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I'm trying to lose some weight before the summer and know I should incorporate a lot of chicken in my diet. I buy regular chicken breasts from Jewel and usually just cook them on a pan, but I just can't get them to taste good. It's not like they taste horrible, but they're just so bland. Last night, I even tried marinating them with some stir fry sauce, but it didn't help much.
I plan on buying a smoky joe grill this week. Will that help chicken taste better? Is that why chicken breasts at restaurants taste so much better? I would love for my chicken to taste like the chicken they use for burrito bowls at Chipotle.
Also, does it matter what brand of chicken breasts I get? The Jewel brand I get are really plump, so they are probably packed with hormones. Would that affect the taste? If I bought chicken breasts from Trader Joe's, would that make a difference?
Um...put salt and pepper on them?
I don't really get the question. I've never had a problem with chicken breasts tasting bland.
A George Foreman grill is a great and easy way to cook chicken breasts that are flavorful and juicy. Because they cook on both sides at once, it is also quick. It used to be the only way I would eat chicken breasts. Then, my cousin (who is a chef) taught me how to cook delicious chicken breasts that are juicy (not dry) and very flavorful.
You start out in a frying pan heated to medium or a tiny bit higher, using extra virgin olive oil. You only use a pair of tongs to turn the breasts so that the juices do not escape from punctures. Quickly brown the breast on both sides. This sears in the juices. Also, make sure that the edges of the breast are browned. This involves holding and turning the breast on it's edges with the tongs. Then cook the breast a few minutes on each side (turning with tongs). When the breast looks like it is close to being done, cut a slice into it to the middle to see if there is any pink. You do not want to overcook. If the pink is gone, remove it immediately. If there is still pink, continue cooking another minute or so and check again.
People tend to overcook chicken because of salmonella fears; however, once the pink is gone inside, it is fully cooked. Overcooking breasts is what makes it so dry. I remove the breast immediately and salt and pepper (or whatever your preference is) on both sides. Serve immediately as meat continues to cook inside while it is hot.
Admittedly, this cooking technique for breasts is a bit of work, but you will get a very delicious breast. I cook this way when I am trying to drop a few pounds. I only have to cook for one, so it is easier cooking this way than it would be for a family.
Brining or marinating helps. Cooking in a clay pot also helps with retaining moisture. Or pound the living heck out of them and make cutlets
I'm a thigh guy. I do not get the attraction of chicken breast meat on their own. Very little flavor in typical US supermarket chicken breast. And you're paying a meat price for that 10%-15% "solution" on national brands.
Now a Mexican supermarket chicken - in their yellow splendor from feeding on marigolds - that's a different animal.
I frequently bake chicken breasts. I buy the thin boneless, skinless. I just use garlic salt, pepper and lemon juice. Wrap in foil and bake at 350° for approx. 25 minutes. They come out juicy and flavorful. Uncover the foil the last 10 minutes to brown.
Aside from that, more and more studies seem to be discrediting the government created notion that fat causes weight gain. It was when the low-fat craze started that Americans really started to expand in size.
I bought 3 large Sanderson Farms chicken breasts with bone-in and skin the other day. I seasoned them on the skin side only with Original Mrs. Dash and a bit of Lowry's Seasoned Salt. I arranged them in a large metal pan skin side up and roasted them in the oven at 400 degrees for about 55 minutes. I use a thermometer and we prefer our chicken around 170-175 degrees internally.
This was some of the best chicken ever. We BBQ a lot and often grill boneless chicken breasts. But we love oven roasted the most. These breasts were very flavorful and moist. These 3 breasts were huge, weighed in at 3.5 pounds for all 3.
My girlfriend cooks hers at 350 degrees. Ovens vary. But I like the extra color for flavor and they were not dry at all. I used no oil.
The first two nights my husband and i shared a breast and had a little left over. But tonight I think we will make chicken tacos with the last breast. Yummy!
Boneless skinless thighs are better than chicken breasts and probably just as healthy. That said, with breasts you can marinate them in jerk seasoning and that gives them a good flavor.
1.) Not everyone likes thighs over breasts. No one I know prefers them, they are slimy, have more tendons and junk in them.
2.) she's trying to lose weight, eating thighs is not what she needs or wants.
3.) Chicken breasts can be awesome and are not boring. They don't have flavor perhaps but that means it is easy to marinade it and flavor it with anything you wish
1. Fine! More for us who like dark meat.
2. Not true! I know a lot of people on a low carb high (natural) fat diet. They eat a ton of animal fat, eggs butter, heavy cream, olive oil, coconut oil and certain cheeses. ALL of them have lost a lot of weight. Cutting back on carbs is the key. They're all healthy, too. There blood work proves it.
3. Agreed! Chicken breast doesn't have flavor. I don't want to eat a marinade or a sauce that looks like a chicken breast. I can safely say that white meat is overrated.
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