oh please help! i baked some (good quality) chicken breasts w/ carb free seasoning ...
brought them for lunch today. heated them up ... and they are SO dry i am practically choking to swallow them!
i don't get it ... i don't over-bake them. how can i make sure the chicken remains somewhat moist??

Atkins since 1/6/04
152/143/130

I've had the same problem in the past, but last night I just added some butter inbetween the chicken (swirled it around when it melted, and made sure there was a small amount on the bottom always), and it turned out great! Try this, along with carefully watching for doneness and I think you'll like it.

Remember I Cor. 13 - charity never faileth.

I have trouble with dry baked chicken too, not anymore tho since I always cook it in a cooking bag. It is so moist & yummy. If I cook it in the pan on the stove I use Pam to coat the skillet, then once the chicken is browned sufficiently I add small amounts of water to the skillet to steam in some moisture. Seems to work.

Renee

My grandma used to do this:

place the breasts on a large piece of foil. Put either butter or a small amount of broth or marinade over them. Close up the foil so that it is sealed.

Now bake as you normally would.

The chicken comes out moist and tasty every time!

And, if you want something to do with the dried out chicken, here's what I did once and it came out REALLY good:

place dried up chicken in a food processor, and chop until it is very very fine, almost like a meal.

Now, add some egg, grated parmesaen and italian seasoning, and spread in the bottom of a pan that has been sprayed with olive oil spray, and bake until just brown. Use as the crust for low carb pizza!

No kidding, it really tastes good!

Breast meat always gets done before dark meat.
Until you know how hot your oven cooks, check the white pieces at 20min w/ a food thermometer and take out when it gets to 180.

Chicken breasts are very lean, which is why it's so easy to overcook them - even a tiny bit will make them dry!

If you're going to oven-cook them, I'd suggest marinating first to allow them to absorb some additional moisture and fat. Use a nice quality olive oil and whatever seasonings you like.

I always do mine in the George Foreman grill these days - since it cooks top & bottom at the same time, it seals in the moisture. They always come out moist and tender!

Char

Being "over the hill" is much better than being under it....

I don't think the problem is that you over cooked them, but if you microwaved them to warm today, that's when they dry out.

I would suggest a few things to try. Dampen (very lightly) a paper towel and wrap the chicken with it. It should help add a steam effect.

The other is to cover your dish with plastic wrap, add a few drops of liquid before you microwave. Make sure you put a vent hole in the plastic.

this is great! thanks for all of the helpful tips.
you guys are fabulous!

Oh Chicken Jerky...my husband who should stay OUT of the kitchen does that a lot!

So He's the one that gets to eat the dry chicken! LOL!

I love my Hamilton Beach counter top grill. Like Charski said the chicken cooks FAST and on both sides and comes out very moist. Best of all no waste of heating up the oven! Then I cut it up, put it in a ziplock bag with either LC teriaki sauce or LC Bar-B-Q sauce and mix it all around in the bag and it is ready to add to salads, LC tortilla wraps or stir frys!

In terms of having a baggie full of cooked chicken breasts ready to eat, I like to slow simmer mine in water, lemon, and thyme. I drop the chicken breasts in the water, crank the heat to high. As soon as it starts boiling, turn the heat off and put a lid on it. Let the chicken breasts sit in the slowly cooling liquid for about an hour and they’ll perfect. If they’re really large breasts, they may need to sit for an extra 30 minutes.

After that, you’re ready for lots of flavors….

Chinese with soy sauce, ginger, garlic, almonds, sesame oil
Mexican with cumin, coriander, guacamole, cheese, cilantro, mole
Italian with sauted peppers, onions, olive oil and parmesan
Indian with onions, coconut milk and curry
Thai with coconut milk, cilantro, hot chilis, peanuts and fish sauce
Hungarian with sour cream and paprika

You get the idea! The list goes on.

Chicken is a terrific “canvas” with which you can paint just about any flavor!

Member since 2001

Spring is Coming

I never bake my chicken i have an electric grill. Not like George Forman grill ... but more like a big electric skilit w/ grill slats... i buy the indivdual boneless skinless ones i place 3-4 in the grill put lid on and place it at 350 i let it alone for about 10 min or till i hear sizzle not bubbling sound more of browning in stead of steaming... once it sears i turn over allow to sear agin then add about 1 -2 cups of water to my grill and cook them the rest of the way...
I make a wonder full creamy mushroom chicken by letting the water reduce down to about 1 cup worth (or 1/2 cup if less chicken). i then add sliced mushrooms and some LC white milk... if it does not thicken enough for your likeing you can add your favorite thickner


01/02/04-248
01/23/04-243
02/12/04-226
02/18/04-221

hey guys,
wanted to let you know that i baked some nice chicken breasts last nite, followed your advice and they turned out great!

i baked them w/ marinade AND butter in little bags/packets made out of foil. they practically fell apart when they were done. cooked all the way through and sooo moist!

thanks for all the tips!

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Carrie
SBD since 9/12/2005
Re-started 5/8/2006
My new journal: Just Breathe