How to get tender chicken breast (butter, Italian, marinade, dressing)

[Hedgehog_Mom]

Originally Posted by nmnita

What a difference idea, marinating prior to freezing. It certainly is worth a try, but knowing me I would forget I did it.

You can tell you did from the look of the frozen chicken. I can tell the difference between my marinades from the color, but I still label the bags with the different flavors so I can send the kids out to get one from the freezer.

I've thawed it in the microwave before and it has still worked well. I put some paper towels under the plate I'm thawing it on to catch any drips.

I got the idea because I buy marinated chicken at the grocery store and sometimes I'll freeze it and then thaw it to cook later, so I figured if that works, freezing chicken with my own marinades would work too.

[elnina]

I put in a bowl, and pour over Italian dressing. Leave for 2-3 hrs in a fridge, then put on a baking pan (incl all the dressing) and bake, till done. It doesn't need any other seasoning. Hmmm... delicious!!!

[elnina]

Originally Posted by Hedgehog_Mom

I put the marinade in the bag with the chicken before I freeze it. It seems like it thaws quicker that way and the flavor is great.

Perhaps, but make sure it was fresh, not previously frozen meat. I don't think it's wise to re-freeze meat. The quality of the meat could be lost.
Most of the times, you see "fresh" chicken, but that chicken came in frozen to the store. ...

[Dirt Grinder]

Originally Posted by elnina

...Most of the times, you see "fresh" chicken, but that chicken came in frozen to the store. ...

To be labeled "fresh," the chicken has to remain at or above 26°F, which is "slushy."

[mainebrokerman]

being a meat supervisor of 80 grocery stores,, chicken does not come in frozen

dirt grinder is right ,,they can transport in a temp that is 26 but usually it arrives at the stores at 33-37 degrees


think about it,,

8.6 billion chicken are processed eat year,,,,,,, from time of death the fresh chicken has 3-5 day shelf life.......and that goes from processor to wholesaler to store ...

if the processors didn't give the chicken scalding, a bath,,,, and keep them chilled,,,, they wouldn't last half as long



what many stores have is what they call cvp chicken,,,40lb bulk cases with reduced oxygen plastic containers 12 day shelf life

the prepack chicken most of the supermarkets have the highest moisture count ,,,to get that long shelf life


its like fresh fish fillets if a trawler is out to sea for 2-4 weeks how can any of it be "fresh"??? (because its chilled/cooled

[blueherons]

Originally Posted by TerraDown

Neighbor gave me a couple of cans of white chicken breast. Last night we opened one to give to the dog.
I was amazed at how tender and flaky it looked, so I ate a piece of it. I was right. Very juicy, tender, and flaked just like good albacore.
How do I cook my own chicken breast to do the exact same thing? What is the trick? Do you cook for longer time frame? Is it cooked under pressure, is it in chicken stock and boiled forever, or barely cooked at all, (?)...etc

Please tell me your little tips or tricks on how to accomplish this soft, mouthwatering chicken breast that flakes with a fork---minus the can.
Thanks mates.

Read the back of the can, most have a tremendous amount of salt.

Originally Posted by MarciaMarshaMarcia

Try marinading them...in fresh lemon juice, lime juice, orange juice (I used oj a lot because for most of my life I had orange trees in my back yard). Then, you can grill them, bake them, pan-fry them, & they will be so tender! Or, if you want to use them in an Asian dish, use a low-sodium teriyaki or soy sauce.

You don't have to marinade for long (longer is better for best results), but at least an hour after thawing frozen breasts. You can marinade in a ziplock bag, or just pour the chosen marinade over the chicken in a pan or dish.

Acidic juices (lemon, lime, orange), Italian dressing, soy sauce etc actually cook the protein.

[randomparent]

Poach it until just cooked and shred it.

[maggie2101]

The one time I tried canned chicken I wondered how it came to look like tuna. The only thing I could come up with was steamed or pressure cooked. Even then, how did it end up looking like that? It's a puzzlement.

[Hedgehog_Mom]

Originally Posted by elnina

Perhaps, but make sure it was fresh, not previously frozen meat. I don't think it's wise to re-freeze meat. The quality of the meat could be lost.
Most of the times, you see "fresh" chicken, but that chicken came in frozen to the store. ...

I buy chicken from Sam's and they do store it frozen...sometimes if they've just put it into the refrigerator case, it's still frozen pretty much solid. I always freeze it again, because I'm not going to the store every three days. Sometimes when you refreeze meat that has been previously frozen, the meat ends up dry, but the chicken that I buy is boneless skinless breast or breast tenders and they've got saline added to the meat.

I've been buying chicken this way for years and it works fine to freeze it again, no loss of quality as far as I can tell. I usually buy 18 lbs of chicken at a time and package it into 9 bags. I buy 10 lbs of hamburger and divide that into 5 bags, then it all goes in the freezer and I have meat for two weeks. My husband is one of those men who thinks they have to have meat or chicken every night for dinner 2 lbs is a lot of meat to cook at one meal for 4 people, but I always cook enough to send for lunch the next day too.

[hunterseat]

When they gave you the chicken, did they know you were going to feed it to the dog?

The Italian dressing marinade benefits from a dose of soy sauce.