Some tips for better tasting chicken!

The Doc · 05-10-2005, 05:53 AM

Completely defrost the chicken in the fridge and then remove it and pat it dry. Now this sounds strange but let the chicken get up to room temperature, this should take about an hour (I'll explain this below). Then dry it again and put it in a bowl with your marinade:

When you marinate you should typically use a fat (olive oil, peanut oil, hell use CLA), an acid (vinegar,lemon juice,lime juice, yogurt or even buttermilk), and some water w/spices, and then make an emulsion(shake it real good or put it in a blender/food processor). Meat typically will only absorb a marinade about 1/4 of an inch into to meat at most under ideal conditions (more in a vacuum). So you can see that the actual amount of oil is quite diluted with the other liquids and you're not adding a lot more fat to your chicken (which is almost too lean already for a lot of peoples tastes).

The classic ratio for a marinade is 3 to 1 (oil to other liquids), I know this sounds like a lot (especially in this forum ), but as you've already read above it's not all going in the chicken. If we were talking about injection marinades that's a whole different ratio/thread. You can use less oil if you want, the reason there's so much oil in classic marinades is to please the palatte. Your not getting a lot of liquid penetrating into the meat, so the little bit that does get in should have a higher concentration of oil to be more pleasing to the taste buds. This is up to you, if you like things tangy by all means reduce the oil and up the acid (do a 2 to 1 or a 1 to 1). Experiment and find the ratio you like, it's your mouth and your taste buds, you decide

For best results this should marinate for at least 2 hours but preferably over night (less if it's in a vacuum ). Once the the meat is marinated then you can commence to cook it with your preferred method until the internal temperature is 145 or the juices run clear when you prick the breast.
Now the reason for allowing the breast to come to room temp before marinating. Meat is affected by temperature in that when it is heated it expands and when it cools it contracts. So when it's warm it's cell are open more to the marinade, and as it cools it will contract/shrink-up and draw in more marinade than if the breast were at fridge temp the whole time. Now if you really want to almost completely infuse the meat you can brine it. Here's a post that explains how meat cells yearn for equalibrium and will balance out a sodium laden solution through osmosis:

If you soak chicken in water/spice/salt it will equalize sodium/spice level lwithin the meat and the solution,this is called brining. All meat yearns for an equilibrium through osmosis of it's cell. So if you soak a chicken breast in water for a few hours after it has been thawed it will eventually balance out the sodium/spice level in the water with the sodium level in the meat cells. Thus the more water you put the chicken in, the more diluted the sodium/spice flavor in the water will become. This should obviously be done in the fridge to prevent spoilage. For tuna this wouldn't take as long or need as much water since it's in pretty small pieces already
This also will work in the reverse capacity to remove salt from salted fish as well. this is called brining.

Here's a quick brining recipe that I use:

Brine:
1 lemon
1 quart very strong tea
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup kosher salt
8-10 chicken breasts

To make the brine: Zest, then quarter the lemon. Put the lemon zest and quarters in a saucepan. Add the tea, sugar, and salt. Simmer the mixture over medium-high heat until the salt and sugar dissolve. Add 1 quart of ice water and the chicken. Brine the chicken in the refrigerator for 48 hours. Drain the chicken and blot dry.

If you are really serious about marinating alot of your foods, but don't want to spend all the time and effort manipulating the meat for maximum penetration here's the trick:

http://www.target.com/gp/detail.htm...asin=B00029JKMI

Get yourself one of these for your culinary arsenal and you will not be sorry. This one is inexpensive but it will do the trick,you can marinate in minutes(30-40) instead of overnight. It also gives you way more marinade penetration and more flexibility with what you can use and still have success. When you marinate in a vacuum the meat cells expand unbelievably and suck in a ton of marinade (and even BBQ sauce). But the key is to buy one with the canisters because it encourages the meat to expand, whereas with the bags it shrink wraps the marinade onto it more than into it. I hope this helps a little

The Doc

craig57 · 05-10-2005, 05:59 AM

sounds very good but nah im not that much of a cook

i get the chicken outta the fridge, put it in the pan, cook it till done then put on a little sauce and theres one of my meals

**johnsbod** · 05-10-2005, 06:05 AM

The Doc, have you tried these with a sugar substitute or with no sugar? I'm just wondering how they taste that way. I'm always looking for a new way to cook chicken though. The same things get boring after a while.

The Doc · 05-13-2005, 12:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnsbod

The Doc, have you tried these with a sugar substitute or with no sugar? I'm just wondering how they taste that way. I'm always looking for a new way to cook chicken though. The same things get boring after a while.

I replace all sugar with Splenda and don't mind at all, and you can just call me Doc no need for formality

. I usually leave in the sweetener since it creates a good balance between all the flavors, but you can try it with and without and decide for yourself. Hey, those taste buds are yours, only you know what you like. Every recipe is just a basic guideline to give people different ideas for flavor combos and preparation methods, the final judgement is made in your mouth.

