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Kickin' Chicken
Next time you make chicken for dinner (and you know it's going to be soon), try something different. We've got pro techniques to make your low-fat, high-protein chicken breasts juicy and flavorful.
By Chef Devin Alexander
Prep Step 1: Smart Shopping
Chicken can be purchased frozen, found in bags in the freezer section or fresh (often previously frozen) from the butcher or meat counter. Boneless, skinless breasts, though a bit more expensive, are worth it for their ease of preparation. If you purchase chicken breasts from the freezer, be sure to look at the nutrition label -- some frozen varieties are pumped with added fats before they're frozen. A 4-ounce raw, boneless, skinless chicken breast should have only about 1.5 grams of fat.
If you're trying to save money, it's often more economical to buy breasts with the bone and skin. You can easily pull the breast from the skin and bone before cooking it.
Prep Step 2: Defrosting
If you have chicken breasts in the freezer, remove the amount you need the night before you plan to cook them. Place them in a dish, cover with plastic wrap and let them thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Important safety tip: Make sure juices won't leak out onto other foods as the chicken defrosts.
If you need to defrost quickly, soak the chicken in a bowl of cold water or under cold running water until it's thoroughly defrosted, then squeeze out any excess moisture. Make sure the water is cold; if you soak the frozen chicken in hot or warm water, the heat will start to cook the chicken ever so slightly. Be sure to squeeze any extra moisture from the breasts before you cook them.
Prep Step 3: Ready to Go
Fresh or defrosted, boneless, skinless breasts require little attention. Using a sharp knife (a boning knife is ideal), cut any visible fat from the breasts. At the thicker end of the breast, on the underside, you may notice a shiny, white formation of threads; cut this section out.
Place the trimmed breast flat on a cutting board with the smooth side up. Using the flat side of a meat mallet or the bottom of a heavy skillet, pound the breast so that the thickest portion becomes as thin as the thinnest portion. This helps tenderize the meat, meaning it'll be juicier. Now your chicken is ready for seasoning. Cook according to one of the following techniques.
Note: Nutrition calculations for these recipes are based on consuming all the marinade; if you leave some behind, you'll get slightly fewer calories.
Simple Cooking Technique No. 1: Grilling
If good health is on your agenda, you definitely can't go wrong by investing in a grill. A gas or charcoal grill adds flavor to your meats and veggies, but an indoor grill is a viable alternative when year-round grilling isn't an option.
Grills allow you to easily cook chicken at a high temperature, sealing in juices that keep it tender without adding much fat. A grill is great if you're in a hurry, and it's versatile enough to use with rubs and marinades.
To Cook: Turn on your grill to the highest heat setting. When hot (chicken should sizzle when placed on it), add rubbed or marinated chicken and turn heat to low. Cook for about five minutes -- on a good nonstick grill, the chicken should no longer stick when it's ready to be flipped -- then turn and cook another five minutes, until no longer pink inside or a meat thermometer inserted in the center reads 170 degrees F. Don't overcook breast or it'll become tough and dry.
Sicilian-Rub Chicken Breasts
2 Tbsp. dried oregano
1 Tbsp. dried parsley
1/2 Tbsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 4-6 oz. each
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil (optional)
Combine all ingredients except chicken and oil in a bowl, mixing well. Place chicken in a large resealable plastic bag. Add rub mix and oil.
Shake until chicken is evenly coated. Follow grilling instructions above.
Simple Cooking Technique No. 2: Baking
Baking chicken is ideal if you're a big fan of cooking once and eating for days or if you want to throw an easy dinner party that allows time for you to actually enjoy being with your guests. However, baking chicken works best after marinating the meat in the refrigerator for at least six hours or overnight, so you need to plan ahead.
To Cook: In advance, marinate chicken. When ready to cook, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Remove chicken from marinade and place breasts in a baking dish large enough to lay them flat, but not so big that there's a lot of space between them. Ideally, they'll still be somewhat swimming in the marinade while being cooked. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake approximately 30 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink inside or a meat thermometer inserted in the center of the breasts reads 170 degrees F. Serve with a bit of remaining cooked sauce. If entertaining, you can take an attractive dish from oven to table and serve it family-style.
Soy-Sauce Baked Chicken Breasts
1/4 cup fat-free chicken broth
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp. toasted (or roasted) sesame oil
4 cloves garlic
11/2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro leaves
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 4-6 oz. each
Combine all ingredients in a medium plastic container with a lid or resealable plastic bag and marinate in refrigerator at least six hours or overnight. Follow directions for baking chicken at left.
