topic Re: Cooking chicken breast cutlets in Kitchen

Cooking chicken breast cutlets

I am still oxox — Tue, 24 Mar 2020 14:27:16 GMT

I am a great cook but can not cook a chicken breast that is both browned and soft.

I have a flat grill, a ridged grill and a large frying pan.

I am not sure what I am doing wrong

thanks all and stay well

ETA I have revised this I never cook the breast with the skin and bone in, I always use thin cut skinless and boneless breasts

Re: Cooking chicken breasts

4kitties — Tue, 24 Mar 2020 12:35:43 GMT

I have not tried it but I remember a thread about using baking soda to " velvetize" meats.
It sounded interesting. It tenderizes the meats. Makes it soft like in Chinese foods. I know when I get chicken and broccoli the chicken is always so tender.

Re: Cooking chicken breasts

PINKdogWOOD — Tue, 24 Mar 2020 12:42:34 GMT

@I am still oxox I like my chicken like you do. I do mine on top of the stove in a little olive oil (you'll want to lid it), I cook it slow over a pretty low heat, watch it, let it brown & crisp up. Turn it about every 8-10 minutes so it cooks/browns evenly. If it starts to stick a little put in a tad of water to loosen it up, continue to turn. You (and your chicken) should be okay.

If you choose to do it in your oven, I do everything on a cookie sheet with parchment paper (love this stuff, NOTHING sticks to it). Again it's easy to do, it will get brown & crispty, doesn't take any time and you can turn it 1/2 way through, about 12 minutes a side.

Re: Cooking chicken breasts

50Mickey — Tue, 24 Mar 2020 12:42:41 GMT

I cook chicken wings in the air fryer. After i cut off all of the skin i sprinkle power, and any other spices that you want but NO salt because the baking power has sodium. They come out crispy. It's baking power that gives it a crispy texture. Maybe try this before cooking the chicken breasts with whatever method that you want. I agree that chicken without browning is very unappetizing.

Re: Cooking chicken breasts

4kitties — Tue, 24 Mar 2020 12:44:09 GMT

I just did a google search. Looks like velvetizing is for sliced chicken breast, and I think you are asking about cooking whole pieces of chicken breast.

I just kind of accept that the chicken breast has more extrude when I cook them. I usually use a marinade before grilling them for us. But I know they are still kind of firm.

Will hope maybe one of the good cooks here will have any ideas for us!

Re: Cooking chicken breasts

Mimi 1883 — Tue, 24 Mar 2020 12:45:36 GMT

@I am still oxox On the grill, you're supposed to cook over an area without the burner being lit. Then, later move them to the lit area for browning.

I have to admit, I purchased a sous vide and chicken, pork, and beef comes out moist and tender! I even par cook them, then freeze. Will later thaw in the sous vide, and then grill or make it in a pan. The other night I thawed par-cooked chicken breast in the sous vide and then cut into bite-sized pieces, heated olive oil and butter in a pan, sauted shallots and garlic, then a little white wine and added the chicken to cook fully (covered), then added paprika and a little heavy cream. Served with roasted potatoes and carrots. Delicious!

The sous vide is by chef Curtis Stone on HSN. Best purchase ever.

Re: Cooking chicken breasts

faeriemoon — Tue, 24 Mar 2020 12:50:27 GMT

I roast them in the oven. The trick is to not overcook them, which for me is a challenge because undercooked chicken freaks me out.

Bone in: brush skin with olive oil, season as you please, bake at 350 for 45 min.

If they are boneless, they take less time.

Re: Cooking chicken breasts

I am still oxox — Tue, 24 Mar 2020 13:19:27 GMT

@faeriemoon

If I baked a thin chicken cutlet in my oven for 45 minutes I would be able to sole my shoe with it.

@faeriemoon wrote:
I roast them in the oven. The trick is to not overcook them, which for me is a challenge because undercooked chicken freaks me out.

Bone in: brush skin with olive oil, season as you please, bake at 350 for 45 min.

If they are boneless, they take less time.

Re: Cooking chicken breasts

queendiva — Tue, 24 Mar 2020 13:20:04 GMT

I brine my chicken breasts in salt water before cooking. Any length of time will do.

For average size chicken breasts sear them for a couple of minutes on each side until browned to your liking . Add maybe 1/2 cup or so of liquid: white wine, water or chicken stock. Place a lid on the pan and put it in a pre-heated 325 degree oven for 8-10 minutes ( longer for a larger piece) Remove the pan from the oven and let it sit, covered, on the stove top for another 8-10 minutes.

Re: Cooking chicken breasts

faeriemoon — Tue, 24 Mar 2020 13:37:49 GMT

@I am still oxox Not a cutlet!!! A chicken breast with the bone in!!!!

You could re-sole a pair of shoes with a 45 min cutlet!!!

Re: Cooking chicken breasts

novamc1 — Tue, 24 Mar 2020 13:57:26 GMT

Generously salting a thick chicken breast for hours or overnight in the fridge should tenderize it. Salty brine is the reason that store-bought rotisserie chicken is so tender and juicy, and beef becomes more tender with a good salting.

Salty brine is often used on turkeys (such as Butterball), which makes them tender and juicy.

One no-no if we want tender meat of any kind is to avoid marinating it in anything containing vinegar for a long period of time. The vinegar supposedly toughens meat.

Nothing is better to DH and me than a grilled steak that has been heavily coated with Montreal Steak Seasoning which contains a lot of salt, pepper and garlic. I season the steak and keep it in the fridge almost all day before cooking.

Re: Cooking chicken breasts

house_cat — Tue, 24 Mar 2020 14:35:09 GMT

I agree with @faeriemoon . An instant-read meat thermometer is vital. For years I was overcooking chicken and the results were never good. I now rely on a thermometer and I've been very surprised at how little time it actually takes for them to reach a safe temperature.

I also put the cutlets into a plastic bag and pound them with a mallet before marinating or cooking them.

Re: Cooking chicken breast cutlets

Snooky60 — Tue, 24 Mar 2020 20:21:54 GMT

@I am still oxox - I'm not sure how you can get it to brown if it's skinless. 🤔

Re: Cooking chicken breast cutlets

CelticCrafter — Tue, 24 Mar 2020 23:00:30 GMT

A really thin cutlet?

IMO the only way to cook them is breaded and fried.