Why Eat Chicken Breasts?

[Hiroyuki]

I much prefer dark meat as the BSCBs are like a blank canvas. They're just a medium for whatever other flavours are in the dish.

(And no, I don't think that's a good thing.)

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I don't have a problem with that aspect of BSCB at all. I like playing with sauces, and while I've gotten over those college-dining-hall encounters with tofu that left me scarred for life (or nearly so), I still prefer the texture and mouthfeel of chicken to that of tofu.

And besides, if you get good ones, they are fine grilled with just a little salt or seasoned salt or rosemary.

Dark meat does have more character, though.

I like them!  They are tasty and cheap!  In Japan, chicken breasts are aroud 30-40 yen per 100 g, while thighs are about twice as expensive.

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It's exactly the reverse in the US. Chicken breasts are three to four times as expensive as thighs. Oddly enough, chicken wings--the least meaty part of the bird--have gotten to the point where they are closing in on breasts in price, thanks to the popularity of Buffalo wings.

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Thanks for your comment about Baffalo wings. I didn't know anything about them! In Japan, we have tebasaki, which originated in Nagoya.

Sorry for getting off-topic.

[Simon_S]

Will it ever be as good as a breast with skin, on the bone, though?

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I doubt it.

Si

[sparrowgrass]

I think some people buy bscb because it is the meat that is least like meat--no skin, no bone, no fat, no tendon, no cartilage.

No trace of the original animal is left attached, and they don't have to think about the poor little birdy or cow or pig.

If they ever get to the point of lab produced meat, I predict it will be just like chicken breast, except maybe square.

Edited September 1, 2006 by sparrowgrass (log)

[Torrilin]

I think some people buy bscb because it is the meat that is least like meat--no skin, no bone, no fat, no tendon, no cartilage.

No trace of the original animal is left attached, and they don't have to think about the poor little birdy or cow or pig.

If they ever get to the point of lab produced meat, I predict it will be just like chicken breast, except maybe square.

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There are tendons and cartilage. I've boned enough of 'em to know. Also blood vessels. If the bird is healthy, there are fat deposits at certain points on the breast. There's also a thin layer of silverskin under the actual chicken skin.

Anyway, as a child, I was easily grossed out by meat that had blood vessels. My sibs were the same way. It's not I didn't want to think about the animal, I found the texture disgusting and unpleasant. Instead of making every meal a battle, Mom bought chickens and boned the breasts for feeding to her obnoxious offspring. And well, boning enough chicken for a family of five is a lot of work, so we all learned to bone chicken. At the time, pre-boned chicken breast was only available from Perdue or the like, and was very very expensive. It was much cheaper to buy whole chickens or parts from local producers and debone them yourself.

I'm glad she did that for us. It was very clear that there was a lot of meat on a bird that we were refusing to eat. Instead of throwing it away, she used the "inedible" stuff to make soup. And no sane child turns down homemade chicken soup. If we asked why she insisted on using the whole thing she pointed out that she'd paid good money for it, it was nutritious, and it was disrespectful to the animal to not make full use out of it. Now we're all grown and foodies, and we've gotten over the blood vessels thing.

So for me, boneless, skinless chicken breast was my gateway drug into the world of enjoying meat. Also my gateway drug into trying new foods, even if they're scary.

Emily

[Idlewild]

I am very excited that at the work cafeteria when they serve Moroccan chicken with lemon and green olives, it's always on the bone, skin on. Some people complain but it makes me happy. It makes me kind of all because it's a work cafeteria and you'd think mass produced skinless boneless would be the choice to appeal to the masses, but someone back in corporate menu planning cared enough to do it right!

We eat bscb at home more than other chicken because Mr. Wild is a former vegetarian who doesn't like that thighs actually taste like something. This has me in a bit of a state but when I'm getting protein just for me, it's the thighs, thanks.

[Kent Wang]

it was disrespectful to the animal to not make full use out of it.

I like this sentiment a lot.

[Bill Miller]

I don't remember fixing a bad chicken breast--I love them. I'm glad someone likes dark meat---remember "Jack Sprat could eat no fat, etc".

[sparrowgrass]

I think some people buy bscb because it is the meat that is least like meat--no skin, no bone, no fat, no tendon, no cartilage.

No trace of the original animal is left attached, and they don't have to think about the poor little birdy or cow or pig.

If they ever get to the point of lab produced meat, I predict it will be just like chicken breast, except maybe square.

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There are tendons and cartilage. I've boned enough of 'em to know. Also blood vessels. If the bird is healthy, there are fat deposits at certain points on the breast. There's also a thin layer of silverskin under the actual chicken skin.

Emily

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You know that, and I know that, because we have boned them, but the prepackaged frozen breasts don't have tendons, veins, cartilage or skin. Just very even grained, no chewing required, no surprises white meat that does not hint of animal origin.

I was in the grocery store the other day (the one that, everytime I am in there, I swear I will never go back into.) I purchased a big bag of leg quarters, and as I hefted it up onto the checkout counter, it leaked.

