recently we have been having more chicken, but I am not sure on a few
things, example, when my wifes makes Cicken Marsala, the flavor is
there but the chicken is leather stringy like, also I make a good
chicken Corn chowder, after the chowder is made, my wife has the chicken
ready to throw in, she boils the chicken and I cut it up again it is
tough and stringy testure, we are using good chicken breast ect, I am
about ready to try cooking chiken in a crock pot, for some reason a
local resturant has Chicken Marsala, I like my wife's flavor better, but
their chicken can be cut with a fork SO TENDER. any tips on how to get
the chicken tender, what are we doing wrong.

Chet

On 2/20/2012 1:01 PM, chet wrote:
> recently we have been having more chicken, but I am not sure on a few
> things, example, when my wifes makes Cicken Marsala, the flavor is there
> but the chicken is leather stringy like, also I make a good chicken Corn
> chowder, after the chowder is made, my wife has the chicken ready to
> throw in, she boils the chicken and I cut it up again it is tough and
> stringy testure, we are using good chicken breast ect, I am about ready
> to try cooking chiken in a crock pot, for some reason a local resturant
> has Chicken Marsala, I like my wife's flavor better, but their chicken
> can be cut with a fork SO TENDER. any tips on how to get the chicken
> tender, what are we doing wrong.
>
> Chet

Overcooking is the first thing that comes to mind if you have tough
fried chicken (especially if it is pounded as in a typical marsala recipe).

Also if you want to cook chicken in liquid you will get a better result
if you poach it and not boil it.

On 20/02/2012 1:01 PM, chet wrote:
> recently we have been having more chicken, but I am not sure on a few
> things, example, when my wifes makes Cicken Marsala, the flavor is there
> but the chicken is leather stringy like, also I make a good chicken Corn
> chowder, after the chowder is made, my wife has the chicken ready to
> throw in, she boils the chicken and I cut it up again it is tough and
> stringy testure, we are using good chicken breast ect, I am about ready
> to try cooking chiken in a crock pot, for some reason a local resturant
> has Chicken Marsala, I like my wife's flavor better, but their chicken
> can be cut with a fork SO TENDER. any tips on how to get the chicken
> tender, what are we doing wrong.
>
>


It sounds like you are cooking it too long.

chet wrote:
> any tips on how to get
> the chicken tender, what are we doing wrong.

You're probably overcooking it?

Gary

"chet" > wrote in message
...
> recently we have been having more chicken, but I am not sure on a few
> things, example, when my wifes makes Cicken Marsala, the flavor is there
> but the chicken is leather stringy like, also I make a good chicken Corn
> chowder, after the chowder is made, my wife has the chicken ready to throw
> in, she boils the chicken and I cut it up again it is tough and stringy
> testure, we are using good chicken breast ect, I am about ready to try
> cooking chiken in a crock pot, for some reason a local resturant has
> Chicken Marsala, I like my wife's flavor better, but their chicken can be
> cut with a fork SO TENDER. any tips on how to get the chicken tender, what
> are we doing wrong.
>
> Chet
>
>
We avoid the large 5lb chickens from the Safeway, and buy the smaller "air
dried" chicken breasts at Whole Foods. Don't cook your chicken breast over
150F max. You must be doing that when you boil them.

Has anyone tried steaming boneless skinless chicken breasts? I'm going to
try it.

Kent

Judy Haffner > wrote:

>Chicken is much like seafood, for the fact, that if it's the least bit
>overcooked, it can be tough. With chicken, you only want to cook it till
>the pink color is gone and the juices run clear.

True where you are, in the U.S. it would be suicidal to cook
factory chicken that underdone.


Steve

Judy Haffner wrote:
>
> Chet wrote:
>
> >I like my wife's flavor better, but their
> > chicken can be cut with a fork SO
> > TENDER. any tips on how to get the
> > chicken tender, what are we doing
> > wrong.
>
> Chicken is much like seafood, for the fact, that if it's the least bit
> overcooked, it can be tough. With chicken, you only want to cook it till
> the pink color is gone and the juices run clear.

