I have started relying on chicken breast as my main source of protein.
However, whenever I just sautee it (I only have a hot plate to work with) it comes out SUPER tough and dry and stringy.. bleh!!
So on a whim, I tried dipping it in beaten egg and flour before pan-frying with a couple tablespoons of olive oil. And it was AMAZING! Moist and tender and perfect!
I'm wondering if this method is adding substantially more calories to my dish. I always, only use olive oil in my cooking, being aware that it's a fat, but the good kind.
Is it really bad to have a thin layer of breading? Should I remove the breading after cooking? Do you have tips for cooking chicken breast on the stovetop?
I'm not sure quite how many extra calories are added with what you suggested, but if you are concerned about the calories you could always experiment with using less oil and using egg white or egg substitute instead of whole eggs.
I like cooking chicken on the stove top by effectively steaming it. This works with frozen chicken too! I place the chicken in the skillet with some water and cook on medium/high with a lid on the skillet. I check it every so often to make sure that it isn't too low on water and add more if needed. When they look close to being done I'll remove the lid and start cooking off the water and allow the chicken to brown on both sides. It only takes about a half an hour to cook frozen chicken this way. I usually gauge when it is done by look, but using a meat thermometer would like be better!
The other nice thing about this method is that you can add all sorts of seasonings, marinades, or sauces when you begin cooking for different flavors. I usually just use what I have on hand. Some of the things I've used to flavor chicken this way is salsa, light Italian dressing, light ranch dressing, raspberry and other vinaigrettes, garlic cloves, jerk seasoning, and all sorts of spices. Just be careful if the sauce you use has sugar in it just be careful near the end it tends to burn more. Some additions will make a nice sauce as you boil down the liquid at the end.
Honestly, I don't know the calorie count on adding the breading, but I know it is definitely adding more calories to the chicken. It soaks up the oil it is cooking in, too.
If you want to try something new with sauteeing the chicken, use non stick spray, cut your chicken into smaller pieces, and put a lid over the pan while cooking. This might help keep some of the juices in. DON'T OVERCOOK!!
I think that you are overcooking you chicken breast and that is why it come out dry. Use high heat and cook for a shorter period of time. High heat + shorter time help the chicken to keep its moisture. If you search “how to cook healthy chicken breast” on google you may find very useful webpages.
I like to cut the chicken breast really thin and then soak in in milk or skim milk, and then dip it in flour mixed with bread crumbs and lots of seasoning. Then stick it in the oven or fry it. It's tasty!
Well adding a couple of tablespoons of oil is adding a whopping 240 calories. Every tablespoon of oil has 120 calories - no matter what kind of oil it is - vegetable, corn, canola, olive, sesame, grapeseed. So yes, olive is a health-ier oil, but it must be used sparingly. Try quick "frying" with maybe a tsp of olive oil and a little cooking spray in a non-stick pan. Or *frying* it in the oven. Lay it on a baking sheet that's been coated with a tsp of oil, which you can spread thin with a pastry brush. than spray the tops of it with more of the cooking spray. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes.
There is another thread going on here about chicken, asking a similar question. Here was my response:
Quote:
I think the most important thing is to not overcook the white meat.
I do lots of stir fries. Lots of pan sauteed chicken with liquid (wine, lemon juice, chicken broth). I use tons of onions, lots of different spices -garlic, thyme, rosemary, parsley, ginger, Mrs. Dash.
Flour-coated chicken breast?
