Baking chicken breast is a pain in the ass

Amory

Member
Listen, I'm not a chef. But I honestly can make my fair share of dishes.

Trying to bake chicken is the bane of my existence and I don't know why. It's always either over or underdone, either way it has a weird consistency, and it's bland even if I marinate it for a couple hours.

I can grill it just fine, but I live in an apartment so apart from tailgates or when I'm camping or something, that's not really an option.

This shouldn't be so hard. Someone help me.
 
Sous vide gives u the juiciest chicken breast in like an HR at 145 degrees. Burger in like 2 hrs. Get a timer to remind u when to stop it and ur good to go. No fuss no muss
 
Sous vide gives u the juiciest chicken breast in like an HR at 145 degrees. Burger in like 2 hrs. Get a timer to remind u when to stop it and ur good to go. No fuss no muss
Hm, that's interesting. I didn't know about sous vide. Isn't it kind of weird not having any char or crispiness since you're essentially just boiling your food
 
Brine the chicken breast(s) in a ziploc bag of water + salt for 30 minutes - 2 hours in refrigerator, about 1 TBSP salt per quart of water.
Set oven to 425*F
Remove chicken breast from bags, discard water, pat the chicken dry.
Rub lightly with a mixture of spices (your choice, but even salt and pepper alone are fine)
Bake in oven for about 20 minutes
Done

I used to use lemon juice as a marinade which is also a nice way to help retain moisture/tenderness, but the preparatory saltwater brine seems to make the chicken even more flavorful and moist, plus it's easier.
 
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Baking chicken is literally the easiest way to cook it.

Put on a pan, salt and pepper, bake at 420 for like an half hour.
 
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I dont know I just put the thing in the oven and for about 30-40 mins and it comes out good. Usually shake and bake it. Actually seems like the easiest thing to cook or maybe I am just easy to please.
 
Hm, that's interesting. I didn't know about sous vide. Isn't it kind of weird not having any char or crispiness since you're essentially just boiling your food

I mean u can cook it sous vide style and then just toss it on the pan for a couple of minutes to get that desired look, but it's healthier not to cook meat at high temperatures in dry heat. They build up advanced glycation end products that way or something it's supposed to be like a carcinogen I think.. Anyways it still tastes really good to me at least without putting it on a pan. I use anova device. There's also a tutorial on youtube by bon appetit that's pretty educational.
 
425f for 20 minutes should do it. Rub the chicken titties down with some spices you like. I usual go for Brown sugar, garlic powder, oregano, paprika, and a little Cayenne. Plus salt and pepper of course.
Almost forgot. Don't forget to let the meat rest at least 5 minutes!
 
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Get a crock pot/slow cooker (cheap ones go for like $25 or less) or an instapot/pressure cooker (more expensive like $50+, but cooks way faster), place chicken inside, set timer, ???, profit.
 
Slice them thin, cover in cajun/blackened season, and cook those fuckers in a frying pan.

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Chicken is always the hardest to cook. Oven or BBQ. It's like you got to cook this shit for double the time of beef and pork and it can still be undercooked.

Sometimes I just cook it extra long (even if I know it might be dried up) just so I know it's cooked thouroughly.
 
Hm, that's interesting. I didn't know about sous vide. Isn't it kind of weird not having any char or crispiness since you're essentially just boiling your food

You always have to finish with a good sear, usually a ripping hot pan with oil and sear for 60 seconds a side or get a kitchen safe torch. I've been using Sous vide for a few years now, it's a game changer in the kitchen.
 
Baking chicken is one of the easiest things you can do OP. Buy a thermometer and cHeck for a internal temp of 160 F and golden brown skin color 👍
 
Baking anything other than whole chicken is usually dry. Sous vide is ideal for chicken but for single serving stuff like a chicken breast, hot pan, salt pepper, dash of olive oil, pan sear, reduce heat and finish in butter with a basting spoon and add some herbs you like. Sometimes a final 5 min blast in the oven at 400 for particularly thick breasts. Should take about 5 minutes to cook a typical chicken breast.
 
