A Guide to Cooking Chicken Breast
Boneless, skinless chicken breast is probably the most often mentioned food item on Calorie Count. This quick cooking cut of chicken is a great source of protein and is very low in fat and calories, ounce for ounce. In fact, 4 ounces of cooked chicken breast is only 117 calories. It provides 27 grams of protein and only 7 grams of fat.
The problem is, boneless, skinless chicken breast is so lean that it dries and becomes tough if overcooked even slightly. In addition, many members tell us they are looking for more variety. It seems everyone wants to know the best way to cook it, how to keep it tender and moist, and how to make it more interesting. We have lots of tips and recipes to help you.
You can use either dry heat or moist heat to cook chicken breast. Examples of dry heat would be grilling, sauteing, baking or pan searing. Moist heat cooking methods include poaching in a sauce or broth, wrapping in parchment paper or foil to retain the moisture, soups, or stews.
When using dry heat methods, cook over high heat, quickly to brown the outside without drying out the inside. Moist heat methods should use low heat and longer cooking to keep the chicken tender. Whatever you do, don't overcook it. An instant, digital meat thermometer is an easy way to tell if your chicken breast is done. The internal temperature should register 160 to 170 degrees Fahrenheit (that's 71 to 76 degrees Celsius). Food safety experts recommend 170 degrees but most chefs feel that 160 is safe.
For the sake of food safety, do carefully clean all cutting surfaces, tools and your hands after handling poultry and before handling other foods, especially those that will be served raw, such as salads.
There are lots more great tips in this About.com article, especially on the topic of safety:
How to Cook Boneless, Skinless, Chicken Breast
Using the Recipe Browser on Calorie Count, we've found so many creative and delicious recipes that it was hard to choose just a few. We included one recipe for boneless, skinless chicken thighs for those that prefer dark meat or who simply want a change of pace.
- Aloha Chicken - cooked with sweet pineapple and spices, this dish is moist and flavorful
- Grilled Rosemary Chicken Thighs - use fresh or dried rosemary and fresh lemon rind to prepare this aromatic and delicious recipe.
- Parmesan Seared Chicken Breast - Easy to prepare, it's a good alternative to battered and fried chicken fingers.
Comments
Yeah, good catch. I thought the same thing when I read the tagline for the article, but thought my memory was screwing up.
The package of boneless chicken breast that I have states that 3 oz. is 115 calories and 1.5 grams of fat.
Here are the recipes featured in the Newsletter today
Thai Green Chicken CurryUse a wok if possible to prepare this spicy curry. Thai green chile paste and fresh hot peppers provide the heat and light coconut milk cools the heat... continue reading
Sesame Chicken
Low in calories and sodium, sesame seeds add a little crunch and ginger and cardamom give it a mild, spicy flavor... continue reading
Chicken Margarita with Whole Wheat Pasta
Tasty, easy to prepare and high in nutrition, this tempting version of Chicken Margarita is low in calories as well... continue reading
Look at the data for uncooked chicken breast here
http://caloriecount.about.com/calories-tyson-foods-fresh-bon eless-skinless-i110506
As you can see, 4 ounces uncooked is 110 calories. Other listings in the data base have slightly higher calorie counts.
The item you referenced is cooked, stewed chicken breast with the bone and skin removed after cooking, so the count is higher. For accuracy, I like to use the uncooked data.
Just for further clarification, here is the actual item I used to determine the calorie count
http://caloriecount.about.com/calories-foster-farms-boneless -skinless-breast-i90093
The serving size is 194 grams at 200 calories . If you log 4 ounces, or 113 grams, it's 117 calories.
I hope that clears things up.
A Smoked Chicken Breast is one of the tastiest options out there.
When poeple get over the intimidation of a Smoker and think of it as an oven on low heat (225-300deg.) then the limits are endless...
The bigest change is the cooking time...(Lower Heat = Longer Cooking Time).
Some think Smoked food gets dried out... That is not true in most cases (unless cooking time/ tempature is off or a dry result is your goal).
One begins with a choice of nicely trimmed meat and a Marinade or a Dry Rub. (Preparing food in a Smoker is not limited to only Meat) My choice is a dry rub on all surfaces of the meat and then place in a zip-loc bag or sealed container over night in the refrigerator. (Marinades are also great, but some need to watch the levels of sugars and/or salts that tend to be in most Marinades).
Allowing the food to rest to room tempature before placing in the smoker will assist the natural juices of the meat to interact with the seasonings. (This is not an essential step).
While smoking, the food is actually STEAMED and/or BAKED... Once the Smoker is over 212deg.... the magic happins... Water vapors start to rise, encompassing and cradling the food while dancing with the flavorful accents of smoke that rise from the selected wood-chips that were placed between the water reservoir and the heat source.
