Every time I buy chicken breast it doesn t seem to be good. I know I m cooking it right and to the right temperature because I ve done it at my friend s house. The breast I buy usually end up tasting really bad.
Usually I buy whatever is in the yellow things at Walmart, but they do not cook good and always have gross stuff on them.
Christin K
It's not the place you're buying it--most chicken parts you get are only coming from a few factory farm processing plants and are distributed all over the country. They're pretty much all the same. It's the cooking method that matters.
Chicken breasts are not the tastiest part of the chicken--the thigh is better, and has more juice when you cook it. Consider buying thighs rather than breasts.
Buying boneless, skinless breasts are like buying sponges to cook--they have removed all the things that make chicken juicy and tasty. If you buy bone-in breasts with skin, they're a bit more tasty. But that naked meat absorbs the taste of whatever you use to cook it in, and that's about it. It has little taste of its own.
To be its best, chicken should be cooked more slowly than you might think, at a slightly lower temperature--no more than 350F, and have been seasoned prior to cooking so the meat absorbs the taste of the seasonings. To ensure juicy, tasty chicken, oil the breasts with olive oil first, then add some acid to it--like lime or lemon juice, in the bottom of the pan. Cook slowly, or cover the breasts for the first half of the cooking time to get the meat completely done, then uncover it to brown the skin and crisp the outside. It is actually the chicken BONES that impart the most taste to any part of the chicken; when you buy boneless, you have automatically eliminated most of the taste you could be getting.
If you want fried chicken, then par-boil the breasts FIRST--let them cool, then dredge them in flour, dip in beaten egg, and then your coating--breadcrumbs or cornmeal. (mix your seasonings with the coating.) Fry them SLOWLY in hot oil you've preheated in a shallow fry pan, turning them only when the one side is done--just once if you can. Don't fry at too high a temperature--just enough to make the chicken 'sizzle' while cooking. If you use a solid shortening or lard to fry your chicken instead of canola oil, corn oil or vegetable oil, it will have more taste, but be higher in saturated fats--but it's your choice here.
Chris
If you have an "Aldi" by you.
CrustyCurmudgeon
I buy those same yellow tray chicken breasts and don't have a problem with them. The best way to cook them is with a cup of water and a bouillon cube in an Instant Pot on manual for 8 minutes, then instant release and let them rest for two minutes before you carve them. Good luck.
Burgoo
I buy those a lot from Walmart, they are fine. Trim the fat/nasty off. Then bake for maybe 35 minutes at 425, depending on your oven. They come out good for me that way. Season or marinate as you like.
Anonymous
At a butcher shop or try buying from an independent supermarket.