Simple Cooking Technique No. 3: Foil Wrap
To impress your guests (or yourself), bake your chicken in individual foil-wrapped packets. This creates very tender pieces of chicken, easy to serve and clean up.
To Cook: If you wish to marinate chicken, do so in advance. When ready to cook, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Tear a piece of aluminum foil large enough to create a tent around each chicken breast, about a 12x18-inch sheet of foil for each breast. Place foil flat and put a chicken breast in the center. Spoon one-fourth of remaining marinade over breast and fold sides up over breast so they meet. Fold the ends over twice, leaving space inside for air circulation. Then fold top and bottom of packet together, double-folding the ends again. Repeat with remaining breasts. Place packets on a cookie sheet or baking pan and bake 20-25 minutes or until breasts are no longer pink inside.
Gift-Wrapped Mandarin Chicken
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup canned mandarin oranges with juice (unsweetened)
3 Tbsp. frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
2 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp. orange honey (or any honey)
2 tsp. chili-garlic sauce (found in international section of most major grocery stores)
1/2 Tbsp. roasted sesame oil
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, 4-6 oz. each
In a medium plastic or glass container with a lid, whisk together all ingredients except the chicken. Add chicken, submerging it in marinade. Cover and marinate in refrigerator at least six hours or overnight. Follow instructions for foil-wrap cooking at left.
Simple Cooking Technique No. 4: Ground and Sautéed
Ground chicken breast offers endless options for seasonings, cooking methods and recipe combinations. Butchers at most major grocery stores will grind boneless, skinless breasts for you for free; just ask. Or you can do it yourself, cutting breasts into 1-inch chunks, then grinding them in seconds in a food processor fitted with a chopping blade.
To Cook: If you're craving tacos or chili, simply spray a nonstick frying pan with cooking spray and cook the meat, chopping it apart as it cooks, then season it. If a burger is your preference, add your favorite ingredients to ground chicken and cook it over medium-high heat in a nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray. You can even make a Salisbury-type chicken steak like the one below.
Chicken-Peppered "Steak"
6 oz. ground chicken breast
1/4 cup cooked brown rice
5 tsp. minced fresh parsley, divided
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup burgundy or other red wine
1 Tbsp. fresh-squeezed lemon juice
Nonstick cooking spray
In a large bowl, mix the chicken, rice, 4 tsp. parsley and salt. Form a 1-inch-thick, oval-shaped steak. Season with pepper and press it into steak on all sides. Spray a small nonstick pan with cooking spray and place over high heat. When hot, add steak. Sear steak on one side until browned, then flip and sear the other side. Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking until no longer pink inside (approximately 4-5 minutes per side). Remove steak from pan; cover to keep warm. Add wine to the pan and increase heat to high, scraping any pan drippings as liquid begins to boil. Continue to boil wine until reduced by half. Stir in lemon juice, then pour mixture over steak. Top with remaining parsley and serve.
Marinades
Whenever possible, a homemade marinade is the way to go. Not only can you control the chemical and sodium content and opt for more natural ingredients, but they also tend to taste better. Besides, store-bought marinades are often loaded with fat and sodium or are full of sugar, as our test shoppers found. We purchased several that seemed nutritionally sound, but when we returned to our test kitchen, we were highly disappointed with the results. After trying more than 20 varieties, we found only three tasty enough to mention:
- Consorzio Jamaican Jerk 10-Minute Marinade (we thought it tasted much better marinated overnight)
- Classico Italian Garlic & Herb EZ Marinader (new marinade in a bag)
- Jack Daniel's Mesquite EZ Marinader (new marinade in a bag)
Rubs
Though less prevalent at most grocery stores than marinades, rubs deliver a greater success rate. With the exception of a few that listed salt as the first ingredient, we found a number that were great. When choosing a rub, read the ingredient list and search for herbs that you know you like. To add extra moisture to chicken, rub each breast with about 1/2 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil before seasoning it with rub. Our testers really liked:
- Emeril's Chicken Rub
- McCormick Rotisserie Chicken Seasoning (this one has salt as the first ingredient)
- Stubb's Rosemary-Ginger Spice Rub
Food Safety
1) Never eat or even taste an uncooked marinade that contains or has had any contact with uncooked chicken (or any raw meat). Discard any remaining marinade that isn't cooked.
2) Be sure to wash your hands and all cutting boards, plates, utensils, etc., that have touched raw chicken or its juices. Never return cooked chicken to the plate that held raw chicken without washing the plate first.