The extended length of time food smokes does tend to dry out the outer layer of the food (more on that outer layer later), however, the steam within the Smoker (and the dry outer layer) balances the humidity level allowing the moisture within the with the succulent morsels to remain intact staying juicy and tender while your food achieves optimal temperature (temp varies based on the food you are smoking).
<<I learrned this trick while cutting up the food for my children>>
If the outer Layer is too dried out for your taste, shave off the outer layer and place it in a dehydrator to make a great all natural lean jerky... The kids love it.
The opportunity to eat food prepared in a smoker is a treat.
Eating healthy does not mean you have to give up taste...
In some cases, like in sensible smoked food, you can enjoy great lower fat meat with great flavor.
I hope this will give you the inspiration to further investigate to wonders of preparing healthy food with a Smoker.
For the Sesame Chicken recipe, it states to use 4 cups of Brocolli but never references on when to put it in the recipe. So, is it included in the recipe at some point or not? Or is it just a side, which I would ask then, is it included in the calories or not?
We've found an alternative to chicken breast, which can be dry. I buy chicken tenders and use them in recipes that call for chicken breasts. They always come out moist and tender.
Well I am glad somebody caught that cause I am new at all this I wouldn't of known if it was right or wrong.
I make poor Boys a lot for my family. It seasons the chicken breast while keeping it very moist. Lay out a 1 foot square of aluminum Foil. Spread teaspoon of oil in center. Place chopped onion and bell pepper in center. Score chicken on both sides and season, rubbing it into the chicken. Place chicken breast on top of onion and bell pepper. Cover with vegetable mixture. Season vegetable mixture. (you need to over season just a bit) Fold foil over and crimp for a air tight seal. Place on baking sheet for 40 minutes at 325 degrees or until juices from chicken run clear.
HBBUHLER- Couldn't agree with you more! A smoker is so easy to use and makes the leanest proteins. My husband and I cook everything on there- chicken, salmon, turkey, pork. It's great and extremely juicy inside. When we do chicken legs, we keep the skin on, and when it's done, we peel off the crispy skin and VOILA - moist juicy chicken awaits us.
I also use the broiler for quick moist chicken. A little seasoning salt and pepper, and after 4 minutes per side, the chicken is cooked through but still juicy.
Thanks for the suggestions for variety on chicken breast!
FYI, there is a CC posting that equates to about 115 calories for 4 ounces. The "chicken breast, meat only, cooked, roasted" item (i5064) shows 231 calories for 1 cup of chopped or diced chicken. If one cup is eight ounces, half would be four ounces. Half of the 231 would be around 115. Not sure if that is CC's source or not.
What I was trying to point out was that different database items will have different calorie counts depending on if it's cooked, and how, or if it's raw. Many times the cooked chicken items mean that the chicken was cooked on the bone with the skin on.
What I'm referring to here is boneless, skinless chicken breast, cooked as they are - no skin, no bones, fat removed.
A cup of chopped, cooked chicken might not be 8 ounces. Ounces can be weight or volume. Measured by the cup, that would be volume, and it may or may not weigh 8 ounces. You'd have to weigh it to see.
Rule of thumb - a 3 ounce piece of any meat or fish is about the size of a deck of cards.
I know there is a difference between raw and cooked. But your original post says "4 ounces of cooked chicken breast is only 117 calories" which is wrong. 4 ounces if RAW chicken breast is about 115 calories, 4 ounces of COOKED chicken breast is about 170 or 180, depending on the listing you check.
Original Post by: retranthamI make poor Boys a lot for my family. It seasons the chicken breast while keeping it very moist. Lay out a 1 foot square of aluminum Foil. Spread teaspoon of oil in center. Place chopped onion and bell pepper in center. Score chicken on both sides and season, rubbing it into the chicken. Place chicken breast on top of onion and bell pepper. Cover with vegetable mixture. Season vegetable mixture. (you need to over season just a bit) Fold foil over and crimp for a air tight seal. Place on baking sheet for 40 minutes at 325 degrees or until juices from chicken run clear.
That sounds really good. I'll have to try it.
Original Post by: stubloomI know there is a difference between raw and cooked. But your original post says "4 ounces of cooked chicken breast is only 117 calories" which is wrong. 4 ounces if RAW chicken breast is about 115 calories, 4 ounces of COOKED chicken breast is about 170 or 180, depending on the listing you check.
Cooking 4oz of skinless, boneless chicken breast without additives like butter or oil doesn't change the caloric value of the item. If you poach a 117 calorie piece of meat in water, or bake in in the oven, or cook it in a dry skillet, it comes out to be 117 calories at the end.
