I Am a Lousy Cook

When I use boneless chicken breasts for anything, I put them in a plastic bag and pound them out a little with my rolling pin. Nothing worse than tough chicken. Well, few things anyway.

And I can cook, but I can't bake to save my life, so I admire you very much if you can. I have trouble following directions apparently.

:)

You overcooked them.
Next time, try lower heat, or taking them off earlier.
You do not necessarily need a marinade to make the juicy. Just cook them for less time on med heat.

Also, the cut of the meat makes a huge difference. If it is breasts from the butcher, they will generally be juicier. If it is the prepackaged breasts, there is less to them, and while they will be juicy, they don't need to cook as long.

i hate it when that happens!
i agree with the others, you almost certainly cooked 'em too long. i've done that to breasts on the grill. chicken breasts are prone to being dry anyway, so if you're frying 'em, it's important to get that lovely sear on the outside, and get 'em back off the heat as soon as possible.
:) khairete
S.

MandA M. hit the nail on the head. Even if you marinate and pound them, when cooked to high and/or too long the end results will be same tough chicken.

Best frying tip ever. When you first put food on to fry, it's loud. When it becomes quiet it is either ready to be turned over or taken off the flame. Adding this tip to your cooking experience will enhance every food you fry.

Bon appetite and happy cooking.

The breast has the least amount of fat on the bird, so it tends to become dry and tough easily. Any time I cook breasts, I marinate them overnight first.

You just overcooked them. Don't sell yourself short here... you obviously can cook since you do well with baked goods!!

It takes practice.

When I make chicken strips, I let them sit in a little buttermilk and beaten egg before I coat with flour and fry.

I'm trying a new recipe today and have no idea if it will work out. I'm making pulled pork in the crock pot and I never use a crock pot.

Good luck

This is an issue of overcooking. Invest in a good food thermometer that reads internal temps and only cook chicken to 170. Cooking meat to the perfect temp and not going over makes a huge difference.

Frying chicken can dry it out - soak in buttermilk first. If you don't have buttermilk (I never do) you can make some by adding a tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to a cup of regular milk, stir and let it sit for 10 minutes. It will start to curdle and voila! Buttermilk!

Anyway...soak in buttermilk first and your fried chicken will be tender and moist.

I find step-by-step recipes to be the most helpful in really learning proper cooking techniques and tips. The pioneerwoman.com/recipes website is AMAZING. Ree is a funny writer, takes beautiful photos, and really knows how to cook the basics. I don't do much from her website anymore because I have a lot of dietary restrictions and looking at all that mouthwatering home cooking doesn't do me any favors, but her recipes have never failed me.

Next time don't cook them quite so long, but you're trying and you'll get better. I'm impressed with your baking skills - to me that is a lot harder than cooking. I dislike having to measure and be so precise.

Quick tip if you use frozen chicken breasts that you're going to cut into strips or chop, don't thaw them completely and then they're easier to cut if they're still a little frozen.

M.- I am like you. I can bake! I LOVE to bake!! In fact, banana bread is going into the oven in just a little bit.
And then I am baking a whole chicken.
I have been on my own for 18 years and NEVER baked a whole chicken!! My girlfriend came over a couple of weeks ago and was incredulous and taught me how.
I am not an adventurous eater therefore not an adventurous cook. I worry that I will mess it up and then no one will eat, or I'll mess it up and waste money! So, I have tried and true recipes.
I have never made chicken strips OR fried chicken before, so I have no advice. My no experience guess is they were cooked too long.
L.

Don't beat yourself up. I'm a decent cook, but I find that chicken breasts can be challenging to cook to perfection. They're really easy to overcook. Or undercook (outside is charred, inside is still slightly raw). I can't tell you how often I used to end up with "rubber" chicken breasts. Or tasteless chicken breasts. Now, the only way I like chicken breasts is to put them into a plastic ziploc and pound them out so they're quite thin (1/2 - 1/4 inch thick, maybe) and tenderized before cooking them (in whatever way I decide). I much prefer chicken thighs, which are much tastier and easier to cook in my opinion.

