Adding flavour to chicken breasts

devoirdevoir Registered User regular
edited September 2007 in Help / Advice Forum
So, I finally bought a George Foreman. It's the Champ Size version because I can't see myself eating more than that in one meal. I'm changing my diet back that work has calmed down a bit, and I want to use this thing for lean meat at least once every two days.

I've just had a chicken breast which I marinated for an hour beforehand. It was awesome from a texture point of view, juicy and whatnot. However the flavour was a little bland despite the marinade.

Now I didn't cut the breast up at all, and I may try cutting it in half or something next time, but I've got a feeling I'm totally missing a really obvious way to add flavour to the meat itself. I've got a feeling that stabbing meat with a fork is a bad thing, but is that a way to get the marinade into the meat?

devoir on

Posts

  • FallingmanFallingman Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    Marinade it for longer, like a day... You can also try slicing lines into it, which helps the sauce seep in. I quite like garlic, so slicing into it then placing a half clove within it makes things nice and tasty....

    Fallingman on
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  • whuppinswhuppins Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    If you're concerned about your diet, you should know that store-bought marinades can be atrociously bad for you. Read the label closely.

    I don't know about these newfangled George Foreman contraptions, but the basic way to do a chicken breast in the oven is to brush the little guy all over with olive oil (not vegetable oil; that's also a death trap) and sprinkle him with any number of random meat seasonings you can find in the cooking aisle of your grocery store. You know, the one with all the spices. Pick up a few different things of seasonings (Italian, lemon pepper, Mrs. Dash, whatever) and see what you like. The oil will keep the meat tender and let the seasoning stick to the meat while it cooks, and the seasoning will do the rest. IMO, it's a lot easier than marinating something for an entire day (which you often have to do), and in a lot of cases, it's healthier, too.

    whuppins on
  • Legoman05Legoman05 Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    Don't forget the flavor you can add after the chicken breast is done cooking as well - cut it up to be part of a spinach salad, over olive oil and balsamic vinegar. It will be made of win, and made of healthy.

    Legoman05 on
  • The CatThe Cat Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited September 2007
    lemon juice/soy/fresh ginger

    soy/honey/ginger

    zatar (phonecian spice mix, walnuts/sesame seeds/sumac and some other stuff)

    coriander/cummin/garlic/oil

    The Cat on
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  • devoirdevoir Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    So you can cut into them without screwing up the texture/drying it out?

    devoir on
  • deadonthestreetdeadonthestreet Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    Never underestimate a touch of salt and pepper. It'll enhance the flavor of anything you put on it.

    deadonthestreet on
  • SzechuanosaurusSzechuanosaurus Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited September 2007
    devoir wrote: »
    So you can cut into them without screwing up the texture/drying it out?

    Yes, just don't over cook it. Chicken doesn't take long to cook through at all, especially on a grill. Just make sure the meat is white through to the center before eating. Cutting it will actually help it cook through faster anyway.

    I grilled some chicken breasts last week seasoned with sea salt, freshly ground pepper, paprika and olive oil then grilled them whole. Tasted great.

    You could also get some skewers, cut the breasts into bite sized pieces, marinade with lemon juice, freshly chopped chilli, salt and pepper, pop them on the skewers and then grill them in the foreman. We used to do that as a step in a chicken curry but they taste pretty awesome just like that.

    Szechuanosaurus on
  • lordswinglordswing Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    i apologize for not knowing the full recipe, but having a lemon slice or 2 makes those breasts taste yummy

    lordswing on
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  • SzechuanosaurusSzechuanosaurus Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited September 2007
    lordswing wrote: »
    i apologize for not knowing the full recipe, but having a lemon slice or 2 makes those breasts taste yummy

    1 Breast
    1 Lemon, sliced

    Put lemon on breast, grill that bitch


    ?

    Szechuanosaurus on
  • devoirdevoir Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    lordswing wrote: »
    i apologize for not knowing the full recipe, but having a lemon slice or 2 makes those breasts taste yummy

    1 Breast
    1 Lemon, sliced

    Put lemon on breast, grill that bitch


    ?

    Hehehe. :P I'll try "that bitch".

    devoir on
  • lordswinglordswing Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    devoir wrote: »
    lordswing wrote: »
    i apologize for not knowing the full recipe, but having a lemon slice or 2 makes those breasts taste yummy

    1 Breast
    1 Lemon, sliced

    Put lemon on breast, grill that bitch


    ?

    Hehehe. :P I'll try "that bitch".

    quite possible, again, i don't know what my mother does to make "that bitch" so damn tasty.

    lordswing on
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  • SzechuanosaurusSzechuanosaurus Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited September 2007
    lordswing wrote: »
    devoir wrote: »
    lordswing wrote: »
    i apologize for not knowing the full recipe, but having a lemon slice or 2 makes those breasts taste yummy

    1 Breast
    1 Lemon, sliced

    Put lemon on breast, grill that bitch


    ?

