NPR-what to do with chicken breasts?

lilpiglet

I have chilcken breasts to make for dinner tonight, but have no idea what to do with them!  any suggestions? I don't think I have time to marinate them in anything, which is usually what I do.  anything "different" I can do with them? 

neesernicole

This is the recipe that people were going ga-ga over a few months ago (I have yet to try it):

1 lb Chicken Breasts (frozen is fine)
1 can corn (not creamed and frozen corn is a-okay)
1 can black beans
1 jar salsa
 
Throw it all in the crock pot and put on high for 4 hrs, stirring occasionally. Drop in a brick of cream cheese (or a couple of spoonfuls of sour cream) and let it melt for about 20 min. Stir and serve over rice.

JodiandMickey

You can stuff them. We pound out chicken breasts (or you could slice them kind of like a pita) and then put in anything you have in the house and roll them up. We've done ham and swiss, veggies and seasonings, pepperoni and cheese with sauce on top. The possibilities are endless.

joseysbride

I like to pound them and then roll a mozerella cheese stick (string cheese) in them.  Secure with a toothpick, and then roll it in egg and breadcrumbs + italian seasoning.  Bake 400 for 30 minutes, and serve it with pasta and marinara sauce.

AnnapolisLari

Joseys, that sounds good.

emilykristene2006

joseysbride:

I like to pound them and then roll a mozerella cheese stick (string cheese) in them.  Secure with a toothpick, and then roll it in egg and breadcrumbs + italian seasoning.  Bake 400 for 30 minutes, and serve it with pasta and marinara sauce.

Saving this for later. Yum!

Halo79RN

the possibilities are definitely endless! 

 my "quick fire"  chicken recipe....  saute garlic in butter.... butterfly the chicken pieces in half... dip to coat in the garlic butter, then dip to coat in equal parts breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese.  bake at 350 for 45min. yum. 

 

if you have lemon juice handy.. equal parts lemon juice/olive oil... honey (optional), salt, pepper, thyme.  marinade chicken in it.. then broil or bake .

 

dice the chicken breasts, saute with onion and peppers.... add diced tomatoes, salt, pepper, a little red pepper, parsley.   serve over rice

 

wrap with bacon, pour equal parts cream of mushroom and milk/cream (well blended first) over it... bake at 350 for an hour.

 

bake with bbq sauce over it... then cool, dice, top on pizza dough with mozzarella and a drizzle of the bbq sauce and a little cilantro or parsley...

 

dice, saute with onion and garlic until brown.  remove.  add a little flour to the drippings ... make a roux until med brown like a nut color.  add a little broth to make gravy, salt and pepper to taste... return the chicken, serve over rice or egg noodles.

boil and then shred... make enchiladas or chicken salad or chicken tacos or chicken quesidillas.  

 

 

neesernicole

AnnapolisLari:

Joseys, that sounds good.

no freakin joke! yum

lilpiglet

oh my gosh.. thanks everyone!!  I never really thought you could do that much with chicken!! all i ever did was marinade and bake/grill which is how I grew up eating chicken!!! I def. need to try all these recipes!

JOEBunny

I did quick chicken parm last night.  Cook the chicken however you want, boiling is fastest.  Mix with tomato sauce in a baking dish, top with cheese and bread crumbs mixed with a little butter, and bake on 350 for about 30 minutes until heated through.  I use salt free tomato sauce mixed with a can of salt free tomato paste and some fresh herbs to cut down on the sodium in jarred sauce,  but you can use the jarred kind.  Serve over pasta.

lilpiglet

another question... how do you pound out chicken?? do i need to freeze it first???

AggieCouple

Whatever you decide to do,  brine the breasts for about 1/2 hour first.  It's super easy; just dissolve 1/4 cup salt in 4 cups of water in a plastic bag.  Drop breasts in and refrigerate for 1/2 hour.  I have found this has made a huge difference in the tenderness (since breasts tend to be less tender than dark meat), and it seasons the meat throughout, not just on the surface.  Make sure to pat dry thoroughly with paper towels before continuing.

 Breaded chicken cutlets: If you have some left over bread, run through a small food processor, and sit out to dry.  Season crumbs with salt and pepper.  Pound breasts to about 1/4 inch thickness, and cut into serving sizes (pounding will make it really big).  Dip breasts in flour, then beaten egg, then press into crumbs, both sides.  Cook in hot (but not smoking) olive oil, 3-4 minutes each side.  I serve as is, and the family loves it, and use the leftovers to make chicken sandwiches, chick-fil-a style (buttered and grilled buns, a few pickles).  With all the pounding, I end up with about 12 pieces out of 3 breasts, so lots of leftovers.

Or I sometimes just cook it in olive oil without breading it and make a piccata sauce.  Add white wine to the pan after cooking the chicken, scraping bits up.  Add juice from 2-3 lemons, and a little bit of chicken broth.  Simmer until reduced by half.  You can add a flour/butter roux to this to thicken it, but I don't always.  Add in a Tbsp or so of capers and parsley and spoon over chicken.  Easy, quick and so yummy!

Or, cut up into bite size pieces and saute with onions, green beans and tomatoes.  Serve over rice.

 

Jaylea

We're having Garlic Cheddar Chicken tonight - from allrecipes.com

Sometimes I stuff chicken:  asparagus and swiss or goat cheese, ham and cheese (for cordon bleu), spinach and cream cheese, stuffing

Last week I cut some into chunks, breaded and broiled for quick "nuggets"

Marinate and grill

Cut into chunks and cook through, then add peppers and onions, and then sauce. Serve over pasta.

AggieCouple

To pound chicken, I cover the breasts with plastic wrap (on a cutting board), and pound with a meat tenderizer (the flat side).  If you don't have one, just use any sturdy object.  Before I got a tenderizer, I used a rolling pin.

 The chicken needs to be defrosted before pounding. 

I actually find it easier if I cut the chicken first, into about 4 pieces.  Some people pound first, but I find it's harder to get the middle to flatten out.  If you do cut first, separate the breast tender and do that by itself, as it will tend to fall off the breast during pounding.

MayorMcCheese000

bookmarking

peekaboo716

lilpiglet:

oh my gosh.. thanks everyone!!  I never really thought you could do that much with chicken!! all i ever did was marinade and bake/grill which is how I grew up eating chicken!!! I def. need to try all these recipes!

Me either! I need to get more creative in my chicken cooking recipes.

penguingrrl

I love to steam in foil packets, which is incredibly healthy, fast and tasty.

Make a big square of foil that can form a full packet around the thin-sliced breast.  Then wrap it up and pound down so it's air-tight.

Before closing the packet add either:

A pat of butter, a slice of lemon,  parsley, oregano, salt and pepper

or:

a tiny splash of olive oil and parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme, s&p

Put in preheated oven (350) and wait for foil packets to puff, only takes a few minutes.  Serve over brown rice.

MrsOlson

sfl

r9stedt

SFL

Purrrfect433

My favorite chicken dish is Glorified Chicken.

4 half-breasts

2 tbsp margarine or butter

1 can condensed cream of chicken soup

 

Preheat oven to 350. Put breast-halves in a baking dish and pour 2 tbsp. melted margarine/butter over and around them. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Pull out, flip breasts, then spoon condensed soup on top and around chicken breast. Cook for additional 20 minutes.

Serve over/with rice or egg noodles.