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Canmore Ab. Canada | Chicken breast is a naturally tender cut of meat meaning that cooking toughens it.
Like a tenderloin in beef or pork they are naturally tender and if over cooked become tough unlike briskets or pork shoulders where the cooking and melting of the collagen tenderize the meat.
By the way there is a tenderloin in each chicken breast and if you look you can see it.
I do most of ours on the grill. It also keeps the smell outside.
I gently pound them flatter as the normal shaped chicken breast will be over cooked on about two thirds of the meat before the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. (A good instant read thermometer is a must.) Not real flat... just enough to even them out so the thickest part is near the thinner ends. Three quarters of an inch sort of thing.
I oil with a light oil like canola and season them according to the dish I am making.
A few hours in the fridge is helpful but not absolutely necessary.
Cook them on the grill at medium heat. Hot enough to get the browning on the outside you want but low enough to have the center cooked before you burn the outside.
You need 165 degrees F but not really any more.
LET THEM REST COVERED FOR 10 MINUTES BEFORE SLICING OR SERVING.
As with most all foods the danger zone is between 40 degrees F and 140 degrees F. Keep chicken out of that range as much as possible. Chicken can be dangerous... or at least the critters that live in it.
Good Luck. Dan... | |
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Tough chicken breast
