How do you cook chicken so it stays soft and moist?!


Question: How do you cook chicken so it stays soft and moist!?
Whenever I cook it, it always comes out well cooked but dry!. How do I keep it moist!?Www@FoodAQ@Com


Answers:
Secrets to perfect chicken!.
1) Bring your breasts (chicken breasts, that is) to room temperature!. I usually place frozen chicken breasts in hot tap water to defrost!. Once the water cools down, dump it and replace it with more hot water!. Do this until the water only cools to room temp!. The chicken should be close to room temp by then!. Pat dry!.
2) Always season with Johnny's Season Salt (Mmmmm)
3) Sear the chicken!. This is something you do quickly!. I prefer to BBQ everything, but you can do the same in a pan (cast iron, of course)!. On my grill, I always have two heat zones!. Hot and low heat!. Once the grill is hot, place the chicken breasts on the hot side!. Give it 2-3 minutes to get a nice sear and flip it and do the same on the other side!. This will help seal in the juices!. Take the chicken off the heat for ten minutes to let it come back to room temp!. This allows the chicken to cook more evenly!.
4) NEVER USE A FORK! Use tongs to flip your meat!. never poke it, or the juices will flow out!. The meat will be dry and it will cause flare-ups!.
5) Place the breasts back on the low temp side of the grill and close the lid!. Flip to prevent burning!. Notice the texture/consistency of the breast!. When it is raw, it is floppy and soft!. As is cooks it will firm up!. Just as the chicken tends to spring back when you apply pressure with your tongs, take it off the grill and place it on a platter!.
6) Tent your meat!. Whatever meat you are cooking, ALWAYS cover it with foil and seal the edges!. Leave it tented for at least 10 minutes!. 15 minutes is be better!. Don't peak!. Let it rest!. All the juices that were excited by the heat will now settle back into the meat and it finish the cooking process without drying out!.
7) One other item, if your breasts have the skin on them, cook them with the skin up so it will baste your chicken while it is cooking!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

Marinate in Italian dressing overnight!. Don't overcook! If you have a meat thermometer, then don't cook past 165 degrees in the thickest part (but not up against the bone)!. Experiement with different recipes, including oven fried chicken:

2 legs
2 thighs
2 breasts
1 quart buttermilk
2 T hot pepper sauct
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp oregano
3 T butter, melted

Marinate chicken in buttermilk mixed with hot sauce overnight!. Mix breadcrumbs with salt, pepper, oregano, and cheese!. Roll chicken in breadcrumb mixture and place in baking dish!. Drizzle with butter and bake at 350 degrees until golden and juices run clear!. Serve with sour cream mashed potatos, chicken gravey, and fresh green beans!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

I always season mine up really good then fry them up in a shallow frying pan and add a little bit of water in the bottom!. Not enough to cover the chicken but enough to coat the bottom of the pan so it creates some steam to help the whole chicken cook!. Add a little seasoning to the water too so you dont lose flavor!. Watch it carefully as the water will evaporate over time and you will have to keep adding a little more!. If you are cooking a whole chicken, I season the chicken up nicely then I plop the chicken on a beer/soda can full of either wine, beer, apple juice, or just water!. Stand it up on the can put it on a baking sheet and cook it in the oven standing up!. The liquide in the can will heat up and evaporate right into the chicken which will absorb it right up! Hope this helps!Www@FoodAQ@Com

have you ever had beer can chicken!?

Get a grill set up (charcoal or gas) for indirect grilling)
Take a whole chicken, season it with your favorite seasonings
Take a half a can of beer (you can drink the other half)
Stand the chicken on the beer can with the can in the birds you know what, so that it will balance on its legs!.
Cook on the grill for 1 to 1 1/2 hours!.
Carefully remove and carve the bird!.
If you don't drink you can take an empty soda can half filled with chicken broth!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

Cook covered, after a blast of high temperature 200C for about 10-15 minutes, reduce heat to 165C for about an hour!.
Uncover for the last 10-15 minutes for a crispy skin and leave to stand in a warm place covered!.

Portion can be done the same way, but 20-30 minutes should be long enough!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

A chicken does not have to be brined but brining will provide juicier and more flavorful meat!.

To make brine, salt, sugar and seasonings are added to water!. The brine is better if it's boiled until the sugar and salt are totally dissolved!. When completely dissolved, the salt and sugar will do their thing to the chicken more effectively!. Try this basic chicken brine recipe:


One gallon water or 4 quarts
3/4 cup salt
3/4 cup sugar

Bring 2 quarts of the water to a boil!. Add the salt and sugar, stirring until dissolved!. Remove from the heat, add the remaining 2 quarts of water, cover, and allow it to cool to room temperature!. Refrigerate until it reaches 40°F or below!. Brine your chicken at that temperature for 2 to 4 hours!. Larger, thicker pieces, and skin-on pieces need to brine longer!.

Remove the chicken from the brine, and rinse really good, placing it on a rack to air dry for at least an hour!. The smoke will adhere to the chicken better if the surface is dry, if you want to 'smoke' the chicken!. Or skip the air drying procedure and roast in 350 degree oven until it is done!. Juices will run clear and you can twist the leg or wing to test for doneness!. Or the temperature will read 165 degree when tested with an instant read thermometer!. Insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken without touching the bone!.