I agree with the Sous Vide method, virtually impossible to fuck it up, but the units can run around $100.

In addition to brining as was mentioned earlier, have you tried making cutlets? Take the whole boneless breast, and cut it in half long ways. The chicken will cook faster with less time to dry out.
 
Well then stop putting it up your ass. Problem solved.
 
I don't think I've ever just baked a chicken breast...frozen hot wings sure but just baking chicken? So many better options
 
when you buy chicken breast fillets with skin removed, firstly they are normally pumped with solution to make them bigger and to increase the weight, this makes the texture weird. secondly the bone and gristle and skin you get from a non fillet adds so much to the flavour. The only way to bake skinless fillets is to salt them, put mayonaise on them then cracked pepper then bake for around 25 minutes. Still wont be as nice as a whole bird but pretty good.

Also if you are going to buy chicken pieces dop yourself a favour and buy chicken thighs with skin on, way cheaper, tastier meat and crispy skin is delicious. marinate those badboys first and you are in flavour country.
 
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I feel like sous vide got mentioned a ton in this thread. How many people actually use it on a regular basis? How frequently?

Don't get me wrong, I have one of those neat Anova portable ones and I do love the ability to sous vide certain things, but it's hardly the centerpiece of my kitchen.
 
Listen, I'm not a chef. But I honestly can make my fair share of dishes.

Trying to bake chicken is the bane of my existence and I don't know why. It's always either over or underdone, either way it has a weird consistency, and it's bland even if I marinate it for a couple hours.

I can grill it just fine, but I live in an apartment so apart from tailgates or when I'm camping or something, that's not really an option.

This shouldn't be so hard. Someone help me.
This is what I have done about 8 times in the last few months. Just a breast without skin or bone....not thin fillets either

1. Put a little butter on the pan
2. Put chicken breast on pan. Put a few sliced across the thick parts so the inside can cook
3. Coat with a little butter, garlic, pepper, salt
4. Bake at 400 for about 30 minutes.

That's it. I like mine overly crispy so sometimes I cook it 5-10 minutes longer. Sometimes I'll add oniions on top with 15 minutes to go. Then mozzarella on top with 5 minutes to go.

Super easy.

Even without the onions and cheese the chicken is moist and a little crispy on the edges. I add a lot of spices and butter ... but that's me.
 
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I feel like sous vide got mentioned a ton in this thread. How many people actually use it on a regular basis? How frequently?

Don't get me wrong, I have one of those neat Anova portable ones and I do love the ability to sous vide certain things, but it's hardly the centerpiece of my kitchen.

I only cook steak via sous vide. I'll use it for most roasts too. It's basically my go-to for any cut of meat I'm not smoking on my Traeger. Speaking of which, I'm finally getting to smoke a turkey tomorrow 🥰
 
Well then stop putting it up your ass. Problem solved.
How long would it take to safely cook a chicken at 98 degrees?

Besides, i read that kids chug alcohol that way to get more to their blood, so wouldn't that also mean you'd get more nutrients from the chicken? Makes you think.
 
If it's bland, you need more salt.
If it's weird consistency, try flattening the chicken to make them roughly 1".
If it's dry, you need to either lower the temp or keep it in there shorter.
 
This is all I do but every oven may be different. I just pour olive oil, salt and Montreal chicken seasoning on the chicken, then 20-25 minutes at 375. Never had any problems and comes out nice every time.
 
I am hoping someone gets me a dry fryer for Xmas.

I'd like to try chicken in that.

Also, not sure if mentioned, but brining (safely) works well. I buy turkey legs occasionally and brine them for the day, and throw them in the oven in the evening and it's like the best thing ever. It just falls apart.
 
Set it and forget it!

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Fuck baked chicken. Broil it.

You stick it in a little grill tray, set the oven to broil, and you flip it halfway through. It chars the skin and caramelizes the sugars in any sauce you're using like you'd see while grilling. And it's easy.
 
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