And it's a close call for deciding when chicken is done. As you say, when
you take it out cooked perfectly, it's very tasty even without any
seasoning. Just leave it in for 5 minutes longer and it's way overdone.

Gary

I get it just right maybe half the time.

Steve wrote:

>True where you are, in the U.S. it would
> be suicidal to cook factory chicken that
> underdone.

Why would it make any difference here though, as our chicken is shipped
in from WA. and we ARE in the U.S.? I wish we did raise our own
chickens, as the home-grown fresh birds are much better.

As long as the chicken is cooked till it's white all the way through and
no blood is oozing out, it's done, and ready to eat. You just want to
make sure a cut up, or whole chicken is done throughout, and no bloody
meat is visible.

Judy

Judy Haffner wrote:
>
> Chicken is much like seafood, for the fact, that if it's the least bit
> overcooked, it can be tough. With chicken, you only want to cook it till
> the pink color is gone and the juices run clear.

Undercooked chicken is tough, chewy and stringy. If it's still got some
pink in it I know my teeth are in for a battle to get the stuff off the
bone followed by a battle with the tooth pick to get the strings out
from between my teeth. Pass. The reason we bought the nuke is so I
could take the rare bird put on the table by my MIL who thought it was
great that way and actually cook it until it was easy to eat. Now that
she's dead the bird stays in the oven longer and it's not only easier
to chew it tastes better. In other words I disagree with you and my
experience runs the opposite of your post.

It's rather the opposite of how beef works. Once beef reaches some
point it starts getting tough and stringy to the point that many think
well done equals tough because so few cooks can pull off the timing
needed to pull it off the heat the second before it switches to getting
tougher. Beef only starts getting softer long after like in stew.

On Feb 20, 12:50*pm, "Kent" > wrote:
> "JeanineAlyse" > wrote in message
> I either buy already dressed (undressed?) breasts and thighs, or skin
> and de-bone them myself to steam in a basket over water in a covered
> pan all the time. *It works perfectly, and well retains inner moisture
> and tenderness when removed and left to sit for eight minutes or so
> before cutting to use in whatever mixture wanted.
> Thanks very much, How long do you have to steam?
When water comes to boil, steam for only ten minutes and check the
thickest piece by a knife slit in the center to see if all pink color
is gone. If not, continue to steam for three-minutes each between
further checks to see pink gone, then remove the basket of chicken
pieces to let set for eight minutes before cutting up.

The Barefoot Contessa roasting method Janet shared definitely works
well and also adds the superior oven-roasted flavor to the meat's
exterior, but I only roast in the coldest months (instead of steaming)
because of my desert climate.
....Picky

(Steve Pope) writes:

> Judy Haffner > wrote:
>
>>Chicken is much like seafood, for the fact, that if it's the least bit
>>overcooked, it can be tough. With chicken, you only want to cook it till
>>the pink color is gone and the juices run clear.
>
> True where you are, in the U.S. it would be suicidal to cook
> factory chicken that underdone.

What internal temperature do you consider safe for US commercial
chicken, just out of curiousity? Different from the FDA
recommenations?
--
David Dyer-Bennet, ; http://dd-b.net/
Snapshots: http://dd-b.net/dd-b/SnapshotAlbum/data/
Photos: http://dd-b.net/photography/gallery/
Dragaera: http://dragaera.info

On Mon, 20 Feb 2012 21:59:14 +0000 (UTC), Doug Freyburger
> wrote:
snip
>It's rather the opposite of how beef works. Once beef reaches some
>point it starts getting tough and stringy to the point that many think
>well done equals tough because so few cooks can pull off the timing
>needed to pull it off the heat the second before it switches to getting
>tougher. Beef only starts getting softer long after like in stew.

Depends upon the cut of beef.
Janet US

Crock pot is great for Indian dishes -- especially like a Korma. I like to roast the dense vegetables a bit first in the oven, carrots, potatoes etc. Then add to the crock pot.

Tomato sauce, chick pea flour to thicken, yogurt are other key ingredients. And there's something they like to do with pureed onions -- can't remember.

