Saturday, June 2, 2012

Chicken Well Spent

Do you remember the chickens that I cut up? I have cooked the legs and thighs, as well as the whole chicken. The other night, I finally took the courage to make some chicken broth out of the back bones.

After I put everything in and turned on the stove, I went upstairs to check on the kids. And then, I saw something else needed done and I forgot about the broth. 


Fortunately, I passed by the kitchen soon enough. I was shocked that the stove was on but the broth was reduced to a nice whitish color. It turned out to be an accidental success!


I had corn in the pot too.
I wonder how much of the color was due to the corn...

I added some more water and boil it for a little longer. At the end, the chicken bones just fall apart when I picked them up. 



Can I say the chicken was well spent?

Well, I still have the chicken breast left to cook. I am a little nervous about that though... I am afraid I would overcook them and made them into chewy meat instead of juicy tender chicken breast.

Do you have any secret in cooking chicken breast? Any tips to share? My family will greatly appreciate it.

8 comments:

  1. Cook them in a crock pot with a lg jar of diced tomatoes (i use home canned quart containers), 1/3 cup brown sugar, salt to taste, and red pepper flakes to taste. Then make chicken tacos. Seriously easy, and the chicken breast falls apart because it is so moist :-) Depending on how many chicken breasts you have, you might need to double the ingredients. I use these amounts for ~1lb of chicken. It is definitely sweet and spicy though, so adjust according to your taste!

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    1. I usually use about 1/2 tsp-1 tsp red pepper flakes, and probably 1 tsp salt. Sorry, I don't really use measurements :-)

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    2. Sometimes I do them like this too, but I usually just cheat and dump some jarred salsa in. :-)

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    3. Thanks Heather for the recipe. Sounds delicious. I suppose this can be cooked over the stove too?

      Elizabeth, I like your cheating version too. I definitely need to cheat *some* of the days :)

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  2. Great job! I'm usually cooking chicken breasts to be put into a casserole, soup, or on top of a salad. Lately I've been cooking them stove top in a pan with a little olive oil and salt and pepper on the chicken. Let it sit on each side for 5 min. or so (med. heat) or until it's browning. Then I cut into one in the thickest part to see if there is still any pink. If there is, keep cooking, covering it can help finish it up if you want. Then just keep checking it every 2-3 min.

    My friend had a great marinade and process for cooking chicken on the grill. I've been meaning to get the recipe and when I do I will try to get it onto my blog. :-)

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    1. Definitely need to try this too. Sounds easy and quick. Many ways to use the leftovers too, I suppose?

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  3. I know this is very late and you have probably used the chicken breasts but for the next time.....the longer you cook them the tougher they get. Thinly slice them then quick saute, heat sauce in another pan then mix the 2 together. Or cut in small bite sized pieces for tacos, have seasoning ready, add oil to pan, then chicken, cook for about 4 minutes, add seasoning and cook for another 3-5 minutes. enjoy!
    I found you through FrugalGirl.
    Wendy

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    1. Thanks, Wendy, for your tip. Cooking time is definitely my number one reason for being nervous about it. I will try your certainly try what you suggested next time.

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