Adding flavour to chicken breasts
devoir
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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?
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?
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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.
soy/honey/ginger
zatar (phonecian spice mix, walnuts/sesame seeds/sumac and some other stuff)
coriander/cummin/garlic/oil
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.
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.
Can't go wrong with these. I like a little garlic in mine, too, but I tend to overdo it.
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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.
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.
soak the chicken overnight / 8 hours in ~6 cups water + 1/4 cup kosher salt (not iodinsed) + 1/4 cup sugar
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.
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.
It's a FoodSaver vacuum sealed marinade dish, things marinate really quickly with it.
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.
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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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.
I usually season chicken breasts with onion and garlic powder, salt, pepper, and Cyane (spelling) pepper.
mmmm tasty.
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).