Oh yeah -- most Indian dishes prefer dark meat I believe -- certainly tandoori.

I prefer quick firing it in caste iron.

With bone in, you gotta go thigh/leg, IMHO. Cheaper and better.

On Feb 20, 11:03*am, "Kent" > wrote:
> "chet" > wrote in message
>
> ...> *recently we have been having more chicken, but I am not sure on a few
> > things, example, when my wifes makes Cicken Marsala, the flavor is there
> > but the chicken is leather stringy like, also I make a good chicken Corn
> > chowder, after the chowder is made, my wife has the chicken ready to throw
> > in, she boils the chicken and I cut it up again it is tough and stringy
> > testure, we are using good chicken breast ect, I am about ready to try
> > cooking chiken in a crock pot, for some reason a local resturant has
> > Chicken Marsala, I like my wife's flavor better, but their chicken can be
> > cut with a fork SO TENDER. any tips on how to get the chicken tender, what
> > are we doing wrong.
>
> > * Chet
>
> We avoid the large 5lb chickens from the Safeway, and buy the smaller "air
> dried" chicken breasts at Whole Foods. *Don't cook your chicken breast over
> 150F max. You must be doing that when you boil them.
>
> Has anyone tried steaming boneless skinless chicken breasts? I'm going to
> try it.
>
How do you get the chicken to 180F if you only cook it at 150F?

That's a food safety issue.

> wrote in message
...
On Feb 20, 11:03 am, "Kent" > wrote:
> "chet" > wrote in message
>
> ...> recently we have been having
> more chicken, but I am not sure on a few
> > things, example, when my wifes makes Cicken Marsala, the flavor is there
> > but the chicken is leather stringy like, also I make a good chicken Corn
> > chowder, after the chowder is made, my wife has the chicken ready to
> > throw
> > in, she boils the chicken and I cut it up again it is tough and stringy
> > testure, we are using good chicken breast ect, I am about ready to try
> > cooking chiken in a crock pot, for some reason a local resturant has
> > Chicken Marsala, I like my wife's flavor better, but their chicken can
> > be
> > cut with a fork SO TENDER. any tips on how to get the chicken tender,
> > what
> > are we doing wrong.
>
> > Chet
>
> We avoid the large 5lb chickens from the Safeway, and buy the smaller "air
> dried" chicken breasts at Whole Foods. Don't cook your chicken breast over
> 150F max. You must be doing that when you boil them.
>
> Has anyone tried steaming boneless skinless chicken breasts? I'm going to
> try it.
>
How do you get the chicken to 180F if you only cook it at 150F?

That's a food safety issue.


180F? That is an insanity issue.

Chicken can be made safe at temps as low as 136F, but it takes longer. I
think 145F for the appropriate amount of time is the way to go.

See: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/oppde/rdad/...p/rteguide.pdf

Judy Haffner wrote:
> Doug wrote:
>
>>Undercooked chicken is tough, chewy
>> and stringy. If it's still got some pink in it
>> I know my teeth are in for a battle to get
>> the stuff off the bone followed by a
>> battle with the tooth pick to get the
>> strings out from between my teeth.
>> Pass. The reason we bought the nuke is
>> so I could take the rare bird put on the
>> table by my MIL who thought it was
>> great that way and actually cook it until
>> it was easy to eat. Now that she's dead
>> the bird stays in the oven longer and it's
>> not only easier to chew it tastes better.
>> In other words I disagree with you and
>> my experience runs the opposite of your
>> post.
>
> I didn't say to UNDERcook chicken so it would be more tender. I clearly
> stated it is best if not OVERcooked, as with any meat, or seafood, if it
> is overcooked, it is not top quality fare.

Your first post stated some pink still being near the bone. Definitely
undercooked and not good. Your favoring undercooked chicken does not
mean I favor overcooked chicken.

> Maybe you're just use to overcooked poultry, so prefer it as such?

No. Undercooked and overcooked are both problematic.

It would seem that you cook birds like my MIL did. Rare, tough, chewy,
stringy and loving it that way. Tastes vary and you're welcome to do it
that way. I still have the nuke if I need to eat your raw stringy
chicken at some point.

