How long to cook chicken breasts, how to cook until done

Many housewives will be surprised that chicken fillet needs to be cooked correctly; they believe that there is nothing complicated in this matter; they put the meat in water, salted it and boiled until tender. But not everything is as easy as it seems, in order for the meat to turn out tender, juicy and ready, it is important to follow the technology correctly, but also do not forget about time. If the fillet is overcooked, it will be overcooked and dry, but if, on the contrary, it is not cooked enough, the chicken will be tasteless, and the meat itself will have red streaks. How long to cook chicken fillet, the time depends on various factors that must be taken into account if you want to make tasty and tender meat.

Preparing Chicken Breast

It is recommended to defrost the product. The meat will be much juicier and cook evenly. For gradual defrosting, it is better to use the refrigerator compartment. If you are in a hurry, place the breast in a plastic bag. Then place in a saucepan filled with cool water. Leave to warm up at room temperature.

Immediately before cooking, rinse the meat with running water. Cook the meat with the skin on if you want to make a soup base. If you plan to add chicken to the salad, fillet is better.

Tasty tips:

It is important not only to know how long to cook chicken fillet for salad, but also to properly prepare the water. For spicy salads, add some garlic, oregano and cumin to the broth. For neutral appetizers, simply lightly salt and pepper the water.
To speed up the process of cooking the breast, use a small saucepan. Water will boil faster due to a smaller heating area.
If you plan to use the fillet for a second course, leave it in the broth until you need it. This way the meat will not dry out and will remain juicy.

How long to cook chicken breast until done

The cooking time is determined by the cooking method and the size of the cubes.
Expect to spend 10-30 minutes. To check if the meat is done, regularly open the pan and pierce the chicken with the blade of a knife. If the knife sinks easily into the meat, it is ready. An indirect sign will be the release of clear juice. If in doubt, cut the breast with a knife. The finished meat is evenly colored - both outside and inside.

In order for the fillet to turn out juicy, you need to take into account some tips when cooking it.

To ensure that the fillet turns out juicy, immerse it only in hot water.
If the fillet is cooked for soup and broth is important, then the fillet is placed in cold water.
Don't overcook the fillet. Prolonged cooking causes the fillet to become tough.
Cook the fillet over low heat or after boiling, immediately remove and cover the pan with a thick terry towel. In 20 minutes the fillet will be ready.
Boil the fillet in a small amount of water.
Check the fillet for doneness using a knife. Pierce the meat with a knife. If the fillet can be pierced easily, it is ready.

How to cook chicken breast on the stove

To prepare dietary meat, place the breasts in a metal pan. Be sure to add your favorite spices. They will make the dish more flavorful. Bay leaf, salt and allspice work well. Fill the cooled product with water. Make sure that the water level covers the meat by 1-2 centimeters. Turn the heat to medium. Bring the water to a boil. Then reduce the heat. Place chopped carrots, garlic, and onions into the pan. Don't forget to skim off the foam regularly with a spoon.

If you want to cook meat for salad, put the breast in boiling water. When the water boils again, add the spices. Bay leaves, herbs, allspice will do. Be sure to add vegetables - garlic cloves, onions and chopped carrots. Salt the finished chicken. Leave to infuse for 20 minutes.

The bone-in breast is cooked in half an hour. Whole fillet is cooked for 25 minutes, pieces - 15 minutes.

Guest of honor at the festive table

The universal taste of chicken meat allows you to combine this ingredient with other products - vegetables, smoked meats, fruits, cereals, sauces. As practice shows, boiled chicken breast is one of the most popular products that we add to salads. Let's prepare a simple but surprisingly tasty salad.

Advice! Diet supporters can replace mayonnaise with low-fat sour cream or natural yogurt. This will significantly reduce the calorie content of the treat.

Ingredients:

fresh frozen chicken breast – one piece;
selected chicken eggs - four pieces;
Russian cheese – 200 g;
walnut kernels – 50 g;
table mayonnaise;
canned pineapples – 50-70 g.

