Chicken - the neglected meat

I answer a lot of questions on Yahoo Answers, with almost 25% getting voted in the top answers. Today I answered one about chicken (see below) and it got me thinking about the bad "wrap" chicken gets. Pork has come in as the other white meat, fish is on the up and up for its nutritional value, and where does that leave the old faithful chicken.

Chicken is the caregiver of the protein items. It can be shredded, stewed, baked, broiled, fried, topped, stuffed, or cooked in any other fashion. So why is it that we see chicken as boring?

I think chicken is a great standby. Making it moist and juicy are my two most important components. Chicken is a sponge - it can withstand hours of marinade or absorb it quickly. It is an easy go-to meal that - as long as there are no vegans or vegetarians - can please any palate.

I am a huge advocate for tenderizing chicken breasts, which is the meat I most often cook with. Why do this? Easy - chicken can turn out to be dry and tough unless cooked the right way. By tenderizing the meat, we allow a little "grace" period in our cooking. And you don't need a tenderizer mallet to do this. You can use a soup can on its side, a sauce pan, or even a coffee cup. Place the meat between two layers, plastic or wax, and tenderize it by hitting it multiple times. Tenderizing will allow the tendons of the meat to separate, thus creating a better texture for your cooking.

Once the meat is tenderized, it is up to you to decide the method you are going to use. Below are several lists of spice blends I use, but you can really do anything to the chicken. Chicken is that blank canvas that lend itself to what we have on hand or what we become inspired by at the market.

Add an Asian flair - Combine:
1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup hoisen sauce
1 tbs. rice wine vinegar - though if you don't have this - use another vinegar (not balsamic, though) or leave it out
1 tsp. zested (or minced) fresh ginger
1 tsp. zested (or minced) garlic

Reserve 3 tbs. of the marinade. Add 4 chicken breasts to the larger amount of marinade. Allow to marinade as long as you can - 20 minutes at the least and overnight at the most.

Cook in a 375F oven in an oven proof dish sprayed with nonstick spray or drizzled with olive oil. Cook in the oven for 25-35 minutes, depending on thickness of the tenderized meat.

Now, as for that 3tbs. reserved marinade - this will be a great sauce for your veggies. I would use something like cabbage, bok choy, and water chestnuts to stick with the Asian-American theme. However, you can use whatever veggies you want - from broccoli to spinach. Add 1/2 tsp. cornstarch to the marinade. Whisk. This will thicken the sauce once we add heat to it.

In a saute pan, drizzle olive, peanut, or sesame oil - really any oil you want - about 1 tbs. Add your veggie medley and saute. About 3 minutes before it is done - as this will change with your veggie choices - add the sauce, cook, stirring often. Remove from heat.

Plate the veggies alongside the chicken. Top with toasted peanuts, sesame seeds, or almonds if desired.



Question:
Slit chicken breast - ideas? I have a family pack of slit chicken breast. What are some suggestions on cooking this....

Cooking with Maggie Answer:

Well if they are "bone in"...

Preheat your oven to 375-400F. Season all sides of the meat. I use a combination of what I have on hand. This could range from an Italian blend - Italian seasoning, basil, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper - to a more middle eastern flare - turmeric, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper - or a hodgepodge of whatever you like. My favorite is salt, pepper, dill, and poultry seasoning. The poultry seasoning really flavors the meat, without you having to purchase 10 different spices. Its warm sage flavors mixed with ground, spices is a great mixture.

Take a cookie sheet, line with foil, spray foil with spray ( or you could use olive oil). Place chicken pieces on the foil, drizzle with olive or canola oil and cook, 40-55 minutes or until the meat is done. You could also turn the meat once if you so please. You will need to cook meat on the bone longer then boneless. Also, the sizes of the pieces really matters, as well. If you have all wings and legs, it will be shorter then breasts and thighs.


And if they are "boneless"...

Place each breast in a plastic bag or between two pieces of saran wrap. Next, tenderize the meat with either a meat tenderizer (looks like a hammer for the kitchen) or if you don't have that, use a heavy cup or a pan. The idea is to break up the tendons, creating lush, fork cutting, no knife needed, juicy chicken.

From here, it really doesn't matter what you do cause you cant do much wrong. When I am trying to eat healthier, I use spices such as cumin, paprika, dill, and celery salt to season the breasts on both sides. Remember that you can use any kind of combination you like or whatever is in your cabinet.

To cook, I use nonstick spray on a pan, sear each side for about 3 minutes over med-high heat, then add water or chicken broth to finish the cooking. When the chicken is cooked through, I have a great start to a pan gravy. Whisk in some butter and cornstarch and you have a gravy made while waiting for the meat to rest. You could always jazz up the gravy with mushrooms, onions, peppers, cream, or wine.