How do you prepare boneless, skinless chicken breasts?

[canis582]

Now that I am becoming an adult, I decided that chicken breasts should replace McChickens as a staple in my diet.

So far, I have been sprinkling them with salt and pepper occasionally coating them in oil and flour before the s&p.

What do you all like to do with them? I am looking for simple ideas, not interested in the 11 ingredient casserole that your grandmother makes on special occasions. I am thinking prep time should be around 5 mins.

I just swiped a sleeve of ritz crackers from my vacationing parents. I think I am going to crush those up and coat it in them tonight.

[Slow Play Ray]

My favorite way is to marinate them, usually in low-fat Italian dressing (Just 2 Good is the best kind), and then cut it up into cubes and cook it in the marinade in a fry pan on the stove. Grilling is good too, but they cook better when cut up, and obviously this wouldn't work on the grill. Also, the marinade in the pan forms a nice glaze on the little pieces.

Shake-n-Bake nuggets also rule.

[Victor]

marinate in a italian dressing overnight then cook on grille or foreman.

[RunDownHouse]

Chicken wraps are super easy and pretty good. Salt, pepper, some cayenne pepper, a bit of paprika, a bit of chili powder, some cumin, etc. Basically a mexican-type of spice. Then just add a bit of oil in a pan and cook it. If its a thick breast, pound it flat for faster cooking or broil it. After its cooked, cut it up into strips and put them in a tortilla with lettuce, tomato, and fat free sour cream. Add cheese if you want, etc. Takes less than 10 minutes to cook.

[lu_hawk]

I marinate in olive oil and then sprinkle some garlic powder on top and possibly some other seasonings depending on what I have in my apartment at the moment.

[PoBoy321]

I usually sprinkle them with some all-spice, fry some peppers and onions then put it all in the over for like 8-10 minutes. Also, you can just cover them in BBQ sauce and grill them.

[StevieG]

[ QUOTE ]

What do you all like to do with them? I am looking for simple ideas, not interested in the 11 ingredient casserole that your grandmother makes on special occasions. I am thinking prep time should be around 5 mins.

[/ QUOTE ]

this may push the envelope on what you consider simple, but you can do this in under 5 minutes

Tequila Lime Chicken

put your chicken in a bowl

salt and pepper

add juice of one lime(*)

add garlic clove (pressed)

add a shot glass of tequila (take one for yourself, too)

fill the shotglass halfway with triple sec, fill the other half with vegetable oil, add that to the bowl

let it marinate for a couple hours, then grill or broil


(*)
if you are up for it, zest the lime first and add that to the marinade, too

[StevieG]

[ QUOTE ]
Chicken wraps are super easy and pretty good.

[/ QUOTE ]

true.

The tequila lime marinade works well for wraps, too. I usually make extra tequila lime chicken so that I can put one in the fridge, cut it up the next day and make a wrap for lunch.

[Zygote]

Use Diana sauce as a nice marinade before you cook the breasts. Add another light coat of the sauce about 1 minute before they are finished. Portuguese chicken spices and/or Peri Peri spices are also good additions if you choose.

[canis582]

Thanks for the replies everyone and congratulations: this is the first time there have been 6 serious posts in a row on OOT.

Shouldn't I stick it in the chicken's pooper?

[ripdog]

Chili-Lime Chicken Kabobs
Prep Time: approx. 15 Minutes. Cook Time: approx. 15 Minutes. Ready in: approx. 4 Hours 30 Minutes. Makes 4 servings.


Ingredients

3-tablespoons olive oil
1½-tablespoons red wine vinegar
1-lime, juiced
1-teaspoon chili powder
½-teaspoon onion powder
½-teaspoon garlic powder
½-teaspoon paprika
1-pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
1-pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste


Directions
1. In a large bowl combine the olive oil, vinegar, lime juice. Measure in the chili powder,
paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, salt and pepper. Whisk until the oil and vinegar are emulsified.
2. Add chicken cubes to the bowl. Cover and place in refrigerator for a few hours.
3. Thread chicken on to skewers. Grill the chicken over medium high heat for about 10 minutes or
until the juices run clear.

[Patrick del Poker Grande]

I'm big fan of marinating them in lemon pepper and baking or grilling.

[Quercus]

[ QUOTE ]
Now that I am becoming an adult, I decided that chicken breasts should replace McChickens as a staple in my diet.

So far, I have been sprinkling them with salt and pepper occasionally coating them in oil and flour before the s&p.

What do you all like to do with them? I am looking for simple ideas, not interested in the 11 ingredient casserole that your grandmother makes on special occasions. I am thinking prep time should be around 5 mins.

I just swiped a sleeve of ritz crackers from my vacationing parents. I think I am going to crush those up and coat it in them tonight.

[/ QUOTE ]

A quick way to make a chicken breast sandwich is to liberally coat the chicken with Lowry's Seasoning Salt, garlic powder and onion powder.