"chet" schrieb :
<snip>
> ready to throw in, she boils the chicken and I cut it up again it is
> tough and stringy testure, we are using good chicken breast
<snip>

You're boiling chicken breast ?
And you're wondering why it gets tough ?

OhMyGod,

Michael Kuettner

Doug wrote:

>Your first post stated some pink still
> being near the bone. Definitely
> undercooked and not good. Your
> favoring undercooked chicken does not
> mean I favor overcooked chicken.

No, that is not what I said in my first post to the OP who started this
thread. This is exactly what I said word for word:

"Chicken is much like seafood, for the fact, that if it's the least bit
overcooked, it can be tough. With chicken, you only want to cook it till
the pink color is gone and the juices run clear."

In other words, you always should cook chicken so there is NO pink
visible.

>It would seem that you cook birds like
> my MIL did. Rare, tough, chewy, stringy
> and loving it that way. Tastes vary and
> you're welcome to do it that way. I still
> have the nuke if I need to eat your raw
> stringy chicken at some point.

No, quite the opposite, when I cook chicken, it is very tender, juicy
and tasty, and it is done to perfection, so that's why I was trying to
give the OP some sound advice. Some people feel to cook more is best,
and that doesn't hold true with chicken, but one has to be cautious and
cook it till it IS done throughout.

Judy

On Tue, 21 Feb 2012 17:34:27 +0000 (UTC), Doug Freyburger
> wrote:

>Judy Haffner wrote:
>> Doug wrote:
>>
>>>Undercooked chicken is tough, chewy
>>> and stringy. If it's still got some pink in it
>>> I know my teeth are in for a battle to get
>>> the stuff off the bone followed by a
>>> battle with the tooth pick to get the
>>> strings out from between my teeth.
>>> Pass. The reason we bought the nuke is
>>> so I could take the rare bird put on the
>>> table by my MIL who thought it was
>>> great that way and actually cook it until
>>> it was easy to eat. Now that she's dead
>>> the bird stays in the oven longer and it's
>>> not only easier to chew it tastes better.
>>> In other words I disagree with you and
>>> my experience runs the opposite of your
>>> post.
>>
>> I didn't say to UNDERcook chicken so it would be more tender. I clearly
>> stated it is best if not OVERcooked, as with any meat, or seafood, if it
>> is overcooked, it is not top quality fare.
>
>Your first post stated some pink still being near the bone. Definitely
>undercooked and not good.

That's not true. Cooked poultry flesh is often pink near the bone,
it's perfectly cooked so long as its juices don't run pink. I've
tasted a lot of pink breast meat without incident, and let me tell
yoose it's as scrumpdillyumptious as dark breast meat

On Tue, 21 Feb 2012 18:35:11 +0100, "Michael Kuettner"
> wrote:

>"chet" schrieb :
><snip>
>> ready to throw in, she boils the chicken and I cut it up again it is
>> tough and stringy testure, we are using good chicken breast
><snip>
>
>You're boiling chicken breast ?
>And you're wondering why it gets tough ?

No meat should be boiled. Boiling causes the proteins to seize and
become tough. Meat should never be cooked at more than a very low
simmer.

On 21/02/2012 1:37 PM, Brooklyn1 wrote:

>
> No meat should be boiled. Boiling causes the proteins to seize and
> become tough. Meat should never be cooked at more than a very low
> simmer.


That is the mistake many people make with stews. A stew boiled is a stew
spoiled. It makes the meat tough and stringy. When I cooks stews I brown
the meat in a heavy bottomed pot, remove the meat to do the veggies,
then return the meat with the liquid and put it into a 300 degree oven.

Dave Smith wrote:

>That is the mistake many people make
> with stews. A stew boiled is a stew
> spoiled. It makes the meat tough and
> stringy. When I cooks stews I brown the
> meat in a heavy bottomed pot, remove
> the meat to do the veggies, then return
> the meat with the liquid and put it into a
> 300 degree oven.

