cooking your chicken breast for PPWO...

**TRIBOL** · 06-01-2004, 01:22 PM

how the heck do i cook my chicken breast so its stays moist and tender?

every one i made for the past few months has come out soo dry and almost hard, its like eating a leather jacket PPWO. does anyone have any ideas cause its getting pretty old and boring for me latley.

TrIBOL

**TRIBOL** · 06-01-2004, 01:26 PM

im gonna ask another guesstion on this thread so i odnt clutter up the board. whats a good pre-workout meal. i started to work out in the mornings now. here are 2 choices that i like, let me know if any of them are good or feel free to make one for me.

1/2 cup oatmeal
1 scoop whey
banana

-or-

2 scoops whey + banana shake w/water

Thanks bro's,
TrIBOL

**SwoleCat** · 06-01-2004, 01:27 PM

Do you use fresh chicken breasts?

I use the bagged variety, yes they have sodium broth as a part of the packaging process, but since I don't care about sodium unless I am pre-contest, there is no way in BLUE H*LL that I am going to eat that rubberized crap.

There are ways to cover it and slow cook them to make them soft, but it's not worth it to me. I just use the bagged breasts or tenders, and I'm good to go.

I don't have a pre-workout meal myself, as I don't workout in the morning. It would also depend on your goals, as to what you are going to eat before.

~SC~

**Beernutz** · 06-01-2004, 01:34 PM

i marinate the chiken breast in full fat salad dressing. Its seems to really help..

**TRIBOL** · 06-01-2004, 01:50 PM

thanks for the responses brothers, i buy the chicken from the meat market, 10lbs of that for the week and then 5lbs of steak for my cheat day

i was thinking of soaking it over night in vinager, garlic, and scallions. anyone try that yet?

for my pre-workout meal, my goals are defintly still to cut and probally will be for a while. today i tried a shake and 1/2 cantalope but my energy just dropped after arms and it felt like i had a 45lbs plate in my pocket through my back routine. i dont even want to get into my cardio session after weights

it was dreadfull.. i'll probably gonna have to go through so trial and error and see what works for me. tomoroow i'll do the shake and oatmeal thing and see how that works for me. would a banana be ok to add?

TrIBOL

**63190** · 06-02-2004, 12:24 AM

Why are you doing arms before back? You need arms to do lats. Try just switching that around. JMO

**SwoleCat** · 06-02-2004, 07:29 AM

Yeah, ditto.

~SC~

**bad_man** · 06-02-2004, 07:39 AM

Back to the first question, if you want juicy chicken you need low heat and slow cooking. I'm with Swole in that I don't care all that much to wait, so I blast it on the grill. But if you have the time, low and slow. Marinades affect the taste and can make a tough piece of meet more tender, but it won't make it more juicy.

**Kärnfysikern** · 06-02-2004, 08:33 AM

the way I prepare chicken is I cut it inty medium size slices then I throw it into a high frying pan along with some frozen wokked veggies, cover it completely in water and then just let it boil until there is no more water in the pan. Its very juicy, moist and tender that way

thats btw the way I prepare almost all kinds of meat. Everything gets tender and moist that way.

**eggplant** · 06-02-2004, 09:55 AM

it all depends on when you are eating the chicken..most chicken breast dry up after a while..that's why they taste dry..i've gottn used to it..but when i'm at home, i cook it with lottsa veggies..so it has some kinda moisture..

**Psychotron** · 06-02-2004, 10:42 AM

I buy the frozen stuff, and have a george foreman. You can throw the chicken on it frozen it will cook it through, it will be juicy.I just cut one open and see if its all white on the inside, and its done. I usually have to eat my chicken with white rice, chicken alone is nasty now.

**DEVLDOG** · 06-02-2004, 11:53 AM

i cook it in a frying pan with olive oil,cut the breast in thin slices.cook 10lbs at a time,usually add hot sauce or sugar free salsa before eating.still tender after 5 days.thats all 10 lbs last.

**doby48** · 06-02-2004, 01:10 PM

I got a new Foreman grill (actually got a Hamilton Beach brand) a couple weeks ago and it is da bomb for cooking chicken breast. Doesn't dry out the chicken at all and it cooks a raw chicken breast in less than 5 minutes.

ttuPrincess · 06-02-2004, 01:14 PM

if you look in the isle of the supermarket where the salad dressings and BBQ suaces are they have a section of marinateds like teriaky, lemon peper the list goes on and on.. and tehy barely have anything in them..
I buy the bags of breasts, open up the bag poor a bottle of marinade in and let them soak till im ready to cook on my Goerge.. very tastey plus theer such a variety taht I never get to bored of one flavor..

