Got some tough dry chicken

[Marthe48]

I don't like tough, dry chicken. I tried meat tenderizer on one breast in the package, didn't help. I ground up the last breast, added some olive oil and spices, sauteed with onion, much better! Served with sharp cheddar, salsa and sour cream. On a plate.

[soothsayer]

1. Excellent solution

[no_hypocrisy]

2. Another idea:

Braise it in a little bit of chicken stock to infuse both flavor and moistness. Maybe a teaspoon of Herbes de Provence sprinkled in the saute pan as well.

[Marthe48]

3. I had a feeling that no matter how I cooked it, it would have been tough

When I tried the meat tenderizer on one, I also pounded it with my meat hammer, and brushed it with olive oil. That usually works, but not on this pack.

[no_hypocrisy]

4. Was it a heritage chicken?

I read they can be tough.

https://www.foodandwine.com/meat-poultry/chicken/why-would-you-want-heritage-chicken

[Marthe48]

6. this was chicken from walmart

My daughter has been shopping for me since isolation. I don't shop at walmart, but she does :/ I usually get chicken at Kroger or Aldi and it is fine. This was the worst pack of chicken breasts I've had in ages.

[Marthe48]

7. I had heritage chicken many years ago

Relatives tried their hand at raising a flock of chickens. When the flock matured they slaughtered them, and invited us for a bbq.
I remember comments, not positive.

My daughter and her husband have a flock. They had 11 hens and a rooster, had 2 chicks last summer, have gotten 11 from one hen this year and 3 from another. Not sure if any of the birds will be dinner. But they are somewhat free-range, and organic

[I_UndergroundPanther]

9. Herbs de province

Is so delicious on eggs. I bet it kicks ass on chicken!

[Patterson]

5. Brining might help.

[dem in texas]

8. Sounds like a candidate for the soup pot.

I hate to get a tough chicken, I try to find the smallest one. If I am lucky I find one under 3 pounds. If I do get a big one, I will cook it in the slow cooker: onion, celery, parsley, a carrot added, plus seasoning. Then I have chicken meat and chicken stock. Where to go from there? Chicken salad, chicken noodle soup, sour cream chicken enchiladas, chicken pot pie, chicken and dumplings, so many recipes; decisions......

[sir pball]

10. Use thighs instead of breasts, breast meat is really subpar.

Its sole benefit is being almost completely lean, but that means that it's also very difficult to cook well. You need fast, high heat and exact timing, a split-second too long and it's dry.

I'd suggest brining it, followed by slicing into even-thickness cutlets followed by a quick sear until they're just done, barely firming up to the touch. You can also roast them in a 450F oven until they just start to firm up, then rest for 15 minutes.

If you have the equipment and knowledge you can package them en sous vide and circulate at 62C/144F for 2 hours but that's not yet a common method. It is the only really good way, though...

[Marthe48]

11. Lots of good advice

I generally have good luck picking decent quality breasts. I am going for leanness. I get thighs once in awhile (which I love) but have to trim a lot of fat off.

Thank you for taking the time to post your methods. I read about en sous vide last year, but haven't followed up.