cookin' chicken

[sweetphysique]

Hi!

Let's just say I failed outta Iron Chef school...more like the Fiberglass Chef...I really suck at cooking. Pasta gets mushy, eggs get crusty, chicken gets leathery, steaks take one look at me and run.

Since I don't want to "gnaw" my way through this competition diet, can anyone tell me how to correctly cook chicken in a pan?

I made some today, and this is how I did it:

Cut the chicken (9 breast halves) up into small chunks. Divided entire amount into about 4 batches, and this is how I cooked each batch. Sprayed the pan with garlic-flavored Pam, put stove on medium heat, added 1 tbsp olive oil, tossed in the chicken, moved it around a lot, sprinkled a tiny bit of 100% whole-wheat flour on top (to seal in juices), sprinkled rosemary, basil, and crushed peppers on it, cooked it about 10-12 minutes each side.

Tastes ok and the texture seems fine...did I do it right (want to try and avoid that salmonella business), and is this an ok method for contest eating? I didn't die yet, so I musta done something right.

Thanks!
~Julia Childs' worst nightmare~

[ana banana]

hey i personally love cooking with chicken, gosh you can do loads, but i think the simplest best way is to heat up a pan with pam or olive oil or both anyway and let it heat reaaally high, and then throw in the chicken breast, it makes it crunchier, browns it nice that way and keeps the juices, or you can boil it (dont gag) when its all cooked you take it appart with a fork, and you can mix it with beans or whataver, put in on a wheat tortilla with avocado, fat free sour cream or cottage cheese tomatoes blah blah, and its really yummy! or cook some onions and then throw in tomatoes and broccoli and then throw in the chicken...gosh so much...

[MsFit]

Geezzz...You need to write a cookbook! You must like cooking.

[ana banana]

i love cooking, my grandpa was a professional chef and i got mexican and greek blood in me, both from hardcore cooking food breathing parents, when i started eating just healthy 'clean' food etc gosh the range of cooking has expanded! no point in sticking with untasty things when theres so much to enjoy! tis all about creativity

[V5RED]

i like my chicken plain and roasted in an oven for 55 minutes at 400 degrees (12 drumsticks{4lbs}) im def too lazy to cook it any special way and this tastes good...for flavor if you dont like it plain then just marinade it the day before or add BBQ sauce

[MsFit]

Originally posted by ana banana
i love cooking, my grandpa was a professional chef and i got mexican and greek blood in me, both from hardcore cooking food breathing parents, when i started eating just healthy 'clean' food etc gosh the range of cooking has expanded! no point in sticking with untasty things when theres so much to enjoy! tis all about creativity

Must be nice. I was born without the culinary gene. Makes life difficult. lol

[clc0303]

Originally posted by ana banana
hey i personally love cooking with chicken, gosh you can do loads, but i think the simplest best way is to heat up a pan with pam or olive oil or both anyway and let it heat reaaally high, and then throw in the chicken breast, it makes it crunchier, browns it nice that way and keeps the juices, or you can boil it (dont gag) when its all cooked you take it appart with a fork, and you can mix it with beans or whataver, put in on a wheat tortilla with avocado, fat free sour cream or cottage cheese tomatoes blah blah, and its really yummy! or cook some onions and then throw in tomatoes and broccoli and then throw in the chicken...gosh so much...

Hey Ana,
When you boil it does it turn into that stringy-type chicken? I love that. Do you start with raw chicken breasts and just throw them in boiling water? For how long?
I really want to try that.

[ana banana]

yeeeeeeeeah it turns into that stringy chicken, you can try and cook it (boil it) in chicken stock for extra flavor...throw in chicken stock, onions, celery, and carrots and boil it all together, i personally think chicken breasts with the bone tend to give off more flavor, but you can throw in boneless skinless breasts.....then tear it up and yum yum.......hey you know, you can make the best soup, with the same stuff, difference is, once you tear up the chicken, you throw it back in....appart you beat an egg with one lemon. then you start adding tablespoons of the soup (to warm the eggs because if you throw it right into the soup it will cook)....when the egg and lemon are hot hot, you add it to the soup....its delicious, really is..........(if you add rice on top of that you got yourself the perfect meal).....

(...ps: Beat some eggwhites until theyre stiff (like meringue) and then put on an ovenproof dish, throw broccoli inside, some non-fat cheese, or non-fat mayo, or both, mix...cook...i know it sounds odd but yumm...i adore the stuff.....gosh and yesterday i cooked broccoli on the pan with nutmeg and walnuts..it needed cream but it was a great convo..)

[sillygirl]

The Foreman grill is one of the best inventions EVER.


Makes cooking chicken quick and easy- definitely invest in one, I use mine almost every day.

[clc0303]

Originally posted by ana banana
yeeeeeeeeah it turns into that stringy chicken, you can try and cook it (boil it) in chicken stock for extra flavor...throw in chicken stock, onions, celery, and carrots and boil it all together, i personally think chicken breasts with the bone tend to give off more flavor, but you can throw in boneless skinless breasts.....then tear it up and yum yum.......hey you know, you can make the best soup, with the same stuff, difference is, once you tear up the chicken, you throw it back in....appart you beat an egg with one lemon. then you start adding tablespoons of the soup (to warm the eggs because if you throw it right into the soup it will cook)....when the egg and lemon are hot hot, you add it to the soup....its delicious, really is..........(if you add rice on top of that you got yourself the perfect meal).....

(...ps: Beat some eggwhites until theyre stiff (like meringue) and then put on an ovenproof dish, throw broccoli inside, some non-fat cheese, or non-fat mayo, or both, mix...cook...i know it sounds odd but yumm...i adore the stuff.....gosh and yesterday i cooked broccoli on the pan with nutmeg and walnuts..it needed cream but it was a great convo..)

I tried it last night--just boiled the chicken breasts in water w/2 cubes of stock. mmm, nice change of pace, mixed it up with sauteed eggplant, onions, and garlic. And brought the leftovers to work today for lunch mixed in with salad and kidney beans. Thanks for the suggestion! And I think that broccoli egg-white thing sounds awesome! I've made a quiche-type thing before with whipped egg whites, ff cheese, spinach, tomatoes, and a little parm and throw it in the oven--good stuff.

[jupiterecho]

I take a chicken breast and beat it up with a meat tenderizer then sprinle some pepper, lemon juice and maybe a touch of kosher salt (or lite soy sauce) and let it sit for about 20 minutes, then put it in a pan sprayed with Pam - yummers!