How to Cook Chicken Breasts

Chicken breast is among the healthiest meats available, lower in cholesterol and fat than many other kinds of meat and versatile enough to be used in an infinite number of recipes. A few cooking hints can help to prevent your chicken breasts from becoming dry, stringy and tough.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Use dry heat cooking methods to prepare chicken breasts, such as roasting, frying, grilling, sautéing and baking. When using dry heat, cook your chicken on high heat for about 8 to 10 minutes. To ensure that the meat cooks evenly, pound the chicken breasts until all pieces are an even thickness.

2. Cook with moist heat methods, such as poaching, baking in parchment paper, steaming, slow cooking or even microwaving. When cooking chicken breasts with moist heat, it is best to use a lower temperature and cook for about 15 minutes.

3. Keep chicken breast moist and juicy by brining before you cook. To brine chicken breast, place thawed meat in salt water and refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

4. Make sure that your cooked meat is free from bacteria by using a meat thermometer as you cook. Chicken must reach at least 160 degrees Fahrenheit to ensure that all bacteria has been killed; however, do not cook higher than 170 degrees, or you will end up with very dry chicken.

Tips & Warnings

• While microwaving chicken is quick and easy, microwave ovens tend to heat the meat unevenly, meaning that you may need to overcook some parts of the chicken breast to ensure that other parts reach 160 degrees. To keep meat moist in the microwave, place it in a dish with buttermilk, cooking on high for 3 minutes, flipping the meat and repeating for another 3 minutes. If the meat is still not completely cooked, continue flipping and cooking in 30 second increments and then discard the buttermilk before seasoning and serving.
• It is not recommended that people with compromised immune systems or children under 5 each chicken breast which has been cooked in a microwave, as it is difficult to ensure even temperatures to kill bacteria.

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