Throw it under the broiler for a few moments on one side then flip it over and broil it on the other. Wrap it in a piece of Italian bread and you are good to go. Takes about 10-15 minutes total.

[nothumb]

Very simple recipe for chicken - marinate overnight (or for several hours at least) in 1/2 soy sauce, 1/2 pineapple juice. Very tasty.

Also, a tip for cooking chicken: touch the fleshy part of your hand at the base of your thumb. Baked or broiled chicken breasts should have the same firmness (roughly) as this flesh does when you gently touch your thumb to your ring finger. The scale is:

Thumb/index - rare
Thumb/middle - mediumish
Thumb/ring - medium well / fully cooked
Thumb/pinky - dried out and probably gross

Don't flex your hand while doing this, keep it loose and relaxed.

NT

Two words: Lawry's marinades.

[kenberman]

the correct answer is to avoid boneless, skinless chicken breasts unless you are a health nut or you happen to enjoy tasteless chicken.

there's a reason that no nice restaurant offers a "roasted boneless/skinless chicken breast". regular chicken breasts taste much better; you just need to put up w/ a little fat in your diet, and the cutting up of the breast.

[gorie]

here's something pretty easy that you might like.. takes 5 minutes to prepare but has to cook in the oven for an hour.

boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon italian seasoning
cornflake crumbs (you buy a box of these, you don't have to actually crush corn flakes)

put the cornflake crumbs, parmesan cheese, and italian seasoning in a zip lock bag and shake to mix. then add the chicken in the bag and shake to coat the chicken.
spray a baking pan with cooking spray and put the coated chicken in the pan.

bake at 350 for about an hour (until the middle is white).

you might want to cover it with foil in the oven to keep it from getting dry, too.

[slamdunkpro]

Try this. Mix up equal amounts of grated Parmesan (real, not the crap in a can) and breadcrumbs (to make it really good crush up some caser salad croutons – but if you want it quick, use the crumbs). Add some dried garlic, onion, and black pepper, mix well. Melt some butter and add this to the mix along with a little Worcestershire sauce. Use enough butter to make it sticky.

Put a thin layer of this into a (glass preferred) baking dish. Place the chicken breasts on top. If you’re doing more than one breast leave a little space between them. Take the rest of the bread/cheese mix and loosely pack it on top and the sides of the breasts. Put in a 350 degree oven for 45 minuets (if you have a meat thermometer 165 degrees is done)

This reheats in a microwave great.

(It took me longer to type this than it takes to prep it)

[Slow Play Ray]

[ QUOTE ]
bake at 350 for about an hour (until the middle is white)

[/ QUOTE ]

an hour?! that be some mighty dry chicken, no?

[gorie]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
bake at 350 for about an hour (until the middle is white)

[/ QUOTE ]

an hour?! that be some mighty dry chicken, no?

[/ QUOTE ]

i don't know, that's the recipe i was given so that's what i do. it tastes fine. i cover the pan with foil so it doesn't get dry.

[M2d]

pound breasts until 1/4-1/8 inch thick.
dice some bacon (~1/2 slice per breast). fry until crispy. saute spinach with bacon.

remove spinach/bacon from pan to a mixing bowl. mix in grated parmesan.

place a dollop (not too much, but not too little) of the mixture on the center of each breast. roll and close with toothpicks. bake at 375 for about 15 minutes.

make a sauce if you want. butter, rosemary, oregano, whatever. with some white wine.

[slamdunkpro]

For a twist use Feta instead of parmesan

[B Dids]

I'm trying to eat less red meat, just to help with unfatting myself, so I'm working with chicken breasts a lot.

Beyond any thing specific, here's a few things I like to do.

1- grill them, and then tent them afterwords (cover them in tinfoil and let them rest for about 5-10 minutes). This lets them cook a little more, so you don't have to dry them out as much, and you'll get moister, better meat.

2- make sure to trim all the fat off the breasts and get them ready to cook. They're usually in weird sizes and shapes and the more you can help them be uniform, the easier they are to approach.

3- I prefer grilling (even in just a grill pan on the stove) for most things, tends to involve less oil. I also tend to grill them pretty plain and season after their cooked. (for instance, a peanut sauce or something).

[Tailgunner]

Fajitas!!

[Ulysses]

George Foreman Grill.

[jakethebake]

I prefer the boneless, skinless chicken thighs myself. The dark meat tastes better and they're cheaper.

[Slow Play Ray]

[ QUOTE ]
I prefer the boneless, skinless chicken thighs myself. The dark meat tastes better and they're cheaper.

[/ QUOTE ]

definitely - but they're much, much fattier, hence missing the main point of eating a boneless skinless breast entirely.

[jakethebake]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I prefer the boneless, skinless chicken thighs myself. The dark meat tastes better and they're cheaper.

[/ QUOTE ]

definitely - but they're much, much fattier, hence missing the main point of eating a boneless skinless breast entirely.

