Think I finally got it

I am pretty good cook. But I have never been able to bake/roast a boneless/skinless breast without it being miserable, dry, and not very appetizing.

But I have duplicated the results 3 times in a row by putting them in at 325 for 50 minutes. This morning i am eating last nights left over chicken, and it tastes so much like chicken pot pie or chicken gravy. Usually chicken in the oven tastes like whatever I put on it. But this...i would eat with just salt and pepper. This particular batch is lemon pepper (my son likes it).

In any event....yay for personal victories. Since I don't have facebook, I had nowhere to share my own little victory. That I have taken until the age of 41 to figure out.

reply to post by bigfatfurrytexan


What you don't realise is that the chicken breast was actually filled with cancerous pustules and upon hitting 48 minutes they had broken down into that gravy you could swear you've never been able to create before.

:^]~~

Don't ask me I still watch Jamie Oliver for how to make baked spuds. and I still get it wrong

roll on 42 when the secret knowledge of these things will be magically revealed. 41 didn't work for me.

reply to post by bigfatfurrytexan


Awww come on BFFT ...

Give us the whole technique :

Plus 2 questions for you :

Was it free range?
Did you baste it (and if so what with?)

I am drooling here...

Kindest respects

Rodinus

reply to post by Rodinus


Nope. Plain, jane chicken breast from HEB. Out in the sticks things like "free range" only apply to our beef.

The technique...rather simple. I walked in from work and told my son, "Hey, foil line that cookie sheet and prepare the chicken however you want it cooked tonight". So he put down the foil, opened the chicken, and covered both sides with lemon pepper. Put it in the oven at 325. About 50 minutes later I had split open some smoked sausage and browned it in a skillet (Opa's Country Blend...our favorite, and made just up the rode in Fredericksburg), and he ate the chicken and sausage (we eat low carb, and he is a meatatarian).

I served mine sliced up on a bed of spinach/arugula, some "orange glory" cherry tomatoes, some crisp jalapeno slices, bacon crumbles, feta crumbles, and the last of the homemade gorgonzola/thyme/garlic dressing I had from 2 days ago.

I eat salad with a protein probably 5 times a week. Usually i make a vinaigrette, but decided to use up the rest of some gorgonzola i had from the ribeyes a few nights before (i like gorgonzola or bleu melted on top of a good steak).

Does that help? LOL

reply to post by bigfatfurrytexan

I am pretty good cook. But I have never been able to bake/roast a boneless/skinless breast without it being miserable, dry, and not very appetizing.

I've had that problem as well.

Here is how I now do it. I usually start out with a breast or a couple of skinless tenderloins in a Pyrex with a bit of seasoning mixed with a small amount of water (sometimes broth) at 230 for about twenty minutes, then I'll flip them and cover the dish with foil and crank the heat to 375 for another 15-20 minutes (Meat thickness dependent).

Works like a charm most times, and even when it doesn't I can always make a quick chicken quesadilla.

Texan.. here is my secret.. and you can also use it to horrify your children and loved ones for entertainment. I leave the skin on and massage my chicken breasts or whole chicken with oil. Sometimes safflower oil or dark sesame oil. I mean MASSAGE it. Sometimes I sing while doing it and if its a whole chicken.. I make it dance while flipping it over to massage the other side cause it makes the kids freak out. I turn the heat real high for a few minutes to get that skin a little hard and then lower the temp and cook slow. Ive NEVER had dry chicken, turkey, wild game fowl.

I also get the added amusement of hearing my 20 year old tell my 15 yr old : you remember when mom put her hand up the turkeys butt and sang You Are My Sunshine??

reply to post by bigfatfurrytexan

Thanks BF it does indeed...

Now all i have to do is find a US deli over here in France!!!

Kindest respects

Rod

Ps. Actually to tell you the truth, your method is used in our household too

reply to post by Rodinus


My favorite basting sauce for meat:

- reduce the juice and zest of 3 grapefruits by 70%
- sweeten to taste (i use a mix of splenda/erythritol)
- add in 2 tbl soy sauce and 1 tbl sesame oil
- add 3-4 minced cloves of garlic and about 2 tbl shaved or crushed ginger
- about 2 tsp red pepper flakes
- continue simmering for a few minutes to reduce slightly and combine flavors

This stuff will kick you in the tongue like chuck norris. I use it from time to time on lighter meats (not as good on beef, lamb, and venison). I also use it with a stir fry (toasted almonds, steamed brocolli, and about 1.5 cups of brocolli slaw cut brocolli) veggie side I make from time to time.

reply to post by bigfatfurrytexan


I've just finished eating my brunch of chili and eggs and here you go describing your meal and making me drool again. I can't eat another bite.

