How do you prepare your chicken breasts?

[Dreamchaser]

I hope this doesn't get moved to the recipe board. So many of us rely on chicken breasts so much! We had a thread like this a long time ago on the main board and it was great, had tons of responses. Wish I would have copied it. I love to hear all the different ways everyone makes their chicken. When I cook them on the stove they get tough, not tender and juicy. And my george foreman grill doesn't help either. So I'm looking for some new ideas

[Dreamchaser]

bump

[Kellyann]

I do split chicken breasts brush the skin with olive oil and then season and bake at 350 for an hour. Yummy!

[Butterflymama]

I soak them in either Italian dressing or olive oil and some seasonings, then throw them on the grill. When they're almost done, I take them off, cut "pockets" in them, and stuff them with a mixture of cream cheese, butter, spices, and shredded cheese that has been mixed together, made into a log, wrapped in plastic wrap and placed in the freezer for at least 30 minutes, then sliced into disks. Throw them back on the grill for a few minutes, until the chicken is done and the cheese has melted. I got the original idea from the recipe room, and now I modify it with whatever seasonings I'm in the mood for. Yummy!

[Dreamchaser]

Thanks Kellyann that sounds good. I was thinking I probably needed to bake them in the oven to get them more tender.

Do they turn out nice and tender that way?

What kind of seasonings do you like?

[AEZ]

I like mine with some french style green beans and ranch dressing- bake as normal YUM!

[Dreamchaser]

Butterfly - That sounds awesome! How long do you soak them?

I use olive oil all of the time for vegetables and eggs. I can't believe I never thought to use it with chicken breasts. I bet that must help them a lot with tenderness!

[Dreamchaser]

Originally posted by AEZ
I like mine with some french style green beans and ranch dressing- bake as normal YUM!

When you say bake as normal, how exactly do you bake yours?

[Tall_Texan]

Here's what I do with chicken breasts. First off, I buy the pre-frozen ones in the bag, so you can take them out one at a time. Those have a salt solution in them so they are more tender, but they are by no means salty (I use salt very little).

If I do buy fresh chicken breasts, I usually pound them with a meat mallet (cover with plastic wrap first) to make them tender.

My two favorite ways to cook them are:

Heat a heavy skillet, add olive oil. Seson the chicken breasts however you like -I use Cajun seasoning. Brown the CB's for just a couple minutes on each side and then place in a 350 degree oven until done, 5-10 minutes. You wouldn't believe how good these come out.

The other way is dredged in parmesan cheese and lightly fried. YUMMM!

Another thing I do with them is cut them into bite size chunks and skillet-cook them. These are good for stir-fry or making a casserole such as broccoli chicken alfredo.

Enjoy!!

[Catheryn]

I always marinate chicken in some type of oil and vinegar salad dressing. Then throw it on the grill. Lately, I have been grilling many breasts at a time, then individually wrapping them with my food saver, then throwing them in the freezer. When I want to make a grilled chicken salad fast, I just pull one out and pop it into the microwave. You cannot compare this with the packaged pre-made chicken strips. They are awesome!

[French]

A LOT of people overcook boneless/skinless chix breasts. I have finally figured out that I don't dislike them...I was overcooking them.

I usually sprinkle cajun seasoning on mine, put in a 350 degree preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes (maybe 25 if they are real big). They come out juicy and not the least bit dry. You should not need more than 25 minutes.

[Kissyfur19]

I made Mozzerella chicken the other night and it was AWESOME!!

Heat some olive oil & crushed garlic in a pan. Satue whole chick breast until brown on both sides. Remove chicken from pan, but keep warm. Add a couple of chopped mushrooms to the pan and saute until tender.

Place chicken back in the pan, and cover with mushrooms. Smother with shredded mozzerella cheese and put lid (or piece of foil) over pan until cheese is melted.

Serve immediately!

[barbjgrant]

Since I just started the program today, I haven't tried the following wonderful sounding way to fix chicken breasts, but one of my co-workers who is eating low-carb says:

Flatten a chicken breast (by pounding it); put a chunk of cream cheese on the chicken and roll it; season it with favorite seasonings; wrap with two strips of bacon and bake it in pan covered with foil @ 350 degrees for about 25-30 minutes - remove foil and broil until bacon is crispy.

She says it is very good.

Pogie

[Dreamchaser]

Thanks everybody, TERRIFIC ideas! Keep em comin!

[Kokoloko]

I buy the thin cutlets and season them with a all purpose seasoner then make a spinach and feta cheese mixture roll them with a tooth pick brush with olive oil, them either, bake, fry or rill. All depends on my mood.

[curliegirl]

I put the chicken breast in a pan (lined with foil) then cover liberally with ranch dressing - then cover with shredded mozzerella cheese. Cover pan with foil then bake for 40 minuts at 350 degrees.
The ranch and cheees almost make an alfredo sauce - very rich tasting.

[BlondieLJ]

I like mine either baked with Ranch dressing on them. (Put in pan, cover with ranch dressing and bake at 375 until done). Or a marinade and bake with low carb italian dressing. I also love frying them up with low carb teriaki sauce. (I think it is atkins brand). For the last one I usually get the tenders rather than full breasts.

