with too much heat than beef or pork. Both of those meats have a lot more fat, and their fattiness helps preserve moisture, even when the heat gets too high.
You need to think about the temperature the bird is on the inside, since it dries out pretty quickly above the minimum safe temperature for this meat. One option that can be a big help is buying an instant read meat thermometer and keeping it close to hand while you are grilling. This is a particularly good idea for large, bone-in cuts that can be hard to predict and have wide temperature variances.
You might have to take a few tries to figure out the timing of the grilling process, but there are lots of simple grilled chicken recipes out there that you can use and work with, so you will probably eat fairly well while you are working it out. This learning process is one you are going to look forward to and is easier than you think to achieve.
If you will be grilling a whole bird, you will need to butterfly it so that it will cook evenly throughout. This is best on birds that are between three and four pounds. You use sharp shears to remove the backbone of the bird, then press firmly on the breastbone to flatten it for even cooking.
There are, of course, options for people who do not want to deal with the extra hassle of bone-in pieces or whole birds. Choose boneless breasts and thighs for even quicker grilling times. Just remember that they are thin and consistent in texture, making them easy to overcook. Carefully watching these pieces and staying attentive is the secret to getting great boneless chicken on the grill.
There are so many leek recipes you can make. A classic is leek and potato soup. This is a rich, hearty thick soup that will keep you warm in the winter. The mild onion flavor is a great addition to the rest of the dish.
