Hey mamas,
I am doing an easy dinner tonight bc I have to jet out of my house tonight at 5:30 and I am leaving my hubs home with my two oldest boys :) So I am going to marinade these chicken breasts in one of those store bought packages all day and then pop them in the oven in the afternoon. My question is this, the breasts are pretty thick, would you cut them in half for baking? I really want them to be juicy and I think if I try to cook those big old breasts they are going to dry out. Or do you have a trick for baking breasts so they don't dry out, please share!! Thanks :)
Thanks for the tips ladies! Ok, so I did cut them bc they were only three breasts but close to three lbs of meat, so they were crazy thick and I didn't feel like pounding :) I wisked up my marinade but I am so happy to have the tip on marinading making them tough so I am going to toss the marinade on like an hour before I cook them and the should cook pretty fast now that the are thinner, I have a butter herb rice thing I can toss in the rice cooker and canned green beans, so dinner is already on it's way to being done and it's only 8:30am!! woo-hoo :)
Why don't you pound them a little bit to thin them out? Put the chicken breast between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound it flatter with a hammer.
Usually for big chicken breasts, we cut them off the bone and cut them in half lengthwise. If they're still to thick, we pound them to desired thinness.
Also, just a tip: not sure what marinade you're using, but some marinades (acidic ones) can make meat tough after too much time. Good luck with dinner!
My husband taught me a trick with poultry. I thought it was disgusting but it does make the juiciest meat. Before putting it in the oven he coats the meat in mayo and then covers it with foil. He does with everything from the Thanksgiving turkey to an any day chicken breast. Always comes out extremely juicy.
I add some water to the bottom of the pan, cover with foil and bake at a lower temp for a longer time.
Good luck!
Like boneless breasts?
It gags me when they're really thick, so if they are, I cut horizontally.
If they are an inch thick, they only take about 30-35 minutes at 350.
(Just made some yesterday.)
Are they bone in? I had some huge bone in breasts this week and I just Used simple Shake and Bake for the time listed on the carton and they were great!
Super easy!
With baking I would leave a little bit thicker or do as the others have sound pound it out a bit.
It was also a good tip that one of the other posters mentioned - some marinades can ruin the meat if left in it too long.
Don't overcook them. God I wish I could ask my husband what temperature he cooks them on but he doesn't dry them out at all.
Yeah, meats fall in his cooking range I get everything else. :)
I do know chicken is a cook to temp not time kind of meat.
I'd soak them in buttermilk all day, then put your spice on them right before baking time.
Thick breasts can come out really juicy as long as they arent overcooked.
I always preheat the oven to 450, put the meat in, then turn it to 350. Thick breasts should only take about 45 minutes.
For next time, have you tried putting them in a crock pot? Easiest meal ever!
Go online and find tons of simple things to add for variety. You just have to adjust the time to fit your crock pot. I have a newer one and it sure takes a lot less time than my old one.