If you like jucy, well flavored chicken, you'll like this!. The extra trouble is worth it!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

Here are a few E-Z recipes you might want to try!. Good Luck & enjoy!.

COLA CHICKEN
(And more variations of recipe)

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 cup catsup
1 12oz!. can cola (pepsi, coke, etc!.)

Put chicken in a non-stick pan!.
Mix together catsup and cola, pour over chicken!.
Bring to a boil!. Cover, reduce heat and cook 45 minutes!.
(turning chicken a few times, while cooking!.!.!.to prevent from sticking to pan)
Uncover, turn up the heat and continue to cook until the sauce
becomes thick and adheres to the chicken!.
It turns into the most incredible BBQ sauce!. Yummmm!

You can double the recipe and use more pieces of
chicken!.!.!.!.wings!.!.!.would be ideal!.!.!.add some hot sauce!.!.!.!.presto "Hot Wings"!

I have used Ribs, just as good!.

I tried this recipe with 'meatballs'!.!.!.!.was equally
as good!.!.!.served over rice!.

I found another variation!.!.!.!.!.omit the catsup and add a small jar of Salsa (any variety)!.
I have tried using Salsa (omitting the catsup!.!.!.!.not)!.
You'd think a recipe with only '3' ingredients couldn't be messed up!.!.!.!.wouldn't you!?!?
Well!.!.!.while I was preparing to fix the 'Cola Chicken' recipe
using Salsa!.!.!.!.!.I was also trying to carry on a conversation with my
husband!.!.!.(just proves!.!.!.I can't do two things at once)!.!.!.!.mixed Salsa & Catsup (before I realized I was supposed to leave out the catsup) & Cola!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.still turned out really tasty (to me)!.!.!.might be a little sweeter than some of you like!.

I fixed chicken wings, (using the above recipe)
but!.!.!.I added the spices from a MILD (I don't care for "HOT") Buffalo Wings packet!.!.!.(the kind you get to bake in the oven)!.!.!.!.!.I thought it was really good!.!.!.!.!.(but you/I can't find a 'bad' way to fix chicken)!.

Finally!.!.!.!.!! I fixed the 'SALSA' chicken!.!.!.!.!.!.that's good , too!.

Another (bright)idea!.!.!.!.!.I thought of trying!.!.!.!.!.!.replace the
catsup with a bottle of Shrimp Cocktail Sauce!.!.!.and add a bag of (pop corn) shrimp!.!.!.!.!.!
Fixed the shrimp with cocktail sauce!.!.!.!.!.!.eh!.!.!.wasn't all that
great!.!.!.was OK!.!.!.probably won't be fixing it again!.

also tried beef stew cuts!.!.!.!.!.!.that was pretty good!.!.!.!.!.I can see
myself making this again!.
Served both over rice!.!.!.!.!.think the stew cuts would have been just as
good over noodles!.

Try little cocktail wieners/sausages…for appetizers!.

Pork chops…pork steak!.



CRUNCHY ONION CHICKEN

1 1/3 cups French’s Original French Fried Onions
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 egg, beaten

LIGHTLY CRUSH:

Onions in a plastic bag!.

DIP:
Chicken in egg

COVER:
With onion crumbs, press firmly to adhere to chicken!.

BAKE:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees!.
Place chicken on lightly greased baking pan!.
Sprinkle with additional onion crumbs, if desired!.
Bake for 20 minutes or until no longer pink in center!.


Mushroom Chicken

4 boneless/skinless chicken breast (or any pieces you like)
1 can cream of mushroom soup!.
1 can water

Place chicken in crock pot (or sauce pan for stove top cooking)
mix soup & 1 can of water together
pour over chicken
cook on medium heat until boiling then reduce heat and cook until chicken is really tender & falling apart!.

Serve over noodles or rice or dressing!.!.!.!.or!?!?!?Www@FoodAQ@Com

if you are baking it put aluminum over it, very little water
about 1/4 cup, pre heat oven to 350 degrees after covering
with aluminum foil, put it in the oven for 45 minutes, take the foil off, put barbecue sauce on the chicken thick, put back in oven for 5 minutes, then it's done, be sure to urn off all burners including the oven,Www@FoodAQ@Com

What you do is sit in a glass pot and put some chicken stock ion the bottom of the pan!. When you put it in the oven the chicken will leave off some juices!. Take a pastry brush or even a baster and put the juices all over your chicken!.
Best of Cooking
~indy_girl2Www@FoodAQ@Com

Fisrt don't poke it with forks, etc at all!. Next, you can always wrap your chicken in tinfoil wether you use the oven or your range top!.

!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

If baking, bread first with Shake'n'Bake; cook 1 hour at 450F!.
Otherwise, wrap or cover in casserole dish, with foil!.
Don't leave it in the oven too long to get dried out!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

I am naughty but it works for me!.

I always roast my chicken from frozen, perfect every time!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

grill it or bake it in the oven

=]Www@FoodAQ@Com





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