Cooked Chicken

oo7

Hi, i get a cooked chicken from Tesco's every second lunch time... i eat one breast one day and the second breast the second day...


I used to buy packets of Turkey etc but i thought a proper cooked chicken would be healthier... until someone said to me at lunch today that they are covered in grease and that they are not so healthy...

What do you think... do you think they are unhealthy as i was under the impression that they would be very healthy with a salad... thanks in advance...

davmol

+1

Id like to hear about this too

TommyKnocker

I would take a proper chicken breast over "packet" turkey breast everyday of the week and twice on Sunday's tbh.

Most shops like tesco cook their chickens in a rotissary oven and there is not usually a huge amount of fat on a chicken to begin with.

But can I ask why you could not cook your own chicken breast the night before while you are cooking your dinner and bring it to work with you? I reckon this could even end up being cheaper.

This is what I do. Chicken breasts, turket steaks, fillet steaks, Salmon or Tuna cooked the night before along with the veg for a salad and the dressing. Then at lunch I just pour the dressing over the leaves and veg and mix. Sometimes I will bring in Ratatouille to heat in the microwave or a stirfry, which can be eaten cold.

oo7

Thank you for your reply...

Hate to say it... but time... really do not have the time to cook and prepare a meal for the next day every night... I was told that the chickens from Tesco etc were constantly sprayed with oil as they cook... but doesn't make much sense to me

littleredspot

Slightly off topic, but what do you do with the rest of the chicken?

oo7

I eat a salad with it every second day and scrambled eggs and brown bread every other day (mon to fri)... why do you ask

the keen edge

oo7 wrote: »

Thank you for your reply...

Hate to say it... but time... really do not have the time to cook and prepare a meal for the next day every night... I was told that the chickens from Tesco etc were constantly sprayed with oil as they cook... but doesn't make much sense to me

This.

Forgive my probing, but are you really not able to find 20 mins, ( and you aren't actually committed to standing by the grill for the duration of the cooking time ), in the evening to grill a piece of meat?.

This can further reduced this to cooking two meat portions every second evening, you can store one of the portion in the fridge easily for a couple of day's without compromising food safety or taste.

Invest in decent quality seal able containers, and bulk cook your food. You will eat like a King every day if you yourself, cook all your own meals.

Elohim

oo7 wrote: »

Thank you for your reply...

Hate to say it... but time... really do not have the time to cook and prepare a meal for the next day every night...

But how do ya cook dinner every night?
I heat the oven, put in that night's dinner and stick some chicken breasts in with it for lunch the next day.
Doesn't take any extra time and is great. Why don't ya try this?

I don't know anything about how Tesco cooks their meat though.

littleredspot

oo7 wrote: »

I eat a salad with it every second day and scrambled eggs and brown bread every other day (mon to fri)... why do you ask

Just wondering after you've cut the 2 breasts off it, what happens to the rest of the chicken? It seems a very wasteful/expensive way if you just throw it out.

Have you ever tried the frozen cooked chicken breast pieces? Very handy. They come in different flavours (tikka/roast/lemon and coriander etc) You keep them in the freezer and just take a handful out the night before to defrost. Not sure about the nutritional quality though.

RobAMerc

are they not basted in butter, I asked a chef friend why I could never get mine to taste as good and he just said butter, and lots of it.

Also, Dunnes in Stephens green had two small cold cooked chucks for €4 in a packet. ( I imagine those chucks are better off dead than the life they led though ).

TommyKnocker

Honestly I could not see a supermartet chain butter bastign their chickens due to the expense. I would actually be surprised in they baste them at all tbh.

In my youth I worked in a Deli and the chickens were cooked in a rotissary oven. They would be either skewered 3 to a bar just behind the drumstick or placed 3 in a basket and just allowed to cook. no basting required.

As a chef later in life, we would stuff the cavity with herbs or an onion studded with cloves, use streaky bacon over the breast to stop it from drying out. Also baste with butter or cook the chicken breast side down so that the juices ran into the breast to help it stay moist. Taste/Flavour was the main concern as a chef

Khannie

TommyKnocker wrote: »

As a chef later in life, we would stuff the cavity with herbs or an onion studded with cloves, use streaky bacon over the breast to stop it from drying out. Also baste with butter or cook the chicken breast side down so that the juices ran into the breast to help it stay moist. Taste/Flavour was the main concern as a chef

oo7

Thanks for all the replies...

I don't tend to cook dinner at night... i don't get home from the gym until 2030 each night so i don't like going to bed (2200) on a full stomach...

I usually have a protein shake and maybe brown bread with a poached egg when i get home... i tend to eat small amounts 5-6 times a day (mon - fri) and then at the weekend i cook a lil more...

I think i will go down the route of grilling chicken breasts / steaks the night before, will have t find the time ... thanks for all the help, much appreciated...

zbluebirdz

You could steam the chicken pieces. Ok, they won't come out in the nice golden colour, but it's cooked ... Doesn't take long - about 20 minutes. You can steam a egg with the chicken as well ...