Wet chicken (cookie, marinade, grocery store, vinegar)

[5chevin5]

Ranger and Draper are both "brands" I used professionally.
If you are really lucky try and find Bresse (french) or Nagoya Kochin (japan)....this makes everything else a McNugget.
If you are buying some name "brands" (this sounds like tennis shoes!!) then it is most likely modified to be a juicy tender chicken breast for consumer liking and "brand" loyalty. Remember most people complain that chicken is dry....not wet.

Try taking your chicken out of the package and allowing it to air dry in the fridge of course before cooking well seasoned, cook on high heat to form a flavorful crust, then finish in the oven at a lower temp. Im sure you have done this or have your style....just an idea.

Try your local butcher, its a great community thing that used to happen in every neighborhood and kinda a lost cultural thing with the advent of big supermarkets. There are some stores that really pride themselves on their meat programs however.
When I was a kid in NYC, we would go to Mr. Abruzzi's shop (I think that was his name) and when we would walk in he would yell "Paulie!!" at my dad and he would call me "little Paulie" (though my name isnt Paul) They had known each other since my dad went there with his father, and would talk about all types of topics and he would ask "whadda you cooka this for?" so he could pick the best cuts...and the best meat of course.

maybe thats why I like butcher shops....feels like good commerce

Good Luck
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[allforcats]

Great ideas, Little Paulie. So where could the OP find Bresse brand or Nagoya Kochin brand chickments? By the way, Nagoya chickens don't REALLY come from Nagoya, do they??

[5chevin5]

Honestly I dont know if the Nagoya Kochin actually come from Nagoya proper, however it is very different and bigger then regular chicken. I will ask (though they will never admit it isnt from Nagoya)

When i was a chef in Portland, I used a local company called NickyUSA (a google would give address) The sell every type of flesh and ship in the US. Though mail order chicken sounds kinda strange.

These aint the "Colonels" chicken, they cost a buck or two more. But worth it.


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[azoria]

I've bought whole French chickens before, of course frozen. I think the brand was "Douche"? ( yeah, some things just don't translate well....) and didn't find them very good at all. And they were tiny little things.

There is a butcher shop not too far, you've talked me into it, I'll give a try. Certainly can't be worse.

[pitt_transplant]

Just cook it low and slow at first.Brown last. Did you switch from gas to electric or something?

[fierce_flawless]

Originally Posted by 5chevin5

<snip>
.
When I was a kid in NYC, we would go to Mr. Abruzzi's shop (I think that was his name) and when we would walk in he would yell "Paulie!!" at my dad and he would call me "little Paulie" (though my name isnt Paul) They had known each other since my dad went there with his father, and would talk about all types of topics and he would ask "whadda you cooka this for?" so he could pick the best cuts...and the best meat of course. <snip>

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That's what those of us who have never been to NYC, (people like me who've grown up in small town Texas and later in a spread out nameless city) think of when we think of NYC markets, butchers, etc., from watching sitcoms and movies about NYC. So it's for real? Sounds delightful.

[azoria]

I repped him for that post too. I love people's real life stories.

[truckzter]

I buy my chicken from Trader Joe's, Vons, or Albertsons.

I have never heard of your wet chicken problem. Sure, when I cook chicken the water does come out, but it evaporates. Do you cook your chicken on a low, med, or high temperature? Maybe (and this is a guess) the water won't evaporate as quickly if you aren't cooking it on high.. and if your burners don't crank out enough heat, the water won't evaporate either.

And you're not adding liquids to it? Because if you add too much oil to the pan, the water doesn't really have a chance to evaporate as quickly. You can always add in some white wine, and it will evaporate more quickly and add a bit of flava.

Could it be a climate thing?

I'm sorry I'm not much help. I even tried to Google your problem, and I couldn't find anything.

[5chevin5]

Look at this thread!! how popular is poultry? Cool!

Thanks for the rep, I hope Im helping with the advise.

I would have to agree on the slow and low with browning last for a whole bird. I actually poach my whole birds in chicken stock first, rest, then season well and quickly brown the outside before service. Comes out very juicy. But for a breast on its own I would want to brown quickly first then cook slowly so that I pull it from the oven just when its perfect as opposed to then setting it on a high heat to brown and possibly lose more moisture. But to each their own, the end result is really all that matters.

Bresse chickens are huge, so the small guys you tried were not what I would consider the best example of French poulet. They are from an area just north (i believe) of Bourgogne. The area is also famous for pork fed on acorns (Jura? sorry it gets fuzzy in the later hours)....but thats a different thread. These chicken are so prized that they have a government classification just like wines AOC. Try NickyUSA they might have, get some delivered (if nothing more then the fun of having the UPS guy bring chicken)

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[pitt_transplant]

Soaking your chicken in white ving before you cook it makes it moist everytime. I always use it. It doesnt taste like ving at all as it all cooks off. Its pretty neat. Especially for breast meat that likes to get dry. I do this before I broil chicken especially.
Try it out.