Cooking Basics

Trotter · 27-09-2004 1:40am #1

Having turned over a new leaf, food wise, Im trying to get fit and healthy by eating the right stuff.

I love chicken, and Im a 20 something bloke and I didnt inherit natural cooking genes!

Can anyone tell me this basic basic thing.. Whats the healthiest way to cook a boneless chicken fillet without it going dry, and..

How do I cook one, on its own, in the oven.

Thank Youuu!

Blub2k4 · 27-09-2004 12:44pm

Trotter wrote:

Having turned over a new leaf, food wise, Im trying to get fit and healthy by eating the right stuff.

I love chicken, and Im a 20 something bloke and I didnt inherit natural cooking genes!

Can anyone tell me this basic basic thing.. Whats the healthiest way to cook a boneless chicken fillet without it going dry, and..

How do I cook one, on its own, in the oven.

Thank Youuu!

A chicken should be put into the oven at about 180' and to test when it is done you stick a knife in it and when the juices run clear the chicken is cooked, not knowing the size of the chicken this is the one test that will work every time.

tadgher · 27-09-2004 12:59pm

Put a sage leaf on top and wrap it in a few slices of pacetta. Then roast it.

If you want "healthy", get a grill-pan and coat the fillet with a little olive oil, salt and coarse-ground pepper before cooking.

daymobrew · 27-09-2004 1:15pm

By "boneless chicken fillet" I am assuming chicken breast.

In the over I put it in a baking tin and put a little water in the tray to help avoid it drying out.

Another option is to boil it! Saucepan of boiling water and drop it in. Definitely won't go dry, nor does it get soggy. 20 mins maybe.

The test I use is to slice the breast at the thickest part and ensure there is no pink flesh.

Stir frying is another great way to go with cooking - only need two cooking items - the wok and a saucepan for your potatoes or rice (basmati is nicer than long grain - Teso Value one is grand).
I'd buy a big wok in one of the Asian shops around. The beauty of a wok is that you only have one item cooking all your food in and you don't end up throwing out any nutrients (like you would after boiling veg in a separate saucepan). Keep the wok hot and keep the contents moving. No need to dance around like the fool in the Uncle Ben ad.

Don't forgot to visit your local library. I've been very impressed with the range of books in the Fingal County Council and Dublin City Council libraries near me.

Good luck.

MiCr0 · 27-09-2004 2:28pm

skillet/wok's are great things
make sure you don't leave the chicken too long though

i generaly cut the meat up before woking it, only takes 3/4/5 mins til its done

ditto teriyaki sauce/sweet chilli sause - they rock
leaving the cut up chicken in the teriyaki sauce for about 30 mins before hand and then woking is lovely
or
- get a heavy skillet and turn cooker to about 80% heat on one of the rings
- take a whole chicken/turkey fillet and coat with sweet chilli
- after about 20 seconds, turn and coat on the other side
- keep turning ever 1 min or so until cooked

Micro1 · 28-09-2004 7:32pm

If your cooking the Breast in the wok, get the wok as hot as you can. This seals the chicken, and helps it keep its moisture. Also, if your starting to cook, try buying the 'Australian Womens Weekly' cook books. I found them great, there cheap and have very easy instructions on how to cook and on preparation.

Trotter · 28-09-2004 10:55pm

Well... I gave it a go! Im pretty familiar with using the woks and stir fries etc, but thanks for all the cool ideas!

I put a chicken fillet onto some tin foil, and put loads of red onions and red pepper slices on top of it, then a little bit of butter (low low spread) onto the fillet. I stuck a bit of ground pepper on the whole lot just to see what would happen! Then I folded the 4 corners up to meet each other and made a big pouch with it.

In the oven the whole foil pouch went at 200 for half an hour, and it came out so moist and lovely. There was a kind of clear juice that was smashin with the butter and pepper, and the onions kind of softened up but kept their shape if ya get me. The peppers were mingin, they stayed hard and raw ish but hey, the rest was great. The chicken did look a bit white and anaemic but it tasted fine.

Not bad for a fella that specialised in toast and marmalade up to a while ago!!

Any ideas as to what might go well in the tin foil instead of the peppers next time?? I was thinkin Garlic but I hate the taste of Garlic butter so its probably a no no.

seamus · 28-09-2004 11:02pm

Something I've found handy recently, keep the kettel half-full and boiled - if you're stir-frying or just plain old frying veg, and some aren't cooking right, you can pour in a small amount of hot water, just enough to immerse some of the veg. It'll boil off quickly enough, and leave you with cooked veg and a nice sauce. I find it very handy when I'm making a curry. If the veg is cooked, it'll be a dry curry, but if it's not properly done, throw in some water, and you have curried veg, with a nice curry sauce.

Obviously this could have mixed results with some dishes

otron · 28-09-2004 11:36pm

Trotter wrote:

Can anyone tell me this basic basic thing.. Whats the healthiest way to cook a boneless chicken fillet without it going dry, and..

Chicken Fajitas, the ready packs are grand. Add onion & pepper and its great bang for your buck (effortwise).

If your looking for something very easy and healthy (open to correction on that), George Forman is your friend, any seasoning you like.

dudara · 29-09-2004 12:25pm

then a little bit of butter (low low spread)

god no!! always use the real thing when cooking. You use so little butter anyway that the small amount you use in cooking won't do any harm. And real butter just tastes so much better.

Try the warm chicken salad range from Hellmans. They come with a jar of paste that you fry sliced chicken in. You make a salad of whatever you want and use the second jar to dress the salad. Then put the warm chicken on top. The tikka masala one is particularly nice!

Lex Luthor · 29-09-2004 1:35pm

straight into the wok with extra virgin olive oil on full heat for 10-15min.
Add a little crushed garlic, ginger, coriander and 2 chopped tomatoes with about a min to go and serve with some salad.

catspring · 05-10-2004 2:52pm

if i'm having chicken fillet i'd normally cut it into strips
colour some onion (regular or red) in the pan on medium heat then turn it up, brown the chicken bits and chuck in whatever vegetables i have (baby corn, peppers, mushrooms and wee tomatoes cut in half are my favourites).
then if you have any wine (white or rose is porbably best) or cider knocking about pour a bit in (i think it's a whole lot tasier that water) and let it all simmer away. you can add a bit off fresh cream at the very end if you like it creamy (if doing this i think it's best if you keep a good bit of the alcohol/liquid in the pan to mix it with).
also, it doesn't really matter if the wine has been opened for a few days or whatever.
yum

Tiriel · 05-10-2004 2:59pm

to stop the chicken looking ghostly fry it on a really high heat just for a minute or so to brown the outside and then put in tin foil in the oven.. makes it look a lot healthier when you're eating it but it adds to the washing up!!! oh.. and add a few chilli flakes to the pouch.. yum!

Cooking Basics

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