Very true! I prefer a oven stew. I brown the meat as you do, and add
seasoning and whatever veggies I'm using to it and bake it at a low
temperature until meat and veggies are tender. The meat just falls apart
in our mouths, and the flavor is outstanding!

Judy

On Feb 21, 7:36*am, "Pico Rico" > wrote:
> > wrote in message
>
> ....
> On Feb 20, 11:03 am, "Kent" > wrote:
>
> > "chet" > wrote in message
>
> ...> recently we have been having
> > more chicken, but I am not sure on a few
> > > things, example, when my wifes makes Cicken Marsala, the flavor is there
> > > but the chicken is leather stringy like, also I make a good chicken Corn
> > > chowder, after the chowder is made, my wife has the chicken ready to
> > > throw
> > > in, she boils the chicken and I cut it up again it is tough and stringy
> > > testure, we are using good chicken breast ect, I am about ready to try
> > > cooking chiken in a crock pot, for some reason a local resturant has
> > > Chicken Marsala, I like my wife's flavor better, but their chicken can
> > > be
> > > cut with a fork SO TENDER. any tips on how to get the chicken tender,
> > > what
> > > are we doing wrong.
>
> > > Chet
>
> > We avoid the large 5lb chickens from the Safeway, and buy the smaller "air
> > dried" chicken breasts at Whole Foods. Don't cook your chicken breast over
> > 150F max. You must be doing that when you boil them.
>
> > Has anyone tried steaming boneless skinless chicken breasts? I'm going to
> > try it.
>
> How do you get the chicken to 180F if you only cook it at 150F?
>
> That's a food safety issue.
>
> 180F? *That is an insanity issue.
>
> Chicken can be made safe at temps as low as 136F, but it takes longer. *I
> think 145F for the appropriate amount of time is the way to go.
>

Poultry should be cooked to at least 165F. We cook our chickens to
180F at work. And they are sometimes still bloody and must be cooked
longer.

Any health department website will state that poultry should have an
internal temp of 165 of higher and should hold that temp at least 15
seconds.

> wrote in message
...
On Feb 21, 7:36 am, "Pico Rico" > wrote:
> > wrote in message
>
> ...
> On Feb 20, 11:03 am, "Kent" > wrote:
>
> > "chet" > wrote in message
>
> ...> recently we have been having
> > more chicken, but I am not sure on a few
> > > things, example, when my wifes makes Cicken Marsala, the flavor is
> > > there
> > > but the chicken is leather stringy like, also I make a good chicken
> > > Corn
> > > chowder, after the chowder is made, my wife has the chicken ready to
> > > throw
> > > in, she boils the chicken and I cut it up again it is tough and
> > > stringy
> > > testure, we are using good chicken breast ect, I am about ready to try
> > > cooking chiken in a crock pot, for some reason a local resturant has
> > > Chicken Marsala, I like my wife's flavor better, but their chicken can
> > > be
> > > cut with a fork SO TENDER. any tips on how to get the chicken tender,
> > > what
> > > are we doing wrong.
>
> > > Chet
>
> > We avoid the large 5lb chickens from the Safeway, and buy the smaller
> > "air
> > dried" chicken breasts at Whole Foods. Don't cook your chicken breast
> > over
> > 150F max. You must be doing that when you boil them.
>
> > Has anyone tried steaming boneless skinless chicken breasts? I'm going
> > to
> > try it.
>
> How do you get the chicken to 180F if you only cook it at 150F?
>
> That's a food safety issue.
>
> 180F? That is an insanity issue.
>
> Chicken can be made safe at temps as low as 136F, but it takes longer. I
> think 145F for the appropriate amount of time is the way to go.
>

Poultry should be cooked to at least 165F. We cook our chickens to
180F at work. And they are sometimes still bloody and must be cooked
longer.

Any health department website will state that poultry should have an
internal temp of 165 of higher and should hold that temp at least 15
seconds.


I won't be eating at your place. And the health department you speak of
should be further educated.