Next time you make chicken for dinner (and you know it's going to be soon), try something different. We've got pro techniques to make your low-fat, high-protein chicken breasts juicy and flavorful.
By Chef Devin Alexander
Prep Step 1: Smart Shopping
Chicken can be purchased frozen, found in bags in the freezer section or fresh (often previously frozen) from the butcher or meat counter. Boneless, skinless breasts, though a bit more expensive, are worth it for their ease of preparation. If you purchase chicken breasts from the freezer, be sure to look at the nutrition label -- some frozen varieties are pumped with added fats before they're frozen. A 4-ounce raw, boneless, skinless chicken breast should have only about 1.5 grams of fat.
If you're trying to save money, it's often more economical to buy breasts with the bone and skin. You can easily pull the breast from the skin and bone before cooking it.
Prep Step 2: Defrosting
If you have chicken breasts in the freezer, remove the amount you need the night before you plan to cook them. Place them in a dish, cover with plastic wrap and let them thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Important safety tip: Make sure juices won't leak out onto other foods as the chicken defrosts.
If you need to defrost quickly, soak the chicken in a bowl of cold water or under cold running water until it's thoroughly defrosted, then squeeze out any excess moisture. Make sure the water is cold; if you soak the frozen chicken in hot or warm water, the heat will start to cook the chicken ever so slightly. Be sure to squeeze any extra moisture from the breasts before you cook them.
Prep Step 3: Ready to Go
Fresh or defrosted, boneless, skinless breasts require little attention. Using a sharp knife (a boning knife is ideal), cut any visible fat from the breasts. At the thicker end of the breast, on the underside, you may notice a shiny, white formation of threads; cut this section out.
Place the trimmed breast flat on a cutting board with the smooth side up. Using the flat side of a meat mallet or the bottom of a heavy skillet, pound the breast so that the thickest portion becomes as thin as the thinnest portion. This helps tenderize the meat, meaning it'll be juicier. Now your chicken is ready for seasoning. Cook according to one of the following techniques.
Note: Nutrition calculations for these recipes are based on consuming all the marinade; if you leave some behind, you'll get slightly fewer calories.
Simple Cooking Technique No. 1: Grilling
If good health is on your agenda, you definitely can't go wrong by investing in a grill. A gas or charcoal grill adds flavor to your meats and veggies, but an indoor grill is a viable alternative when year-round grilling isn't an option.
Grills allow you to easily cook chicken at a high temperature, sealing in juices that keep it tender without adding much fat. A grill is great if you're in a hurry, and it's versatile enough to use with rubs and marinades.
To Cook: Turn on your grill to the highest heat setting. When hot (chicken should sizzle when placed on it), add rubbed or marinated chicken and turn heat to low. Cook for about five minutes -- on a good nonstick grill, the chicken should no longer stick when it's ready to be flipped -- then turn and cook another five minutes, until no longer pink inside or a meat thermometer inserted in the center reads 170 degrees F. Don't overcook breast or it'll become tough and dry.
Sicilian-Rub Chicken Breasts
2 Tbsp. dried oregano
1 Tbsp. dried parsley
1/2 Tbsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 4-6 oz. each
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil (optional)
Combine all ingredients except chicken and oil in a bowl, mixing well. Place chicken in a large resealable plastic bag. Add rub mix and oil.
Shake until chicken is evenly coated. Follow grilling instructions above.
Simple Cooking Technique No. 2: Baking
Baking chicken is ideal if you're a big fan of cooking once and eating for days or if you want to throw an easy dinner party that allows time for you to actually enjoy being with your guests. However, baking chicken works best after marinating the meat in the refrigerator for at least six hours or overnight, so you need to plan ahead.
To Cook: In advance, marinate chicken. When ready to cook, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Remove chicken from marinade and place breasts in a baking dish large enough to lay them flat, but not so big that there's a lot of space between them. Ideally, they'll still be somewhat swimming in the marinade while being cooked. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake approximately 30 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink inside or a meat thermometer inserted in the center of the breasts reads 170 degrees F. Serve with a bit of remaining cooked sauce. If entertaining, you can take an attractive dish from oven to table and serve it family-style.
Soy-Sauce Baked Chicken Breasts
1/4 cup fat-free chicken broth
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp. toasted (or roasted) sesame oil
4 cloves garlic
11/2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro leaves
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 4-6 oz. each
Combine all ingredients in a medium plastic container with a lid or resealable plastic bag and marinate in refrigerator at least six hours or overnight. Follow directions for baking chicken at left.