    Hehehe. :P I'll try "that bitch".

    quite possible, again, i don't know what my mother does to make "that bitch" so damn tasty.

    There is quite probably also butter and salt involved.

    Szechuanosaurus on
  • bsjezzbsjezz Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    If you're short of time for a marinade (I tend to find anything less than three hours isn't enough), a dry rub is a much better way to get a lot of flavours in. You can use a lot of the same ingredients - if you like lemon or lime, use the zest rather than the juice, along with garlic, salt, pepper, chilli, ginger, paprika, whatever, as long as it stays relatively dry. Just mix it all up together and rub it over the chicken - as long as it's not swimming in liquid you'll end up with a much tastier bit of meat. You can usually do this in the minutes before cooking and it'll still taste awesome.

    bsjezz on
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  • SniperGuySniperGuy SniperGuyGaming Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    At WalMart, they have this awesome raw chicken that's got the spices and stuff already in it. Just throw on the foreman and cook. It's delicious and amazing.

    SniperGuy on
  • GoodOmensGoodOmens Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    The Cat wrote: »
    lemon juice/soy/fresh ginger

    soy/honey/ginger

    Can't go wrong with these. I like a little garlic in mine, too, but I tend to overdo it.

    GoodOmens on
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  • gredavingredavin Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    My wife does this awesome chicken where she slices an opening in the side and then stuffs the inside with blueberries and fat free cream cheese. Then, she pins down the opening with a toothpick and bakes it in the oven.

    gredavin on
  • EggyToastEggyToast Jersey CityRegistered User regular
    edited September 2007
    Yeah, don't use a marinade. Just use some lemon pepper seasoning. Also, if you find regular chicken bland, the likelihood of a marinade truly penetrating through an intact chicken breast is pretty low. I'd suggest cutting the breast up into halves or thirds, or slicing the breasts on the surface.

    Generally if I'm doing a chicken breast, I'll cube it and stir fry it, and that will impart the most flavor into the meat. Grilling a chicken breast over an actual grill will give the breast more of a smoky flavor, which, while mild, adds complexity so it's not just "heated white meat." Even then, chicken is a pretty bland meat. No one would criticize you if you added a sauce over the chicken when it was finished, so that you'd have some sauce to coat each piece. That's often why restaurants who serve chicken breasts will put a mustard sauce or something over the top.

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  • starmanbrandstarmanbrand Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    I am unfamiliar with how difficult these GFGrills are to clean so I will not be telling you to slather some bbq sauce on it and cook(Which is what I like to do on an actual grill.)

    Do not stab it with a fork. If you want to do something to that degree, place it between two sheets of plastic wrap and go at it with a tenderizing mallet to make a cutlet. If you really feel the need to puncture it, just do shallow slits.

    My advice would be to invest in some plastic zip bags. Fill these with anything you like. One of my favorite combinations is a little bit of honey and jalapenos. Or any variety of dry rub. Or any liquid marinade you would like. Many people like citrus type thing IE Lemon and herbs. EDIT: And leave them in the fridge for at least a day. If planning to leave longer, be wary of acidic content like the citrus or vinegar as it will start cooking the chicken.

    I am not sure how well the pocket stuffing someone mentioned earlier would work on a GF, as I imagine it at least slightly presses down on it which would cause the filling to come out.

    If you don't feel like going to any length of trouble for this, just salt and pepper it to your tastes. Grill it. And then put on some premade sauce like Teriyaki, Barbaque, Salad Dressing. Whatever.

    starmanbrand on
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  • PirateJonPirateJon Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    you all fail. teh sekret to tasty chicken: BRINE.

    soak the chicken overnight / 8 hours in ~6 cups water + 1/4 cup kosher salt (not iodinsed) + 1/4 cup sugar

    PirateJon on
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  • SarcastroSarcastro Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    gredavin wrote: »
    My wife does this awesome chicken where she slices an opening in the side and then stuffs the inside with blueberries and fat free cream cheese. Then, she pins down the opening with a toothpick and bakes it in the oven.

    Due to the surprisingly delicious nature of this recipe, I have recently added your wife's name to the 'Do Not Kill' Post-It note stuck on my refrigerator's Guide to World Domination.

    If one takes these little morsels and wraps them in grape leaves with a light sprinkling of kosher salt prior to cooking, they are omigod delicious.

    Sarcastro on
  • PrecursorPrecursor Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    Yes, just don't over cook it. Chicken doesn't take long to cook through at all, especially on a grill. Just make sure the meat is white through to the center before eating.

    The meat doesn't actually have to be white. As long as the juices that flow from the chicken are clear and not pink, you're ok.