Hmm 110 117 115 calories kinda spliting chicken feathers ?
any way my favorite way to do them is to roll them in non fat yogurt. then put them in a bag with (flour or corn flakes or almond flour delcious but high calories or what ever your fav coating might be) season to your taste garlic salt pepper cajun spice my fav zatorans. then cover baking sheet with foil spray twice with olive oil spray put breasts on, shove in 400 deg oven for 30 mins then turn another 30 + - your choice. they come nice and crispy and moist kinda like fried chicken
If you have access to bannana leaves. wrap then in leaf with spice s what ever you like. put them in low bbq for 1 half hrs there is not much that is more juicy than breasts fixed this way. I like to peel lemon slice it and put in leaf also. there are a million combos for this recipe veggies fruit etc have fun.
> Cooking 4oz of skinless, boneless chicken breast without additives like butter or oil doesn't change the caloric value of the item.
But when you cook 4 oz of raw chicken breast, you wind up with less than 4 oz of cooked meat. So the calories in 4 oz (after-cooking weight) of chicken <> the calories in 4 oz (before-cooking weight).
A few other fabulous things smoked are;
Blue Potato are the best (they are actually purple in color) or Russets
Yams/Sweet Potato
Beet root
Parsnips
Hard Cheeses (gotta be cold smoked or they melt)
Suggestions on cooking chicken from a chef of 20+ years.
There is a membrane under the skin of the chicken that connects the skin to meat, and there are a TON of recipes that will take a whole bird and stuff varies things under the skin to keep the meat moist (my favorite is a lemon rosemary butter). If you cook the chicken break on the crown (a chef term meaning on the bone) it is much easier to keep the skin intact to lock in moisture. As a person who has recently lost 45lbs on a weight loss regime and from a eaters point of view it’s HARD to cook the chicken with the skin on and then take it off and throw it away (not eat it; feed to the dog, etc); but alas this is THE BEST way to keep the chicken breast moist when utilizing a dry heat method. Now this assumes that the person cooking it actually wants it moist and tender. I have some across a number of customers over the years that are so used to over-cooked, commercially processed foods they WANT IT THAT WAY. The key to making tender, moist meat is RESTING though (where the residual heat will finish the cooking processs and even out the juices).
I would strongly urge all of you posters to check you internal temperatures, from what I have seen you are ALL over-cooking your chicken. I cook at 6oz breast (tenderloing removed, butterflied so all parts of the chicken are the same thickness to creat an even cooking time) for 2-3 minutes a side; or in the oven 375 degree oven for about 15 minutes. Your pre-resting temperature should be 160degrees and it will continue to cook and rest "up" to 165. A universal guide for resting time is 1/2 of cooking time. This is what makes the difference been GOOD meat and GREAT meat.
Sure it might be a few more calories, but DARK meat (legs, etc) are much harder to overcook and dry out.
Cheers
Chef Gregory Bastow
Thank you chef Bastow for the tips. I love the one about resting the meat - it really does make a difference.
The topic low calorie, low fat recipes. It's easy to make something tender and moist that tastes great if you include the saturated fat that is concentrated in the skin. I do a beautiful roast chicken, seasoned under the skin and basted carefully, but it's much higher in calories than boneless, skinless breast.
Do you have any tips that will help us in our quest?
Original Post by: chefgregorySuggestions on cooking chicken from a chef of 20+ years.
There is a membrane under the skin of the chicken that connects the skin to meat, and there are a TON of recipes that will take a whole bird and stuff varies things under the skin to keep the meat moist (my favorite is a lemon rosemary butter). If you cook the chicken break on the crown (a chef term meaning on the bone) it is much easier to keep the skin intact to lock in moisture. As a person who has recently lost 45lbs on a weight loss regime and from a eaters point of view it’s HARD to cook the chicken with the skin on and then take it off and throw it away (not eat it; feed to the dog, etc); but alas this is THE BEST way to keep the chicken breast moist when utilizing a dry heat method. Now this assumes that the person cooking it actually wants it moist and tender. I have some across a number of customers over the years that are so used to over-cooked, commercially processed foods they WANT IT THAT WAY. The key to making tender, moist meat is RESTING though (where the residual heat will finish the cooking processs and even out the juices).
I would strongly urge all of you posters to check you internal temperatures, from what I have seen you are ALL over-cooking your chicken. I cook at 6oz breast (tenderloing removed, butterflied so all parts of the chicken are the same thickness to creat an even cooking time) for 2-3 minutes a side; or in the oven 375 degree oven for about 15 minutes. Your pre-resting temperature should be 160degrees and it will continue to cook and rest "up" to 165. A universal guide for resting time is 1/2 of cooking time. This is what makes the difference been GOOD meat and GREAT meat.