Keep cooking - it's all trial and error anyway.

Do the same thing but bake them. They'll come out moist.

I don't have time to read the other responses, so this may be a repeat.

Most likely you overcooked your chicken.

When you say you fried, did you submerge in oil or did you sauté in only a bit of oil? I find sautéing to be quick and easy, lower in fat, but just as tasty.

I would say if you cut the chicken into strips first, that were about 1/4-1/2 inch thick, you only need to sauté over medium heat for about 2 minutes on each side and they will be done. Take them off of the heat immediately after cooking and let them finish cooking and cool before cutting into them.

Good luck next time!
Don't give up. Cooking is a trial and error process. You'll perfect a dish and then move onto perfecting the next...it just take time and practice.

Hm. I pound mine flat first. (I put the chicken breast in a ziplock back to do this so it's not so messy). Then I cut them into strips. Then I dip first in flour (with some salt/pepper). Then into egg. Then into a breadcrumb/parmesan mixture. They are super tender...I believe bc of the pounding. PS - the way to get good at cooking is to try lots and lots of different recipes and to follow them. Over time it becomes like second nature and you do not need the recipes as much anymore. I started learning with the moosewood cookbook, an italian pasta cookbook, the joy of cooking, an easy Indian cookbook, a chinese stirfry book, and the Fiddlehead cookbook (delicious Alaskan and NY restaurant!).

No, you are a lousy cook you are a novice. We all had to start somewhere. The more you cook the better you become. Get a notebook and journal your experiences. The good, the bad, the ugly of it all. Make notes as to what happened and what you will do next time.

Example: Chicken breast: Cut up partially thawed into strips. Cook at medium to high temp for about X minutes and turn until golden brown or the frying quiets down. Remove from pan and drain on paper towel or whatever.

If you continue your notes, you will have your own cookbook and how to make lots of things and can repeat them to perfection.

Enjoy the world of food and don't get discouraged.

the other S.

PS I love cook and do sweets but there is only hubby and I so I don't do it often. When the kids come home, I make all kinds of things up because I know it will be gone and I won't have the temptation to eat things I don't need to.

Don't know if you like cooking shows, but I've gotten better by watching Chopped :) It's all about practice and being a bit brave.

All cooks have lousy moments so give yourself more credit. I keep back up meals on hand because bad meals happen from time to time regardless of talents and/or experience. More than once my husband and I have taken the first bite and looked at each, saying "ok, what are we really eating because this is going in the trash?!" I make up almost all of what we eat in my house without recipes so things can go awry. It happens but I laugh it off and learn. Cooking means learning in my book. I don't like boilerplate so even my tried and true receipes are being constantly monkeyed with. I like variety which is a tricky road at times.

Your problem definitely sounds like too hot and/or cooked too long. Anything can be cooked into a dry state; some meats are worse than others about it. Good luck.

For the best chicken ever, put about a third cup of olive oil in a large ziplock bag, add about 1.5 pd of boneless tenderloins. Add about a half cup of seasoned breadcrumbs, add about 3T if Parmesan cheese. Seal, mix to coat evenly.
Place on cookie sheet sprayed with Pam. Bake at 325 about 20 mins til meat is white.
Super easy & yummy!

I do not EVER buy white meat. I hate it, hubby hates it, kids hate it. We buy boneless skinless chicken thighs.

I suggest you try going with dark meat, see if it's more tender. It usually is a LOT more tender.

I have trouble with this too, sometimes, and it's because I overcooked the chicken.

What I do is, for chicken strips, about 5 or 7 minutes into cooking them, I slice through the middle of the thickest piece, to see if it's pink or not inside. If it is, I give it maybe 5 minutes more of cooking time. If it's not pink, then I give maybe one minute more or just take it off the stove. If I'm not sure, I choose the next thickest piece of meat to check by cutting through the thickest part of the piece to look for pink.

