Chicken breasts have been deemed to be very healthy by nutritionists. They are high in protein and low in calories. But what’s good for you, isn’t good for the grill! I have tried various cooking methods and marinates to get the chicken just right but despite all my attempts I didn’t always achieve the succulent and juicy flavours that I get when I eat at the local restaurant. In my attempt to find out perfect way of tenderising the meat I learned some valuable tips: - Chicken quality varies. You have got to find a good vendor.
- Over cooking chicken dries it out, making it absolutely insipid. Cooking the chicken till the internal temperature is 75 C yields a moist chicken.
- Cooking the meat with the bones gives it more flavour, as the moisture is retained.
- Marinating it for a couple of hours always helps. Using a yoghurt base is a fool proof method (No wonder the Mughlai chicken is always so tender).
- Chicken should not be boiled, only simmered.
- Pound the chicken to an even thickness tenderises it, as well as makes it cook evenly.
- Ginger is an excellent tenderiser. It has an enzyme that breaks away the tough protein. Be careful not to add too much, else the meat will get mushy.
- Brining too is a good way to tenderise. But this should not be overdone, or the chicken will be too salty to the taste.
Just the other day I bought a couple of boneless chicken breasts to put my tenderiser to the test (I usually avoid the breast meat). The marinade consisted of garlic, Italian seasoning and salt. I then pounded it with the tenderiser and let it sit overnight.
This turned out to be more of a fusion experiment since I hadn’t decided how I’d be cooking it. The next morning I felt like making something that wouldn’t consume too much time. The quickest thing I thought would be to use Thai curry pastes that I had bought a while ago. (As much as I cringe about using ready pastes, I thought I’d give this new entrant in the market a try.) The curry turned out to be just okay and this only reinforced my faith in using fresh ingredients. But forget that, the point here is the chicken! Every piece of chicken was so tender! I was so proud! :)