Cook Chicken Breast

Chicken is an all-around versatile dish and there are many ways of cooking it. More often than not, you will not go wrong when you cook chicken at home. The favorite cut of chicken meat is chicken breast. Now if you think cooking chicken breast is a rocket science, then you are mistaken. It is actually very simple.

There are many different ways of cooking chicken breast. The methods are broadly classified under two categories, namely dry heat cooking and moist heat cooking. The methods that fall under dry heat include baking, roasting, grilling, sauting and deep frying, whereas methods like microwaving, poaching, baking in parchment, steaming and slow cooking fall under moist heat cooking.

The basic rule of thumb never to be forgotten is that, when you use moist heat, use low heat for a longer period of time and when you use dry heat, use high heat and cook for a shorter period of time. If you cook the chicken on high heat, when you use moist heat, chances are high, that the chicken will melt in the liquid you use to cook it. However, if you cook it, on high heat for a longer period of time, then the chicken breast will become very dry and you may not be able to eat it. So that you have juicy, moist chicken breast, it is recommended, you brine it, before cooking. To brine chicken breast, place thawed chicken breast in a solution of salt and water for about an hour in the refrigerator before cooking.

Healthy Ways to Cook Chicken Breast

A chicken breast with bone weighing about 6 to 8 oz, you will require 30 to 40 minutes to roast at 170 degrees Fahrenheit and about 10 to 15 minutes to grill. If you use chicken breast without the bone, at 160 degrees Fahrenheit, you will need 20 to 30 minutes to roast and 6 to 8 minutes to grill about 4 oz of chicken breast.

In Oven
This is one of my favorite recipes of cooking chicken breast and also one of the most healthiest.

Ingredients

• Chicken Breast 8
• Onions (sliced) 2
• Tomato Soup (condensed) 1 cup
• Water cup
• Vinegar 3 tbsp
• Worcestershire Sauce 2 tbsp
• Cinnamon tsp
• Paprika 1 tsp
• Black Pepper tsp
• Chili Powder 1 tsp
• Cloves tsp

Method

• Combine onion slices, tomato soup, water, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, cinnamon, paprika, black pepper, chili powder and cloves in a sauce pan.
• Bring all the ingredients to a boil, but do not forget to stir occasionally.
• Arrange the chicken breast pieces in a oven-proof cookware.
• Pour the sauce, you just made over the chicken.
• Cover the chicken breast for about an hour at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Check if the chicken breast is cooked.
• If not cover again and let it cook for another 15 to 20 minutes.
• If you want drier chicken breast, then remove the cover during the last 15 minutes of cooking.

In Crockpot
I often used this method, when I want to have chicken breast for dinner. To cook chicken in a crockpot, you can either use chicken broth or use water. Depending on the availability, I make use of either one of them.

Ingredients

• Skinless, Boneless Chicken Breast (split) 3
• Cream of Mushroom Soup 1 can
• Onion (chopped) 1
• Garlic (minced) 3 cloves
• Mushrooms 1 can
• White Wine cup
• Salt and Pepper as per taste

Method

• Layer the chicken breast at the bottom of the slow cooker.
• Spread salt and pepper on the pieces, as per taste.
• In a sauce pan, combine cream of mushroom soup, chicken broth and wine and bring it to a rapid boil.
• Then pour the sauce over the chicken pieces.
• Drain the mushrooms and top the chicken pieces with the mushrooms.
• Add garlic and onion and set the crockpot on high for about 30 minutes.
• Reduce the heat to low (however, do not keep it on keep warm) and let the chicken pieces cook for about 7 to 8 hours.
• Stir before serving.

Since both the methods to cook chicken breast that I have mentioned above do not make use of any oil, according to me these are the best methods of cooking chicken breast. If you want you can certainly add other spices to the chicken as well. Both of them go very well with rice and also with noodles. I hope you enjoy cooking chicken breast, as much as I do.