Doing the above means that the pieces you cut aren't as pretty as the others but my mom always told me that with cooking, it's mostly about how it tastes, not about how it looks. :)

I was an awful cook too and then I just started going on Food.com every day and making a recipe, and then reviewing it afterward so I could learn from it. Now 5 years later I have reviewed almost 600 recipes and am pretty decent in the kitchen. Baking is another story lol! I am still rusty!

I think raw meat was the hardest thing to get used to and for me it was better to start with whole raw chickens and roast them then breasts or thighs. I still make roast chicken twice a month, just throw some halved potatoes and root veggies in the pan and put a seasoned chicken on top. It makes a healthy, impressive meal. But like others have said, start out by following a recipe exactly. I still follow roast chicken recipes instead of "winging it," hee hee excuse the pun ;)

Cooking just takes practice and I think the internet is an amazing resource for new cooks!

I am, too, so don't feel bad.
What has helped me is watching the cooking channel.
I need to "see" it done then I get the recipe online.
I cook basic things to make it easy. Also, because I have picky eaters in
my family!!!
I print out the recipes & keep them in a binder so I can keep making them.
I tend to go for basics.
I try to see how many things I can make from ground beef, chicken &
ground turkey.
I never try anything fancy.
You received good advice regarding the tough chicken breast.
Once you master something you can make it over & over.

Well at least your trying. My favorite recipe sites are epicurious , foodnetwork and allrecipes.
When I make chicken like that I pound it first in plastic so it doesn't get messy. Good luck.

There are some basic steps to take towards being a better cook. It's great that you want to learn! You can do this!

First, get a simple meat thermometer. Bed Bath and Beyond, or Walmart or Target have simple thermometers that will help you tell when meat is done, while you're learning to cook. They're inexpensive. Chicken is done at 165 degrees, pork is done at 145 degrees and beef is medium rare at about 125-130 degrees.

Here's a great way to make a simple chicken dish.

Cut 2 or 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts into pieces, a little larger than the chicken nuggets that are sold in the grocery stores. Make sure they're pretty evenly sized. The thicker ends of the breasts may have to be sliced in half the long way to keep them the same thickness of the smaller ends. Place them in a ziplock bag, and fill the bag with cold water and about 3 tablespoons of salt. Seal securely and let the chicken sit in this salt brine in the fridge for several hours, or even overnight.

Then, remove the chicken pieces and rinse them. Dip them in milk (skim, buttermilk, whole milk, unflavored soy milk, your choice), and then dip them in Panko bread crumbs. Panko crumbs are usually sold where bread crumbs are, or in the international/Asian section of grocery stores. They're larger, lighter and flakier than regular bread crumbs.

Heat a couple tablespoons of oil in an oven-proof skillet, and when it's hot, lay the breaded chicken pieces in. Let them just turn a beautiful golden color, turn them over, remove the pan from the heat and put it into a 350 degree oven for about 12-15 minutes. When they're about 165 degrees they're done, and they'll be tender and perfect.

Keep learning, and keep trying. I have a food blog, and it's all designed to help people learn to master the basics of good simple cooking without using processed ingredients, using ingredients that you can actually pronounce. There are lots of good learning sites out there. Message me if you want my blog info (it's new).

Hi M. - I was the world's worst cook, too. Then I started looking at recipes and following them EXACTLY. And it worked. I find that if I look up for example, easy pork chop recipes I have a million to chose from and they all have like 6 or less ingredients. Give it a try. :)

I have good cooking days and bad cooking days :-).

Usually Sundays are my new recipe days and I always have a staple handy in case the new dish doesn't turn out. In winter I practice a lot, LOL.

Some days when I am making a soup or need shredded chicken I just grab a rotisserie chicken from the store and pick off that meat to use. Everyone is happy with a full belly and I am a lot less frustrated!

Keep trying!

PS if you like chicken tostadas I have a no fail recipe. PM if you'd like.

M.,

When meat comes out tough - it's typically overcooked.

You need to give yourself some credit!! Cooking isn't always easy!! Blending tastes, textures and all of it isn't easy...

When frying foods? While you want the oil to be hot - you don't want it EXTREMELY hot...so try a lower temperature and frequent turning...