Should you always use a chicken brine for boneless, skinless chicken-no matter how it is to be prepared?!

Brining a chicken is good but not always necessary!. I personally would not brine if the chicken is cut up in small pieces, such as for stir fry!.

I would brine if I am cooking a whole or half chicken in an oven!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

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First of all, brine is a salty mixture which pulls away tenderness!. Chicken breast, by itself, is a delicate, dry portion of chicken!. Darker portions, without the skin, lose moisture and natural oils without the benefit of a fat covering the top!. Why would you want to extract more moisture!? The way I have been doing it for years,(which results in an all purpose overnight marinate resulting in mouth watering skinless and boneless chicken )is as follows: Using a non metallic bowl, combine olive oil, a nice smelling vinegar such as white balsamic(which is my choice for chicken), chopped sweet onion, crushed or minced garlic, parsley, paprika, salt and pepper (white if possible)!. There is no set amount of each!. Judge by the amount of chicken you have, and your own taste buds!. Mix thoroughly!. In another bowl( or a tight top sealed plastc tupperware type) deep enough to allow marinate to soak into chicken !. Cover the bottom with some mixture, put the chicken in, and add the remaining liquid!. Make sure chicken is suffiently covered with liquid!. Put plastic wrap on top of bowl or snap container shut and let sit in refrigerator ideally overnight for best flavor!. Once in a while, give the mixture a stir or shake if tightly sealed!. Alternately, you can put the chicken and marinate in a large kitchen food storage bag and close!.no muss no fuss! Flip it ever so often!. When you need the poultry, wipe off with a paper towel, and proceed with your recipe!. If you're making cutlets, don't pound too hard!.!.it is sooo tender!. If broiling, start brushing with mixture three quarters through!. Stewing recipes will get done quicker!. Don't forget to seal in the juices by coating the chicken in a flour mixture first!. You don't want the poultry overdone!. Well, I hoped I helped you in clarifying the ins and outs of preparing boneless and skinless chicken!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

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I have cooked literally tons of chicken breasts and i have never brined any of them!.Cooking well is mostly about developing good technique and not about learning how to following nonsensical "gourmet "recipes
Until you learn the pro -technique of finger -feeling degrees of doneness !.Get a $7!.00 instant read thermometer and figure out how to use it properly
http://www!.youtube!.com/watch!?v=HZ3t2HbdV!.!.!.
One concept that you need to know about that will spare you a lot of over cooked food is the concept of "carry over cooking "
Carry over cooking is the process of food increasing in internal temp once it's removed from it's heat source
So if you want the breast to have a final internal temp of 165 ,Take it away from the heat at 160 and let it carry over
Larger cuts of meat will increase in temp more due to carry over,
While i personally think that marinating is pretty much a waste of time and ingredient,
from a food sanitation perspective it does have value in that it places your product in an acidic environment which is hostile to microbes!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

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Not always - prep it how you like - I tend to used a light robust Italian dressing as a marinade for boneless skinless chicken that I am going to grill!. the chicken is always tender and so juicy!.

If you like to brine though - here is a good recipe for chicken, pork or turkey!.

http://www!.globalgourmet!.com/food/specia!.!.!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

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I never brine my chicken, no matter what it is used for!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

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