> wrote in message
...
On Feb 21, 3:20 pm, "Pico Rico" > wrote:
> > wrote in message
>
> ...
> On Feb 21, 7:36 am, "Pico Rico" > wrote:
>
>
>
> > > wrote in message
>
> ...
> > On Feb 20, 11:03 am, "Kent" > wrote:
>
> > > "chet" > wrote in message
>
> > ...> recently we have been
> > >having
> > > more chicken, but I am not sure on a few
> > > > things, example, when my wifes makes Cicken Marsala, the flavor is
> > > > there
> > > > but the chicken is leather stringy like, also I make a good chicken
> > > > Corn
> > > > chowder, after the chowder is made, my wife has the chicken ready to
> > > > throw
> > > > in, she boils the chicken and I cut it up again it is tough and
> > > > stringy
> > > > testure, we are using good chicken breast ect, I am about ready to
> > > > try
> > > > cooking chiken in a crock pot, for some reason a local resturant has
> > > > Chicken Marsala, I like my wife's flavor better, but their chicken
> > > > can
> > > > be
> > > > cut with a fork SO TENDER. any tips on how to get the chicken
> > > > tender,
> > > > what
> > > > are we doing wrong.
>
> > > > Chet
>
> > > We avoid the large 5lb chickens from the Safeway, and buy the smaller
> > > "air
> > > dried" chicken breasts at Whole Foods. Don't cook your chicken breast
> > > over
> > > 150F max. You must be doing that when you boil them.
>
> > > Has anyone tried steaming boneless skinless chicken breasts? I'm going
> > > to
> > > try it.
>
> > How do you get the chicken to 180F if you only cook it at 150F?
>
> > That's a food safety issue.
>
> > 180F? That is an insanity issue.
>
> > Chicken can be made safe at temps as low as 136F, but it takes longer. I
> > think 145F for the appropriate amount of time is the way to go.
>
> Poultry should be cooked to at least 165F. We cook our chickens to
> 180F at work. And they are sometimes still bloody and must be cooked
> longer.
>
> Any health department website will state that poultry should have an
> internal temp of 165 of higher and should hold that temp at least 15
> seconds.
>
> I won't be eating at your place. And the health department you speak of
> should be further educated.


..We typically sell 40-60 whole roasted chickens per day. If they are on
..sale, about 150-200 in a day. I'm guessing we get less than 5
..complaints per YEAR. I can only think of 2 complaints in the last year
..or so. One complained it was burned. The other complained it wasn't
..done.

Do your ovens add moisture? I assume you have one of those rotisserie type
oven to do a lot of chickens all at once. I always wondered if they are
just heat, or a bit fancier than that.


..We also get inspected on a regular basis and having anything below
..required temps is an automatic critical violation.

..Temperature control is extremely important. If we don't get something
..cooked all the way, we can get sued and/or shut down.

yes, I understand that. That is why I said your health department needs to
be better educated. Look at the link I provided, don't just give me your
links.

------------------------------------
fat%=1 ------------------------------------

Temperature time for time for

F Chicken unit . . . Turkey unit

136 63.3 min 64 min

137 50.1 min 51.9 min

138 39.7 min 42.2 min

139 31.6 min 34.4 min

140 25.2 min 28.1 min

141 20.1 min 23 min

142 16.1 min 18.9 min

143 13 min 15.5 min

144 10.4 min 12.8 min

145 8.4 min 10.5 min

146 6.8 min 8.7 min

147 5.5 min 7.1 min

148 4.4 min 5.8 min

149 3.5 min 4.7 min

150 2.7 min 3.8 min

151 2.1 min 3 min

152 1.5 min 2.3 min

153 1.2 min 1.8 min

154 55.9 sec 1.5 min

155 44.2 sec 1.2 min

156 35 sec 59 sec

157 27.7 sec 47.9 sec

158 21.9 sec 38.8 sec

159 17.3 sec 31.5 sec

160 13.7 sec 25.6 sec

161 10.8 sec 20.8 sec

162 <10.0 sec 16.9 sec

163 <10.0 sec 13.7 sec

164 <10.0 sec 11.1 sec

165 <10.0 sec <10.0 sec