    If you can handle it, going spicy is a great way to add flavour to anything. A little bit goes a long way.

    Precursor on
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  • AurinAurin Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    If you still do end up using a marinade, I've had a lot of success with this.

    It's a FoodSaver vacuum sealed marinade dish, things marinate really quickly with it. :)

    Aurin on
  • BenditBendit Cømþü†€r Šýš†emš Anålýš† Ðeñv€r¸ ColørådøRegistered User regular
    edited September 2007
    Don't do marinades that are oil based if you're counting calories.

    Instead, use vinegar.

    I love the dried Chipotle marinade mix (it's a packet in the spice section at your grocery store). Mix with vinegar and let chicken marinate overnight.

    Once cooked, the vinegar adds a little "zing" to it. Mexican meat is often done this way.

    Bendit on
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  • VeeveeVeevee WisconsinRegistered User regular
    edited September 2007
    A simple thing I do is take a bottle of italian dressing and throw it into a bag with 2 chicken breasts. Let it saok for at least 24 hours. After that I add half a can of italian flavored bread crumbs and coat the chicken, but also let the bread crumbs soak up the left over dressing. I then then wrap the chicken and dressing and crumbs in tin foil and bake it. It may not be as good as some of the other recipes here, but it is still very tasty.

    Veevee on
  • Irond WillIrond Will WARNING: NO HURTFUL COMMENTS, PLEASE!!!!! Cambridge. MAModerator Mod Emeritus
    edited September 2007
    I can't believe that no one has recommended brining. It's basically soaking the breast in salt and sugar water with maybe a little flavoring (garlic, thyme, tarragon, bay leaf whatever). Brined breasts are much more juicy and flavorful than unbrined, and it's not terribly unhealthy for you (doesn't add any fat and few calories).

    Irond Will on
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  • lowlylowlycooklowlylowlycook Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    PirateJon wrote: »
    you all fail. teh sekret to tasty chicken: BRINE.

    soak the chicken overnight / 8 hours in ~6 cups water + 1/4 cup kosher salt (not iodinsed) + 1/4 cup sugar

    This is the truth. Whatever flavors you want to add to the chicken would be better added as a sauce than as a marinade. Also be sure to not to overcook.

    Edit: At least I can read better than Iron Will.

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  • devoirdevoir Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    Awesome. Brining, herbing and saucing. Any further suggestions, especially for healthy, tasty sauces and serving suggestions? Warm chicken salads sound good.

    devoir on
  • RaneadosRaneados police apologist you shouldn't have been there, obviouslyRegistered User regular
    edited September 2007
    don't forget onions enhance the flavor of things

    Raneados on
  • FallingmanFallingman Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    devoir wrote: »
    Awesome. Brining, herbing and saucing. Any further suggestions, especially for healthy, tasty sauces and serving suggestions? Warm chicken salads sound good.

    Warm salads are great, I use spinach and rocket, cherry tomatoes, avocado, a capsicum and a little corriander. Throw it all in - and just stir in a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dressing... Yummo.

    A little baked ciabatta bread on the side (olive oil to taste/health).


    mmmm.

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  • tony_importanttony_important Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    Ummm,
    I usually season chicken breasts with onion and garlic powder, salt, pepper, and Cyane (spelling) pepper.
    mmmm tasty.

    tony_important on
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  • UncleChetUncleChet N00b Lancaster, PARegistered User regular
    edited September 2007
    I use my foreman grill about 4-5 times a week for chicken, steak and chops. I find that there are some good seasonings just waiting to be picked up. We've been using the mccormick brand mixed spices. I get the low sodium versions. The onion/garlic and montreal steak are both good on chicken. I find that 2 large breasts take less than 10 minutes once the foreman is heated. I'd invest in a cooking thermometer. Chicken should be done to i THINK 165 degrees farenheit. Been a while since I was a cook, it could be 180. I like to spice my meat and let it sit on there for about 10 minutes (about how long the grill takes to get to the right cooking temp). We eat this just about every day. On odd days I go crazy and do bbq or korean style, but just seasoned and grilled works too.

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  • BarrakkethBarrakketh Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    PirateJon wrote: »
    you all fail. teh sekret to tasty chicken: BRINE.

    It's been said before, and I'll say it again: this man speaks the truth.

    I usually use whole black peppercorns, some whole allspice, ginger (candied works well), and some brown sugar along with a good amount of kosher salt (I eyeball it, and the amount used depends on whether I use water or some other liquid like vegetable broth).

    This is one of the secrets to cooking whole turkey and chicken and having them come out moist, the other being the use of a probe thermometer. The things are a godsend, and you don't have to risk eating a bird that has the texture of sandpaper (my grandmother-in-law was terrible about dry turkeys).

    Barrakketh on
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