[Dreamchaser]

bump

[choirmom3]

All these ideas sound great.

I like to pound my chicken breast or buy tenderloins. I marinate them in homemade teriakyi sauce (olive oil, soy sauce, garlic, pepper, lemon juice, and ginger) and then I grill it or broil it.

I try to buy the fattest chicken breasts possible. Then, I make a little pocket in them and stuff them with pepperoni and mozzarella cheese. I cover them with some low carb pizza sauce/maranara sauce and some more mozzarella and italian spices. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. They're just like little pizza pockets! Mmmmmm.....too bad I already had dinner tonight.

[Cathy in NY]

I pound them thin, marinate with fresh crushed garlic, italian parcely and x-virgin olive oil, salt and fresh ground pepper for 2-8 hours. Then grill in a grill pan, 2 minutes on each side. YUMMY the family loves them. You can also put them on outside grill . WORD OF CAUTION----- DON"T OVER COOK THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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I bake split breasts with broth, onion, celery, and top with paprika. I bake until tender.

[Idaholace]

I have one idea I haven't seen on this thread.
I brown them with my favorite seasonings which is seasoned salt and Monterey steak seasoning.
Just before they are done, I pour about a cup of salsa on top and let them simmer for about 3-4 more minutes.

wonderful.......

[livinlarge]

I buy the chicken tenderloins, dip em in egg, roll em in crushed pork rinds and fry in olive oil.

Fried Chicken!!!! Even my BF & son like it that way!

[Dreamchaser]

FABULOUS ideas!

[Yaylocarber]

I buy hickory or mesquite wood chips, put a couple cups of them in a plastic bag and fill with water -- also add a few wooden skewers sometimes. Let them soak for a few hours.

Take chicken breasts or other meats, season them ready for outdoor grilling.

Drain the wood chips and spread out evenly on about a 20" length of foil. Cover with another piece of foil and crimp edges. Poke holes all over the top of the package and place it on top of hot charcoals or gas bricks. It will smoke like crazy.

Add your chicken and meats. Make up kebabs -- I like to do shrimp kebabs when grilling like this and marinate them in olive oil, garlic and parsley before grilling. Afterwards, vacuum seal individual servings of leftovers and toss in freezer.

[LeslieZ]

I buy Perdue frozen breasts or tenderloins......cook them on the foreman grill (do not thaw before cooking) spray with olive oil pam and sprinkle McCormick's Lemon and Herb seasoning (0 carbs) I turn it over and sprinkle the seasoning more than once while cooking. I think that because the chicken is frozen to start it helps to keep the juices in....this is the most tender and delicious way I have found yet. It is unbelieveable how juicy it is. It takes just a few more minutes than fresh chicken. Great in a ceasar salad!!

[jezzie]

I only make breasts with the skin. I bake them coated with butter, paprika, and garlic. Sometimes I add some chili powder.
~jezzie

[keelysmom2000]

Recipe calls for chicken thighs...but I use it on any kind of chicken, including breasts! Nutrition info at bottom was calculated using thighs

Bacon Mushroom chicken
Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter, melted
4 chicken thighs with skin on
1 teaspoon seasoning salt
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 thick slices bacon
1/2 cup mushrooms, halved
1/4 cup heavy cream

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Pour melted butter into a 9x13 inch baking dish. Add chicken, skin side down; sprinkle with seasoning salt and garlic. Turn chicken over, season, and lay bacon strips on top. Sprinkle with mushrooms.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes to 60 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.
4. Remove chicken, bacon and mushrooms to a platter and keep warm. Pour juices from baking dish into a small saucepan and whisk together with cream over low heat until thickened. Pour sauce over chicken and serve warm.

I calculated about 278 calories, 23g fat, 2 carbs, and 17g protein

[Kellyann]

Originally posted by Dreamchaser
Thanks Kellyann that sounds good. I was thinking I probably needed to bake them in the oven to get them more tender.

Do they turn out nice and tender that way?

What kind of seasonings do you like?

Sorry it took me so long to get back to you. The split breasts are more tender too because they are on the bone and have skin. They are really juicy. I used to not eat chicken on a bone but I got over it. I luv hot wings and now split breasts too. I still don't like legs and thighs though. Seasonings....I really like this stuff called Grill Mates - Montreal Chicken seasoning by McCormick I think. If I am out of that I will do salt, pepper, poultry seasoning and maybe some garlic. I am one too experiment too. I have done rosemary, minced onion, chipolte pepper. My fav though is the just the olive oil and that grill mates stuff. The Grill Mates steak seasoning is really yummy too. With boneless breasts I have to marinade them. They are just too dry. When I get home from the food store I will seperate them into ziplocs with marinade and freeze them that way.....or I will defrost them overnight in marinade. I will marinade in some salad dressing or whatever lawry's or other marinades I bought that week and dh throws them on the BBQ grill. I have done chicken cutlets and fingers with minced onion, sesame seeds and keto crumbs. That was yummy too!