**beefydragon** · 06-03-2004, 01:21 AM

yep yep, george foreman grill does the trick...

In addition, restaurant preparation guide (my families are all chef background)

this goes with both chicken and beef... slice the chicken to strip size or chopped for stir fry... soak the chicken breast in cold water and add a few table spoons of baking soda... wait five minutes, drain, and rinse clean with water... now grill it or stir fry it. it'll taste much better...

whole chicken breast you might need to soak a bit longer...

PS, this is what fast food folks use also to make their "ground chicken" more tender.

**TRIBOL** · 06-03-2004, 11:52 AM

u guys rock, always comming through. im gonna try all these ideas and see what tastes the best, thanks everyone!

TrIBOL

**TRIBOL** · 06-03-2004, 12:47 PM

ah, i didnt see the post above that said do back before arms. im gonna make the proper switch. what about chest and shoulders? i usually do chest first.

TrIBOL

**doby48** · 06-03-2004, 05:30 PM

Chest and shoulders shouldn't even be done on the same day IMHO. I work them a few days apart. Heres what I workout and on what days:

Mon - Chest & Triceps
Tue - Legs & Abs
Wed - Rest
Thur - Back & Biceps
Fri - Shoulders & Legs
Sat - Abs & Heavy Cardio
Sun - Rest

**TheChosenOne** · 06-03-2004, 06:39 PM

You have all missed the greatest way to keep chicken moist. BAKING. Throw 3lbs of chicken in a baking dish for 30-45 mins with some seasoning and bam juicier than porn star titties. Tyson makes chicken breast tenderloins that are great for baking. Plus you can weigh them out easier since they are smaller portions. BAKING gets my two thumbs up!

**Elliot** · 06-03-2004, 07:05 PM

the baking soda is a very intresting idea.. im a try it.. as soon as i can steal my neighbors chickens.. ::evil laugh::

**bad_man** · 06-03-2004, 07:19 PM

Originally Posted by TheChosenOne

You have all missed the greatest way to keep chicken moist. BAKING. Throw 3lbs of chicken in a baking dish for 30-45 mins with some seasoning and bam juicier than porn star titties. Tyson makes chicken breast tenderloins that are great for baking. Plus you can weigh them out easier since they are smaller portions. BAKING gets my two thumbs up!

45 minutes? Who waits that long?

**TheChosenOne** · 06-03-2004, 08:24 PM

Originally Posted by bad_man

45 minutes? Who waits that long?

Cook your food ahead of the time for the week. Then you can just cover and microwave anytime you need to eat. All you have to do is put your chicken in the oven, set it to 350, and walk away for 30-45 mins. Trust me its far easier and more time consuming than grilling the same amount of chicken. But if you choose to continue cooking on your foreman I will not lose any sleep over it.

**Animal Cracker** · 06-04-2004, 04:23 AM

I use the "Gary Coleman" version of the George Forman grill...small one..doesnt dry them out..sometimes I will cook them about 3/4 the way with the GF grill then throw them into the steamer basket of my rice cooker...even after the charcoal grill...about 2 or 3 minutes int he steamer section of the rice cooker (the basket that sits atop the rice bowl cooker)..they stay moist and tender.

**abstrack** · 06-04-2004, 07:17 AM

if their dry then you are cooking them to long. chicken doesnt have to be cooked that long to be done. if you are baking them, place them in a oven cook bag like one for a turkey. place your spices in there and cook for 20-25 mins tops.

I cook mine on the grill and marinate them for half of the day. cook on each side for about 10 mins and it is done. if they are comming out dry then you are just cooking them to long. make sure the flame on the grill is not at its highest, cook them on med to low flame.

**savagebeast** · 06-04-2004, 10:25 PM

Tribol, the best way to keep chicken breast moist is BOIL it!!! I haven't read that one yet and I've done that for years! I used to cook 5 days worth of chicken breasts on Sunday night for the workweek. After it's done boiling (30 minutes or so) place them in tin foil and trust me, even the chicken I have on Friday (5 days later) is still moist. Give it a try.