[/ QUOTE ]

I eat what I like.

[ChicagoTroy]

Brining them before cooking is an excellent idea if you are going to reheat them.

[2+2 wannabe]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm big fan of marinating them in lemon pepper and baking or grilling.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is pretty much the only way I do them - and I eat chicken once every 2 days

[Slow Play Ray]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I prefer the boneless, skinless chicken thighs myself. The dark meat tastes better and they're cheaper.

[/ QUOTE ]

definitely - but they're much, much fattier, hence missing the main point of eating a boneless skinless breast entirely.

[/ QUOTE ]

I eat what I like.

[/ QUOTE ]

i'm just sayin...

[benfranklin]

[ QUOTE ]
Thanks for the replies everyone and congratulations: this is the first time there have been 6 serious posts in a row on OOT.

Shouldn't I stick it in the chicken's pooper?

[/ QUOTE ]That's beer-can chicken.

http://www.supereggplant.com/archives/beer%20can%20chicken.JPG

[benfranklin]

Mix equal parts of Italian bread crumbs and finely grated Parmesan. Stir an egg and a little milk in a bowl. Dip the chicken in the egg, then coat well with the cheese/crumbs.

Heat some olive oil in a large skillet that has a lid. Saute the chicken for 2-3 minutes per side. Turn the heat down to med-low and pour in about a cup of Port (cheap port works fine; save the good stuff for drinking). Cover. Cook 10 minutes, add a small can of sliced mushrooms if you like (and more port if it is mostly gone), turn over, cook ten more minutes. Done.

[Bulldog]

[ QUOTE ]
marinate in barbecue sauce overnight then cook on grill or foreman.

[/ QUOTE ]

FYP to make it my post

[Jedster]

Try marinating it and then basting it while you grill with Stubb's Mopping Sauce. It's the best ever.

[cwsiggy]

Chicken picatta will impress the ladies...

slice the boneless breast to make two thinner "patties" - pound them out to make even thinner with plastic wrap covering them. (you could just buy thinner chicken breasts)

1. dredge in flour
2. cook in a pan with some butter and olive oil till golden brown on each side - when done set aside.
3. pour 1/2 cup of white wine (use decent white wine) in pan to deglaze
4. Add 1/2 cup of chicken stock or broth (you could skip this if you like)
5. add juice of 1 lemon and a good chunk of butter
6. add two or three table spoons of capers
7. When sauce thickens , pour over chicken and enjoy. (I throw in some flour or cornstarch to thicken the sauce

can be served over pasta or rice or by itself with vegetables.

[bernie]

http://www.lechatnoirboutique.com/prodimages/Coffee%20Mug%20-%20Far%20Side%20Boneless%20Chicken.jpg

a good marinade to use is orange juice freshly squeezed. not too much just 1/2 - 1 orange will do. kosher salt and pepeper, oregano. grill.

[ibankonu]

[ QUOTE ]
Shake-n-Bake nuggets also rule.

[/ QUOTE ]

I can't believe that noone has seconded this yet.

[gcoutu]

scramble two eggs and dregde chicken in them and then in itailan bread crumbs...cooking in oil till golden brown and then let them drain onto paper towels.

very easy and very good...you will like for sure and prep is so simple.

[ethan]

[ QUOTE ]
Chicken picatta will impress the ladies...

slice the boneless breast to make two thinner "patties" - pound them out to make even thinner with plastic wrap covering them. (you could just buy thinner chicken breasts)

1. dredge in flour
2. cook in a pan with some butter and olive oil till golden brown on each side - when done set aside.
3. pour 1/2 cup of white wine (use decent white wine) in pan to deglaze
4. Add 1/2 cup of chicken stock or broth (you could skip this if you like)
5. add juice of 1 lemon and a good chunk of butter
6. add two or three table spoons of capers
7. When sauce thickens , pour over chicken and enjoy. (I throw in some flour or cornstarch to thicken the sauce

can be served over pasta or rice or by itself with vegetables.

[/ QUOTE ]

Between 2&3, you should pour out the excess oil from the pan. You'll also generally end up with a better sauce if you reduce it, then add the butter. (You need to boil the sauce to thicken it, and if you boil a sauce that already contains butter you're running the risk of it separating.)

[cwsiggy]

Thanks for the tip on that picatta.

[TheBlueMonster]

go Jewish on this and make shnitzle. It's basically boneless fried chicken cutlets. Have a little bowl of eggs, dip the chicken in it and then dip it in breadcrumbs. Then fry in a pan. Yummy and heart attack inducing.

[Lazymeatball]

[ QUOTE ]
go Jewish on this and make shnitzle. It's basically boneless fried chicken cutlets. Have a little bowl of eggs, dip the chicken in it and then dip it in breadcrumbs. Then fry in a pan. Yummy and heart attack inducing.

[/ QUOTE ]

Isn't that German? like with vienerschnittzle only that's made with veal.