Help! how to keep chicken moist?

[casper4462]

Hey,
Everytime I try to cook chicken it always is dry and tasteless. I usually marinate the chicken breasts in a fat free italian dressing or etc... but only the outside gets the flavor and the inside is boring... ANY IDEAS?

[Teardrop]

I like to dip my chicken breasts in EggBeaters and then put them in a zip-loc bag with some almond meal. Shake and bake (or cook on the stove with a little olive oil) and you've got tasty moist chicken. Another great way to get moist chicken is to cook a beer can chicken on the grill. You can get the fryers for pretty cheap and it makes great leftovers. Don't try to do the beer can chicken with one of the roasters though. They inject it with something, fat maybe, that catches on fire and doesn't make for a pretty chicken. I got my beer can chicken recipe from the Weber Big Book of Grilling.

[Monika4]

Hey,
Everytime I try to cook chicken it always is dry and tasteless. I usually marinate the chicken breasts in a fat free italian dressing or etc... but only the outside gets the flavor and the inside is boring... ANY IDEAS?

I initially had the same problem. Now I just put some olive oil on them, or a dressing with vinegar and olive oil and herbs for a day beforehand - sounds like you, and then I broil them really quickly. Directly under the broiler in my old fashioned oven. THey are done incredibly fast - I turn them when they just start smelling nicely, I can't tell how many minutes (5-7?), then turn them for another 2-3 minutes, and they are crisp on the outside and moist in the middle - but not raw anymore.

Just dare to put them so close to the flame (like 1-2 inches from the fire in my gas oven) - I initially couldn't believe it but they are really good. Monika

[Elsah]

I don't eat chicken but when I cook it for my husband he says it's juicier when I cook it in a foil packet.

Jenn

[casper4462]

Thanks!! Great Ideas!

I tried cooking the chicken in a small pan and covered it with foil it sseemed a bit better. Im going to try it in a foil packet!

Gina

[NCLC]

Hey,
Everytime I try to cook chicken it always is dry and tasteless. I usually marinate the chicken breasts in a fat free italian dressing or etc... but only the outside gets the flavor and the inside is boring... ANY IDEAS?


A couple ideas. How long are you marinating the chicken for? and it is completely thawed (if frozen), correct? You might also want to increase the amount of salt in the marinade so that it acts as a brine.

Foil works well. Another cooking method that works really well is first pan frying the chicken so that it browns and cooks a bit and then finish it off in the oven.

[LadyBelle]

I will also dice up much of my chicken and encourperate it into dishes. This way there is alot more surface area for a quick marinade to hit.

[Madeline]

Try soaking your chicken in a salt brine prior to cooking. I started doing this to turkey a few years ago and now use it for chicken also. The brine I use is 1/2 cup salt for every gallon of water and I usually add some citrus (quartered fruit or at least a squirt or two of lemon juice) and some herbs (rosemary, basil thyme depending on flavor wanted). My original recipe called for brown sugar in the brine but I leave that out and don't miss it. I let the chicken soak at least two hours or up to overnight and then bake, grill, broil, panfry, stirfry or whatever cooking method you prefer. The poultry is tender and juicy. Just remember to cut back/eliminate the salt when cooking since it has soaked in salt. I grilled a brined turkey breast a few weeks ago and several days later the leftovers were still moist.

[lovinglife]

I had that same problem when I cooked fresh chicken, a friend of mine turned me on to frozen chicken breasts by Tyson (they come 6-7 breasts in a bag) - they are sooo moist and juicy any way you cook them.

[vbrowne]

barbequing keeps it moist. Also, when marinating it, stab it with a fork first.

Vikki

[y2valerie]

ialways cooked my turkey in gingerale i think diet would work and basted it with it i was always complemented on how moist it was should work on chicken gives it great taste to

[kisler]

I only broil chicken breasts or pan fry. They cook quick and stay moist. Let meat "rest" for a few minutes before cutting into it so that juices will go back into meat not onto plate. Also, what about thighs. I know they are more fatty, but without the skin they might be a good choice for moister meat. I make oven-fried chicken with the skinless thighs and it is very very moist.

[cbcb]

I think ground chicken might stay a bit more moist, all things considered. Anyway, it's pretty good - worth experimenting with.

[MeezerMom]

Hey,
Everytime I try to cook chicken it always is dry and tasteless. I usually marinate the chicken breasts in a fat free italian dressing or etc... but only the outside gets the flavor and the inside is boring... ANY IDEAS?

The way that I solved that problem is to buy the bags of chicken tenders. No matter how you cook them, they are alway tender & juicy!

Eve