The Doc

05-10-2005, 05:53 AM	#1
The Doc Pro Stature Join Date: May 2005 Location: Lockport,NY Posts: 232 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 6	Some tips for better tasting chicken! Completely defrost the chicken in the fridge and then remove it and pat it dry. Now this sounds strange but let the chicken get up to room temperature, this should take about an hour (I'll explain this below). Then dry it again and put it in a bowl with your marinade: When you marinate you should typically use a fat (olive oil, peanut oil, hell use CLA), an acid (vinegar,lemon juice,lime juice, yogurt or even buttermilk), and some water w/spices, and then make an emulsion(shake it real good or put it in a blender/food processor). Meat typically will only absorb a marinade about 1/4 of an inch into to meat at most under ideal conditions (more in a vacuum). So you can see that the actual amount of oil is quite diluted with the other liquids and you're not adding a lot more fat to your chicken (which is almost too lean already for a lot of peoples tastes). The classic ratio for a marinade is 3 to 1 (oil to other liquids), I know this sounds like a lot (especially in this forum ), but as you've already read above it's not all going in the chicken. If we were talking about injection marinades that's a whole different ratio/thread. You can use less oil if you want, the reason there's so much oil in classic marinades is to please the palatte. Your not getting a lot of liquid penetrating into the meat, so the little bit that does get in should have a higher concentration of oil to be more pleasing to the taste buds. This is up to you, if you like things tangy by all means reduce the oil and up the acid (do a 2 to 1 or a 1 to 1). Experiment and find the ratio you like, it's your mouth and your taste buds, you decide For best results this should marinate for at least 2 hours but preferably over night (less if it's in a vacuum ). Once the the meat is marinated then you can commence to cook it with your preferred method until the internal temperature is 145 or the juices run clear when you prick the breast. Now the reason for allowing the breast to come to room temp before marinating. Meat is affected by temperature in that when it is heated it expands and when it cools it contracts. So when it's warm it's cell are open more to the marinade, and as it cools it will contract/shrink-up and draw in more marinade than if the breast were at fridge temp the whole time. Now if you really want to almost completely infuse the meat you can brine it. Here's a post that explains how meat cells yearn for equalibrium and will balance out a sodium laden solution through osmosis: If you soak chicken in water/spice/salt it will equalize sodium/spice level lwithin the meat and the solution,this is called brining. All meat yearns for an equilibrium through osmosis of it's cell. So if you soak a chicken breast in water for a few hours after it has been thawed it will eventually balance out the sodium/spice level in the water with the sodium level in the meat cells. Thus the more water you put the chicken in, the more diluted the sodium/spice flavor in the water will become. This should obviously be done in the fridge to prevent spoilage. For tuna this wouldn't take as long or need as much water since it's in pretty small pieces already This also will work in the reverse capacity to remove salt from salted fish as well. this is called brining. Here's a quick brining recipe that I use: Brine: 1 lemon 1 quart very strong tea 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup kosher salt 8-10 chicken breasts To make the brine: Zest, then quarter the lemon. Put the lemon zest and quarters in a saucepan. Add the tea, sugar, and salt. Simmer the mixture over medium-high heat until the salt and sugar dissolve. Add 1 quart of ice water and the chicken. Brine the chicken in the refrigerator for 48 hours. Drain the chicken and blot dry. If you are really serious about marinating alot of your foods, but don't want to spend all the time and effort manipulating the meat for maximum penetration here's the trick: http://www.target.com/gp/detail.htm...asin=B00029JKMI Get yourself one of these for your culinary arsenal and you will not be sorry. This one is inexpensive but it will do the trick,you can marinate in minutes(30-40) instead of overnight. It also gives you way more marinade penetration and more flexibility with what you can use and still have success. When you marinate in a vacuum the meat cells expand unbelievably and suck in a ton of marinade (and even BBQ sauce). But the key is to buy one with the canisters because it encourages the meat to expand, whereas with the bags it shrink wraps the marinade onto it more than into it. I hope this helps a little The Doc __________________ I do not have an M.D. or a Ph.D., Doc is a nickname, please don't ask me about your personal itching or psychological problems. A smart man learns from his own mistakes, a wise man learns from the mistakes of others. IAmShaman Shop

05-10-2005, 05:59 AM	#2
craig57 Amateur Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: ewa beach, HI Posts: 72 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 4	sounds very good but nah im not that much of a cook i get the chicken outta the fridge, put it in the pan, cook it till done then put on a little sauce and theres one of my meals __________________ to help the puny little kid from hawaii with protein and save some money for yourself use CRS706 as a discount code on trueprotein "..a time to break down, and a time to build up.." Ecclesiastes 3:3

05-10-2005, 06:05 AM	#3
johnsbod Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Vienna, Austria Posts: 2,733 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 60	The Doc, have you tried these with a sugar substitute or with no sugar? I'm just wondering how they taste that way. I'm always looking for a new way to cook chicken though. The same things get boring after a while. __________________ Wenn Sie Deutsch sprechen können, posten Sie hier. Misc Perv #69

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