Preparation:

Before cooking, remove the film from the chicken breast, remove the bone and rinse.
Boil it in salted water for 25 minutes. Before further use, cool the fillet and cut into strips. Can be shredded by hand into fibers.
We peel hard-boiled chicken eggs and grate them on a finely perforated grater.
Strain the juice from canned pineapples. Cut the fruit pulp into small cubes.
Grate Russian cheese or other hard product on a fine grater. You can also use processed cheese.
Grind the peeled walnut kernels in any convenient way. The best way to do this is with a rolling pin.
First put the boiled chicken breast in the salad bowl. We will cover each layer of salad with mayonnaise.
Next in line is the fragrant and juicy pineapple.
Sprinkle cheese mixture on top of everything.
Read also: How to tell if chicken has gone bad? Signs of rotten meat
Be sure to grease this layer with mayonnaise and lightly compact it.
Next come boiled eggs.
The finishing touch is chopped nuts.

Advice! Before enjoying the taste of such a salad, let it brew and soak thoroughly.

How to cook breast meat in a steamer

You can use a steamer to cook chicken breast. Place the cooled product on a paper towel and dry. Rub with spice mixture. For example, you can mix salt and black pepper. Place the breast in the steamer. Cooking time will be 40 minutes.

You can cook the breasts in a steamer insert. The meat is ready in 15 minutes.

Fillet recipes

You can prepare a variety of delicious first and second courses from chicken fillet. The tender meat is also suitable for salads, appetizers and dietary treats. It can be used for holiday dishes that will appeal to everyone, both adults and children. And below it is worth considering several healthy recipes for hearty and tasty chicken fillet dishes.

Chicken fillet broth

To prepare the broth you will need the following ingredients:

Chicken breast, it should have a bone - 1 piece;
Cold water – 3 liters;
Onion – 1 piece;
Half a medium sized carrot;
Salt – ½ tbsp;
Bay leaf – 1 piece.

Water is poured into the pan, the breast is placed in it and placed on the fire. During the cooking process, remove the foam from the top. Then the heat is reduced, the whole onion is laid out, unpeeled, but it needs to be washed. The peeled carrots are also cut into 3-4 parts and poured into the pan. It takes 1 hour to cook.

Vegetables are removed and salt is added. A few minutes before the end, you can add a bay leaf.

Fillet soufflé

The following components are prepared for the soufflé:

Chicken fillet – 600 grams;
Milk – ½ cup;
Eggs – 3 pieces;
Butter – 50 grams;
Vegetable oil – 1 tbsp;
Salt and spices to taste.

First, the fillet should be ground in a blender or passed through a meat grinder. Next, beat the eggs until foam forms. Pour in milk, add minced meat, salt, spices and mix well. Add melted butter and stir.

The mold needs to be greased with vegetable oil, the finished mass is transferred into it. Then put it in a preheated oven to 180 degrees and leave for 1 hour.

Shawarma with fillet

For shawarma you will need the ingredients from the list:

Breast – half a kilo;
Half a kilogram of tomatoes;
Cucumbers – 2 pieces;
Onion - one head;
Thin pita bread - 3 flatbreads;
Mayonnaise – 4-5 tablespoons;
Sour cream – 5-6 large spoons;
Garlic – 2-3 cloves;
Soy sauce – 70-80 ml;
Fresh herbs (dill, parsley) - several sprigs.

The fillet is cut into pieces, poured with soy sauce, spices are added and left to marinate for half an hour. Next, the greens are finely chopped, mixed with mayonnaise and sour cream, garlic is added, and the slices are passed through a press. Tomatoes are cut into small pieces, cucumbers into strips, onions into half rings.

Afterwards, the chicken needs to be fried on both sides for 1-2 minutes, this will be enough. All components are laid out in the center of the pita bread, the sauce is seasoned on top, then everything is wrapped on all sides, you should get a rectangular shawarma.

Advice!
It needs to be fried in a dry frying pan on all sides.

Fillet cutlets

To prepare the cutlets you will need the following ingredients:

Chicken breast – 500-600 grams;
Egg – 1 piece;
Sour cream – 3-4 tablespoons;
Garlic – 1-2 cloves;
Flour – 50-60 grams;
A slice of hard cheese – 70-80 grams;
Ground black pepper - a pinch;
Salt to taste;
Vegetable oil for frying.

