Summer is associated with grilling season and with summer coming to an end I wanted to share with you and my nutrition clients on how I grill my chicken breasts to perfection (at least I like to think they are cooked to perfection). I use my gas grill but feel free to use an indoor grill, such as the George Foreman grill or one of those stove top pan grills.
I have been eating a lot of chicken this summer to help me shed my baby fat and transform my body after baby. I am known for grilling enough chicken to last me for a few days. I grill the chicken, once it’s cooled, I preportion the chiken to 3-4 ounce servings and store it in an air tight container. When I want to add chicken to my meal it takes minutes to warm up. This system is perfect for me, no excuses to not eat healthy! I not only do this with chicken but also do it with salads and fresh cut vegetables too.
Below is a step by step process on how to grill the perfect chicken breast.
Step One – Prepare the chicken. Rinse chicken breast in running cold water, dry off with a paper towel. Trim visible fat, tendons, etc. Discard or save the scrapes in a freezer safe zip-lock bag when you are ready to make homemade broth.
Step Two – Tenderize. There a variety of ways to tenderize chicken ( or any other muscle meats, lamb, steak, fish, etc.). Here are some ways to tenderize chicken:
Mechanical tenderizing.
- Making diagonal slits into the chicken breast, do not cut all the way through, just cut about 1/4 of inch deep. The slits will help the marinade penetrate into the muscle meat to give you a nice juicy breast.
- Pounding is another means to break down some of the muscle fibers and connective tissues, it’s also a great arm workout!
Using certain enzymes to tenderize.
- The most common enzyme used commercially for meat/chicken is papain, which is an enzyme found in the fruit papaya. Did you know that papain is a blend of three enzymes? Yep, the three enzymes are chymopapain, papain, and peptidase! A little food science trivia!
- Pineapple is another great alternative. Pineapple contains an ezyme called bromelain that can be used in marinades to tenderize meat, I love to us if for my chicken kabobs (see note my note below).
- Also figs, kiwi, ginger and honeydew melon can be used to tenderize meat, but can have a negative effect if marinated for too long
- Note: you don’t want to tenderize (marinade) your chicken or meat for too long using an enzyme based marinade, such as papain or could end up with a mushy texture, not good. So don’t marinate or tenderize for too long, no more than an hour.
Using an Acidic ingredient to tenderize.
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My favorite acidic ingredient to use is freshly squeezed lemon juice on my chicken. Other acidic ingredients that work well to include: any citrus juices, vinegar, wine, butter milk, and yogurt.
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I like to dilute the acidic ingredient with oil, spices, and fresh or dried herbs. I’ll use canola oil or olive oil with a 1:2 ratio – one part acidic ingredient to two parts oil, sometimes I’ll do a 1:3 or a 1:4 part ratio, depends on what I have on hand
Using a Brine or Salt based liquid to tenderize.
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Brining works well when you tenderize the chicken by pounding it with a mallet or cutting diagonal lines into the chicken. Adding a brine or salt will help promote water retention and result in a juicy tender chicken breast. According toPaul Edmondson from hub pages, tenderizing the chicken (meat) will help to absorb fluid and flavor so when it’s cooking the added moisture will cook the meat from the inside and out to retain moisture.
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I’ll add a 1/4 tsp of salt to my marinade, but I’m not a big fan of adding a ton of sodium to my food, especially since I’m eating clean. The last thing I want is to retain water and bloat up. I’ll use this method for special occasions but not for everyday cooking. If you are looking for some great brine recipes, I found some over at About.com, click here.
Step Three – Marinate the Chicken. As mentioned above in step two, I like to use an acidic ingredient with oil, spices and herbs. I’ll put the chicken in a large ceramic bowl, add the marinade, cover with plastic wrap or in my case cover with glass lid. Let it marinade for at least 3o minutes to 6 hours and then it’s good to grill.
- In the photo above, I used a rosemary balsamic Dijon mustard marinade, click here for the recipe (see post on Aug. 15, 2011). Other marinades I like to use:
- lemon balsamic vinaigrette
- Sundried tomato basil marinade
- Basil Pesto sauce works well as a marinade
Step Four – Grilling. I like to cook my chicken slow and on a low temperature until the internal temperature reaches 165° F. Cooking time depends on a number of factors, such as the thickness of chicken breast, the cut of the chicken breast (the small the cut, the faster it cooks), also the temperature of the grill will determine how long it takes to cook. Investing in a good meat thermometer is a must to avoid food-borne illnesses. Happy and Safe Grilling.
check out my post tomorrow on: Four Tips for SMART Grilling from the American Institute of Cancer Research!
Sources:
McWilliams, M. 2008. “Meats, Fish, and Poultry.” Foods Experimental Perspective 351-52.
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