There are two reasons why most people think it's difficult to bake a chicken breast well. The truth is that it is rather easy to come up with a juicy, tender, breast of chicken. All one needs to understand is the science behind cooking meat.
Understanding Chicken Breast
There's a science to cooking. In order for you to be able to achieve a perfectly baked chicken dish, you have to understand the science behind it.
Chicken breasts are lean and plump. They are typically halved at the grocery or meat shop. They are high in protein and essential amino acids. However, they lack intramuscular fat. From a health perspective, this is a good thing, as it means lower fat and lower risk for heart diseases.
From a cooking perspective, it's an entirely different story. Without intramuscular fat, chicken breasts can't retain or add moisture as the other parts of the chicken, such as chicken legs, wings or thigh. As such, keeping it juicy and moist requires that you add some form of moisture to the chicken breasts and/or seal the them with foil paper. Here are some suggestions on how to do it:
1. Tenderize with salt rub. Create a salt rub by combining 1/3 cup of coarse salt and three tablespoons of lemon juice. Rub the mixture under the skin of the chicken, put in a re-sealable bag, then let soak in the chiller for a minimum of 4 hours and a maximum of 2 days. Wash thoroughly. The chicken is now ready for baking.
2. Brining. Brine is made by combining ¾ cup of salt with a gallon of water. You can also add other flavorings if preferred. Bring the mixture to a boil, then allow to cool. Put the chicken breasts and the brine in a re-sealable bag, then marinate in the refrigerator for up to 5 hours. Make sure the chicken is well soaked in brine, and don't over-marinate or the meat will become too salty.
3. Remove the chicken from the brine, wash thoroughly with water, then pat dry with paper towel. Coat with olive oil, then add spices of your choice. Your chicken is now ready to be baked.
4. Cook with stock or other liquid. Any liquid would add moisture to chicken breasts. Cook slowly over low heat.
5. Wrap in parchment or aluminum foil. This helps seal the moisture in. Cook over high heat.
There are many ways to achieve succulent baked chicken breasts, and they are all easy to do. No matter how you cook it, it's important that you don't judge whether the meat is fully cooked just by looking at it. If you want to be accurate, you need an internal temperature measuring device called food thermometer.
What you do with the food thermometer is insert it into the thickest part of the meat. Wait for a few seconds. When the thermometer registers in 160 - 170 degree Fahrenheit range, then the chicken is cooked.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/D._More/123342
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