Chicken Breasts
- Thread starter Dan N.
- Start date
Steve Abrams
TVWBB Pro
For white meat I'd suggest a brine of some sort. You could try the Italian dressing marinade but keep it short. I've had chicken breast take the taste od the dressing.
Gary Michael
TVWBB Pro
For sure brine, possibilities are endless. I start out w/ the basic...gallon of water, 1/2-3/4 salt, 1/2 cup brown sugar. I have added beer, orange-pineapple juice, various spices etc...really adds tremendous flavor to the meat. After you pull from the brine, I let them air dry for awhile in the fridge, put a little salt on the skin to dry it out a bit. oil and rub. I prefer thighs but when done correctly breasts are great...no pun
K Kruger
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Personally I'd skip the sugar. A couple accents in the brine are fine. You can marinate post-brining. If you do a little sauce bath the chicken will pick up sweetness there. Caramelize the sauce; even, rich color with no black. A few highs in the upfront profile. And no way I'd use mass-market chicken, especially if doing breasts (but I don't use it for anything). Get chicken with flavor.
Juat a few thoughts...
Juat a few thoughts...
dsitterson
TVWBB Super Fan
What is mass market like publix?
Mike R. (Heyworth)
TVWBB Pro
I use Alton Brown's recipe for an orange juice brine, simple and cheap, and really does a nice job. I've done breasts 7 times now with it, and every time they were excellent. You can find it on foodnetwork.com...or right below:
Alton Brown Orange Juice Brine
1 qt vegetable stock, chilled (regular, not low sodium - that's important)
1/2 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 tsp black peppercorns (I usually use more like 1 tbsp, but I like pepper)
2 bay leaves
1 qt. orange juice, chilled
2 qts. ice water
Bring 2 cups of the stock, the salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, and bay leaves to a boil. Dissolve the sugar and salt, and cut the fire. Add in the remaining stock, orange juice, and ice water. Once the brine has cooled to 40F or under, add the meat and keep in a cold place (under 40F). Brine for 8-48 hours.
I use more pepper and more bay leaves, but otherwise I keep it the same, and it is very tasty and makes a beautifully juicy bird. I've soaked for 24 hours and 48 hours, I would stick with 24, gets a hair orangy after 48, not a bad taste, just odd I think.
Alton Brown Orange Juice Brine
1 qt vegetable stock, chilled (regular, not low sodium - that's important)
1/2 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 tsp black peppercorns (I usually use more like 1 tbsp, but I like pepper)
2 bay leaves
1 qt. orange juice, chilled
2 qts. ice water
Bring 2 cups of the stock, the salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, and bay leaves to a boil. Dissolve the sugar and salt, and cut the fire. Add in the remaining stock, orange juice, and ice water. Once the brine has cooled to 40F or under, add the meat and keep in a cold place (under 40F). Brine for 8-48 hours.
I use more pepper and more bay leaves, but otherwise I keep it the same, and it is very tasty and makes a beautifully juicy bird. I've soaked for 24 hours and 48 hours, I would stick with 24, gets a hair orangy after 48, not a bad taste, just odd I think.
As I understand it, mass market is any major producer including nearly all store branded chicken. I now only use a local natural producer (available at Royal Oak Farmer's Market) or Bell & Evans. B&E use "air chilled" method in processing which acts to retain much more flavor IMHO. Do a Google on them - their web site describes the process nicely. No question in my mind that the taste is markedly superior.
K Kruger
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Don Irish:
As I understand it, mass market is any major producer including nearly all store branded chicken. I now only use a local natural producer (available at Royal Oak Farmer's Market) or Bell & Evans. B&E use "air chilled" method in processing which acts to retain much more flavor IMHO. Do a Google on them - their web site describes the process nicely. No question in my mind that the taste is markedly superior. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>Agreed. At the very least I get naturally fed, air-chilled chickens. (Publix has them, d, btw.) I prefer free-range small farm but can only get those in some places.
As I understand it, mass market is any major producer including nearly all store branded chicken. I now only use a local natural producer (available at Royal Oak Farmer's Market) or Bell & Evans. B&E use "air chilled" method in processing which acts to retain much more flavor IMHO. Do a Google on them - their web site describes the process nicely. No question in my mind that the taste is markedly superior. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>Agreed. At the very least I get naturally fed, air-chilled chickens. (Publix has them, d, btw.) I prefer free-range small farm but can only get those in some places.
Scott T (Odirom)
TVWBB Fan
my suggestion:
48 blade meat tenderizer.
Works wonders on chicken...like you wouldn't believe...
48 blade meat tenderizer.
Works wonders on chicken...like you wouldn't believe...
K Kruger
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Not a fan of a Jaccard for chicken either. Ruins the texture. Most chicken is virtually already tender because it is harvested so young. Not overcooking will give you tender, moist results. If making paillards or the like one has no choice but to pound, but a battacarne is better here, not a Jaccard--imo, of course.