But at least I know what I'm having for dinner tonight.

reply to post by bigfatfurrytexan



Ohh I meant to put this in the other post This is like TGI Fridays Jack Daniels Dipping Sauce... if you bake, bread, or fry, this really is great on chicken!!

Ingredients

1/3 cup diced red onion
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup teriyaki sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup white grape juice
1/2 cup Jack Daniel’s Black Label Whiskey
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

Instructions

Place the ingredients in a saucepan in the order listed. Stir after adding each ingredient. Place on medium heat and stir until it reaches a boil. Turn the heat down to low until the sauce is on a slow simmer. Cook for 35 to 45 minutes. The sauce will have reduced in volume by one-fourth to one-third.


I got this online and tweaked it a little with my own ideas and ingredients. I used it as a gaze on a thanksgiving turkey one year... they LOVED it!

reply to post by bigfatfurrytexan


Notes.

Thanks BF

By the way, I am over in the States in June, (Austin Texas) for a week.

Please do not be surprised if you see some strange guy coming up your front pathway with a couple of free rangers under his arms and a tin foil hat on his head

Edited to add : Oh, and of course a decent bottle of Cabernet from our vineyard

Kindest respects

Roinus

reply to post by Rodinus


I am 5 hours from austin. and if you came, it would totally be worth your while. U2U me when you are ready.

BTW, i have some associates in Austin. I can recommend some stuff for you. Especially restaurants. Oh man...do i know a couple of restaurants.....

reply to post by bigfatfurrytexan


Slaps BFFT a high 5...

You are on, I will let you know as the date approaches.

Kindest respects

Rodinus

TDawgRex
reply to post by bigfatfurrytexan

 

I've just finished eating my brunch of chili and eggs and here you go describing your meal and making me drool again. I can't eat another bite.

But at least I know what I'm having for dinner tonight.

Oh gawd. Chili and eggs = the best breakfast ever! Every time some one asks me what I had for breakfast and I tell them I had that, they look at me like I'm nuts. But it's the best!

OP: Your boneless breasts should always be cooked as quickly as possible unless you're making a casserole dish from them (and cooking them in liquid). Otherwise you get those nasty dried out things.

Try flattening them before you cook them.

reply to post by Hushabye


I can butterfly them and throw them on the grill to perfection every single time. But the flavor is different. Its all about surface area. When you butterly you have greater surface area, and greater carmelization. Yes, this is tasty...but masks the flavor of the meat itself.

If you leave it whole, you can trap in more of the juices. Keeping the oven just below 350 seems to be what helps, as the outer temp doesn't get high enough to dry the outside part of the breast, and the juices come flowing out of the juicy interior.

Of course, results may vary. I think I am around 1900 feet above sea level.

reply to post by Advantage


this is great!!!! will be using this method from now on.... I bet the singing adds a whole different level to to the taste! I usually rub mine in oil, sprinkle on some herbs and bake. When I get it right, the skin is so much like fried chicken- but I have to limit that. I could eat it like candy!
But the hand up the butt, to the tune of "you are my sunshine"- that is what is for dinner tonight!

The best roasted chicken I've ever made I got by so called "dry brining". You coat the coat the chicken in a bunch of salt which draws the moisture to the surface. If your doing this to chicken w/ skin you'll want to make a small incision and with you finger internally separate the skin from the meat before you salt.

You put the chicken uncovered in the refrigerator (you've gotta clear a decent sized area as you don't want stuff to touch the raw meat) Let it sit in there for a day and as the chicken dries it pulls that surface moisture back into the meat with some of the salt.

When you're ready to cook you brush of the remaining salt add any other seasonings you'd like and bake.

reply to post by bigfatfurrytexan


Try a duck breast BFFT

Season to taste

Brown it in a pan and then leave skin side down until crispy, then place in the oven at 180 degrees c.

The overall cooking time including the frying pan needs to be 14 minutes, that is crucial.

You should get a pink breast, leave to rest and enjoy.

Cody

a reply to: bigfatfurrytexan

A little tip that changes everything:

Try letting the chicken get close to room temp before cooking. If the transition from cold to hot is to quick, the meat will be tough!

take it from an expert!

originally posted by: combatmaster
a reply to: bigfatfurrytexan

A little tip that changes everything:

Try letting the chicken get close to room temp before cooking. If the transition from cold to hot is to quick, the meat will be tough!

take it from an expert!

Good advice for any meat. Especially beef. It makes it more tender and it brings out the flavor.