The chicken fillet is cut into small pieces, it needs to be seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic passed through a press. Next, cut the cheese into cubes and add it to the rest of the ingredients. Add egg, sour cream, flour and mix well. You need to fry over low heat in oil, fry the cutlets for 4 minutes on each side.

Fillet skewers

You will need to prepare the following components:

Chicken fillet – 1 kilogram;
Sour cream – 3 large spoons;
Dill – 1 bunch;
Garlic – 3-4 cloves;
Ground black pepper – 1 teaspoon;
Salt – 1 teaspoon.

The fillet is cut into large pieces and placed in a cup. The dill is finely chopped, the garlic cloves also need to be cut into small slices, everything is poured into the chicken. Season with salt, pepper and add sour cream. Stir, cover with film and leave to marinate for 2-3 hours.

Then the pieces need to be put on wooden skewers and placed in a preheated oven to 200 degrees. It takes 25-30 minutes to bake.

Chicken fillet is considered a universal product; you can use it to prepare a variety of delicious treats that are suitable for the everyday menu, for a diet, and for a holiday. The main thing is to know how long to cook chicken fillet so that it turns out tender and soft.

How long to cook a breast in the microwave

Place the product in a microwave-safe container. Fill with hot water. The boiling water should completely cover the meat. Be sure to leave room for simmering. Cover the top with a lid.

Place the dishes in the oven. Cook for 15 minutes at 750 watts or 10 minutes at 1 kilowatt. After the beep, evaluate the readiness of the meat. Place the undercooked breast back in the microwave for a couple of minutes.

Cool the finished product in the broth.

Curious facts

To make the breast cook faster, it is recommended to divide the product into several parts. Meat cut into pieces loses juice, so it turns out a little tough. An additional way to speed up the cooking time is to use a small saucepan. The water will boil much faster. The main thing is to make sure that the meat is completely covered with water.
Chicken breast contains a lot of protein and is good for bodybuilders. The abundance of protein promotes rapid muscle growth. To ensure that the meat always turns out tasty, it must first be marinated before cooking. The cooled product is left in the marinade with lemon and tomatoes. And during cooking, add vegetables.
To make breasts for soup, you need to salt the water at the very beginning. If the breast is cooked for salad, add salt 5 minutes before turning off the heat. Otherwise the meat will turn out dry.
For a harmonious taste, the meat is cooked in vegetable broth. Cooks advise adding allspice peas and laurel leaves. The meat will smell nicer if you add a stalk of celery to the pan.
The nutritional value of the finished product is 150 kcal. If the breast is skinned, the calorie content will be 120 kcal.
Meat goes well with any side dish.
Chicken breast is often used for first courses. If you do not remove the skin before cooking, you will end up with a fatty broth.
The average cost of a chilled product is 250 rubles per 1 kilogram (in 2016).
If you plan to add the breast to a cold dish, the meat should cool in the broth. Otherwise it will dry out quickly.
When purchasing a refrigerated product, look at the manufacturing date. The breast is stored for up to 5 days. The healthiest breasts are medium-sized (up to 350 g). If the weight exceeds 450 g, most likely the chicken was given chemical additives at the poultry farm.
You can check the quality of meat with your hands. Press the surface of the breast with your finger. If a trace remains, it means the meat has been defrosted. Consider the color of the product. Choose breasts without bluish spots. The surface should be pale pink.

Rules for choosing fresh poultry

One of the basic rules of a tasty and high-quality dish is the freshness of the product . An experienced chef will say:

You need to select the chicken with your eyes and nose. If there is the slightest unpleasant odor, refuse to purchase.
The skin of the chicken should be pale white with a pinkish tint, without gray spots. The skin of an older bird is thicker and rougher.
The fat of fresh young chicken is slightly yellowish in color.
Blood clots, ruptures, and fractures on the carcass are not allowed.

When purchasing meat in sealed packaging, be sure to pay attention to the integrity of the package. To examine and determine the quality of chicken, choose only transparent bags. Be sure to look for the expiration date of the product on the label.