how do you brown chicken?

i feel silly asking this, but i'm tired of being unsatisfied with my chicken! i either have the heat too low and the chicken just turns white (cooked but unappetizing), or the chicken gets tough...presumably b/c the heat is too high!

what am i doing wrong?

thanks!

Well, if you are cooking chicken breasts, without the skin, your best bet would be to turn up the heat pretty high, and put them in the pan with some cooking spray for just a bit until each side gets brown, then turn down the heat so it cooks slower from then on, and doesn't burn.

If you are baking it, I don't know what to tell you. Leave the skin on, and it'll get brown, but then you peel the skin off, and the meat is white.

What I do is bake normally on the center rack, covered, until the last few minutes and then switch to broil on the top rack, uncovered, for JUST a few minutes at the very end.

Pan frying I do what hgielrehtaeh suggested, turn the heat up for a few mins to sear. Leave the lid on the pan to keep the chicken juicy.

you can slow cook them if you have time.  Slow cook the chicken with your favorite seasonings in a 250 degree oven for about 2 or 3 hours....If you cover in foil you do not have to use oil....put some water in the foil for extra moist.

Try cooking them in a foil packet with veggies and seasoning...40 minutes on 350 or thereabouts, it's a very forgiving style of cooking.  The veggies and some pepper or some soy will give it flavor.  Also, you can try tossing pineapple in with it or mango to make it sweet.

3 letters....

B B Q

rub some on dry seasoning. grill it over med-high heat, then add sauce to taste.

 If you want to get fancy throw a slice of pepper jack on top for the last 2 minutes and then saute' some onions and throw it together on a whole wheat roll!

Medium to High heat, spray a pan with Pam.

VOILA!

For brown chicken I use a cast iron pan. I heat it on med-high for two minutes or so until it's hot and then I add canola oil. You don't want to use olive oil, it will burn and smoke. Canola can handle the high heat. The idea is to sear the outside of the chicken on high heat as quickly as possible, and then turn the heat way down and slow cook the inside.

Make sure your chicken is patted dry, and seasoned. Add it to the pan and if it's a breast, keep flipping and letting it rest until it's brown on both sides, and if it's chunks, stir fry the pieces and make sure they aren't too close to each other.

When the chicken is brown I turn the heat way down low and cover the pan. You can add a little water once the pan cools down some, then I cook on low heat for a while, until it's done. I used to have the same problem as you, it just takes practice. You can probably use a different kind of pan other than cast iron, too, but that's what I use.

If it's a breast and it's really thick you might have to try and slice it into two pieces so you don't end up with tough edges and a raw middle.

If I really crave juicy chicken I do the foil packet thing with italian dressing. It's white but it tastes wonderful. :)

If you broil it on both sides for 6 minutes it turns out wonderful! I know what you mean about "white and unappetizing" -- yuck! When I broil mine I pound it down a bit with a meat mallet first and add spices (stick it between two sheets of waxed paper or plastic wrap first though if you try it). 

I never use oil or spray to cook chicken. I make sure the pan is almost smoking hot, so when the breast hits the surface it is sealed instantly. Then i leave it for a good 3 minutes on one side till it's nice and brown, flip it over and deglaze the pan with some stock or water. A chicken breast (skinless and boneless) should nottake more than 20 minutes to cook. 

Cook it as usual, then use a cooking torch to finish it.

I brush with about a teaspoon of olive oil each, sprinkle with salt & pepper, & broil them close to the flame.  It takes some watching, but you can get a nice golden color.  Just be careful not to overcook.

thanks all!