Sure it might be a few more calories, but DARK meat (legs, etc) are much harder to overcook and dry out.
Cheers
Chef Gregory Bastow
Excellent advice - Thank you and congratulations on the weight loss
Original Post by: clairelaineThank you chef Bastow for the tips. I love the one about resting the meat - it really does make a difference.
The topic low calorie, low fat recipes. It's easy to make something tender and moist that tastes great if you include the saturated fat that is concentrated in the skin. I do a beautiful roast chicken, seasoned under the skin and basted carefully, but it's much higher in calories than boneless, skinless breast.
Do you have any tips that will help us in our quest?
One of easiest dishes I've done lately at home is "put boneless, skinless chicken breast in baking dish, cover with salsa (I make my own, but store bought is fine if you like), add a spalsh of water and bake 20-25 minutes in a 350 oven, or until chicken juices flow clear. A little tequila is great on this - and don't forget all the calories from the alcohol dissapear when it boils!
Marinades are great; use your favorite italien salad dressing; combine chicken and dressing in a bag overnight in the fridge and then dry bake 10-15 in a 375degree oven (you have to throw the marinade away as it has raw chicken bits in it)., server with your favorite steamed veg and away you go!
But the best tip, is check the temperature of the chicken at the half-way point of the recipe your following; I saw someone here cooking a litte 4/5oz chicken breast for over an hour in a 350degree oven (ouch!). 160 degrees and it should come out!
Cheers
Gregory
Rosemary is a wonderful herb. I splurge and buy the fresh springs. Use it with whole wheat pasta. I add it near the end of the boil period and strip the rosemary leaves off into the drained pasta. I also add a clove of garlic to the boiling water. The flavors infuse the pasta. In the mean time I microwave skinless chicken breast with a 1/2 t. extra light olive oil. Cut up the chicken and add to pasta. Serve with a veggie on the side or add mixed veggie to pasta and have the chicken on the side. Either way, low fat, higher protein and filling carbs. Smart Taste pasta is higher in fiber than even some whole grain pastas. Richer taste and more filling.
Original Post by: clairelaineLook at the data for uncooked chicken breast here
http://caloriecount.about.com/calories-tyson-foods-fresh-bon eless-skinless-i110506
As you can see, 4 ounces uncooked is 110 calories. Other listings in the data base have slightly higher calorie counts.
The item you referenced is cooked, stewed chicken breast with the bone and skin removed after cooking, so the count is higher. For accuracy, I like to use the uncooked data.
I'm sorry I don't understand why do you use the uncooked data. Do you eat it uncooked?
> I'm sorry I don't understand why do you use the uncooked data. Do you eat it uncooked?
Perhaps because you can weigh it before you cook it and then know how many calories will be in the finished dish?
I prefer to used cooked weights, but I understand why others may differ ...
Original Post by: mmariottiOriginal Post by: clairelaineLook at the data for uncooked chicken breast here
http://caloriecount.about.com/calories-tyson-foods-fresh-bon eless-skinless-i110506
As you can see, 4 ounces uncooked is 110 calories. Other listings in the data base have slightly higher calorie counts.
The item you referenced is cooked, stewed chicken breast with the bone and skin removed after cooking, so the count is higher. For accuracy, I like to use the uncooked data.
I'm sorry I don't understand why do you use the uncooked data. Do you eat it uncooked?
I also always start with the un-cooked information.
Sadly I don't trust what other people are doing to food, how they are preparing it, seasoning it and cooking it. Especially the temperature at which things are cooked at, and eaten at, can vary the amount of water/fats/nutrient greatly.
Pmartins - are you talking about bone-in chicken for your recipe? 400 degrees for an hour seems like you get one dry piece of card board. Also, I guess it would highly depend on the size of the breast as well, hmm?
I really can't stress about a calorie difference of less than 25 calories. I put my chicken breast on the scale AFTER it is cooked. Then I add into CC what individual sauce, or marinade I use. Since I have started using the thicker chicken breast..it cooks up really moist...even on the grill. If I am cooking chicken breast on the bone with skin (really such a better flavor)...I do cut off the skin & take it off the bone,then weigh it.
Happy Labor Day!!!!!
Here is how to cook a chicken breast that stays moist no matter the cooking method. I got this tip from a cooking show and it works everytime.
Soak the chicken breast in a mixture of 1 teaspoon salt to 8 ounces of water for a period of not less than 30 minutes before cooking. Rinse; pat dry and cook.
I have soaked mine as long as 3 hours.
The salt draws moisture into the cells some of which is retained during cooking.
You will love it.
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According to the CC database, 4 ounces of boneless skinless chicken breast is more like 170 calories than 115. http://caloriecount.about.com/calories-chicken-breast-meat-o nly-i5065?size=3,