Simple Cooking Technique No. 3: Foil Wrap
To impress your guests (or yourself), bake your chicken in individual foil-wrapped packets. This creates very tender pieces of chicken, easy to serve and clean up.
To Cook: If you wish to marinate chicken, do so in advance. When ready to cook, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Tear a piece of aluminum foil large enough to create a tent around each chicken breast, about a 12x18-inch sheet of foil for each breast. Place foil flat and put a chicken breast in the center. Spoon one-fourth of remaining marinade over breast and fold sides up over breast so they meet. Fold the ends over twice, leaving space inside for air circulation. Then fold top and bottom of packet together, double-folding the ends again. Repeat with remaining breasts. Place packets on a cookie sheet or baking pan and bake 20-25 minutes or until breasts are no longer pink inside.
Gift-Wrapped Mandarin Chicken
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup canned mandarin oranges with juice (unsweetened)
3 Tbsp. frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
2 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp. orange honey (or any honey)
2 tsp. chili-garlic sauce (found in international section of most major grocery stores)
1/2 Tbsp. roasted sesame oil
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, 4-6 oz. each
In a medium plastic or glass container with a lid, whisk together all ingredients except the chicken. Add chicken, submerging it in marinade. Cover and marinate in refrigerator at least six hours or overnight. Follow instructions for foil-wrap cooking at left.
Simple Cooking Technique No. 4: Ground and Sautéed
Ground chicken breast offers endless options for seasonings, cooking methods and recipe combinations. Butchers at most major grocery stores will grind boneless, skinless breasts for you for free; just ask. Or you can do it yourself, cutting breasts into 1-inch chunks, then grinding them in seconds in a food processor fitted with a chopping blade.
To Cook: If you're craving tacos or chili, simply spray a nonstick frying pan with cooking spray and cook the meat, chopping it apart as it cooks, then season it. If a burger is your preference, add your favorite ingredients to ground chicken and cook it over medium-high heat in a nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray. You can even make a Salisbury-type chicken steak like the one below.
Chicken-Peppered "Steak"
6 oz. ground chicken breast
1/4 cup cooked brown rice
5 tsp. minced fresh parsley, divided
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup burgundy or other red wine
1 Tbsp. fresh-squeezed lemon juice
Nonstick cooking spray
In a large bowl, mix the chicken, rice, 4 tsp. parsley and salt. Form a 1-inch-thick, oval-shaped steak. Season with pepper and press it into steak on all sides. Spray a small nonstick pan with cooking spray and place over high heat. When hot, add steak. Sear steak on one side until browned, then flip and sear the other side. Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking until no longer pink inside (approximately 4-5 minutes per side). Remove steak from pan; cover to keep warm. Add wine to the pan and increase heat to high, scraping any pan drippings as liquid begins to boil. Continue to boil wine until reduced by half. Stir in lemon juice, then pour mixture over steak. Top with remaining parsley and serve.
Marinades
Whenever possible, a homemade marinade is the way to go. Not only can you control the chemical and sodium content and opt for more natural ingredients, but they also tend to taste better. Besides, store-bought marinades are often loaded with fat and sodium or are full of sugar, as our test shoppers found. We purchased several that seemed nutritionally sound, but when we returned to our test kitchen, we were highly disappointed with the results. After trying more than 20 varieties, we found only three tasty enough to mention:
- Consorzio Jamaican Jerk 10-Minute Marinade (we thought it tasted much better marinated overnight)
- Classico Italian Garlic & Herb EZ Marinader (new marinade in a bag)
- Jack Daniel's Mesquite EZ Marinader (new marinade in a bag)
Rubs
Though less prevalent at most grocery stores than marinades, rubs deliver a greater success rate. With the exception of a few that listed salt as the first ingredient, we found a number that were great. When choosing a rub, read the ingredient list and search for herbs that you know you like. To add extra moisture to chicken, rub each breast with about 1/2 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil before seasoning it with rub. Our testers really liked:
- Emeril's Chicken Rub
- McCormick Rotisserie Chicken Seasoning (this one has salt as the first ingredient)
- Stubb's Rosemary-Ginger Spice Rub
Food Safety
1) Never eat or even taste an uncooked marinade that contains or has had any contact with uncooked chicken (or any raw meat). Discard any remaining marinade that isn't cooked.
2) Be sure to wash your hands and all cutting boards, plates, utensils, etc., that have touched raw chicken or its juices. Never return cooked chicken to the plate that held raw chicken without washing the plate first.
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