The cashier looked at me as if I had purposely vomited the liquid onto her workspace, and as she smeared it around with a paper towel, she informed me with a sneer that, "Chicken on the bone is disgusting."

I should have been annoyed (and I was, after I got home and thought about it) but at the time, the only thing I could think of was "oh, that poor child--she thinks chicken should taste like quilt batting."

I am glad that lots of people like to eat them--makes leg quarters ridiculously cheap-- and I must admit that I have, on ocasion, had good ones.

But gimme the runnin' gears everytime.

[mizducky]

I was in the grocery store the other day (the one that, everytime I am in there, I swear I will never go back into.)  I purchased a big bag of leg quarters, and as I hefted it up onto the checkout counter, it leaked.

The cashier looked at me as if I had purposely vomited the liquid onto her workspace, and as she smeared it around with a  paper towel, she informed me with a sneer that, "Chicken on the bone is disgusting."

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Charming. Does her manager know that she's sneering at customers' purchases right at the point of sale? Oh wait--this is a store you say you keep promising yourself you'll never shop at again ... now I'm projecting that perhaps the management doesn't give a damn about their cashiers' lack of manners ... Sorry--off-topic tangent, I realize, but grocery employees who obviously disrespect the food they're handling bugs the crap out of me--it's like, geez, if you hate food that much, why the hell are you working here?

Hauling this post back on-topic: I just now, only ten minutes ago, consumed a sandwich of a couple of boneless skinless chicken thighs, grilled on the ol' George Foreman and stuffed into a whole wheat pita. I periodically buy a whole tray of BSCTs and bag 'em up by threes or so for the freezer--alternatively, I buy one of those big ol' bags of IQF BSCTs and stash that away. Great "healthy" sandwich fare. I tend to leave a lot of the tiniest fat deposits intact on the bits o' bird when cooking 'em, especially when grilling (or pseudo-grilling) them; I like the additional richness and umami of the browned melted fat. Once in a very blue moon (i.e. when there's a ridiculous sale, and no other animal protein in the market looks particularly appealing), I'll buy BSCBs and give them the same treatment. In that case, leaving the little bits of fat in place for grilling helps a good bit with enriching the meat. It also amuses me to imagine certain healthy-eating pundits flipping out over this, protesting that I'm majorly undoing the "health" benefits of the skin-off meat.

[MarketStEl]

Thanks for your comment about Baffalo wings.  I didn't know anything about them!  In Japan, we have tebasaki, which originated in Nagoya.

Sorry for getting off-topic.

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Judging from that description, "tebasaki" is Japanese for "Buffalo wing."

They look and sound delicious! But there's no recipe linked from that blog post. Know of anyplace I could get my hands on one?

[C. sapidus]

So my real question is, (whether or not I'm explaining this correctly) why would you crave a chicken breast to begin with, even as a base, if all of that other stuff is needed to make it good?

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I agree - no craving here. My wife uses BSCB as a convenient method to shovel extra protein into growing boys. I prefer dark meat, but I did enjoy BSCB last night in Vietnamese ginger chicken (ga kho gung). We braised the BSCBs in chicken stock and then added thinly-sliced ginger, onions, garlic, Thai bird chilies, chicken stock, fish sauce, palm sugar, scallions, and cilantro for flavor.

The BSCBs were tender and juicy, but the other ingredients made the meal.

[CaliPoutine]

So my real question is, (whether or not I'm explaining this correctly) why would you crave a chicken breast to begin with, even as a base, if all of that other stuff is needed to make it good?

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I agree - no craving here. My wife uses BSCB as a convenient method to shovel extra protein into growing boys. I prefer dark meat, but I did enjoy BSCB last night in Vietnamese ginger chicken (ga kho gung). We braised the BSCBs in chicken stock and then added thinly-sliced ginger, onions, garlic, Thai bird chilies, chicken stock, fish sauce, palm sugar, scallions, and cilantro for flavor.

The BSCBs were tender and juicy, but the other ingredients made the meal.

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That looks really good. IMHU, I think dark meat with mess with the flavor's of the surrounding sauce.

[ghostrider]

I cook chicken breasts a couple of times a week during this season. I find them to be a good complement to the vegetables of summer - corn, green beans, snap peas, squash, zucchini, etc. Beef, pork and chicken thighs usually seem too heavy, since I don't spare the butter on my corn - this is one concession to a cardiac-friendly diet which I will not make - so it's down to seafood or chicken breasts for a light source of protein, and I can't always find the right seafood at the right price.

I usually pan-sautee my chicken breasts in olive oil, sprinkled with different combinations of herbs for a bit of variety. (If their thickness is too uneven, I'll pop a lid on the pan for more even cooking after the initial browning, leaving it tilted to prevent dehydration.) I can't say that I crave them, but, keeping a modicum of dietary sense in mind, I think they're pretty darn good. I do crave the corn and other vegetables, so things balance out.

When corn season sadly fades, the aforementioned "heavier" meats show up on our plates with increasing frequency. Seasonal variety isn't a bad thing.

[Shalmanese]

I don't cook with BSCB often but I think they have a legitimate place in cooking. I love giving them a dry rub, pan frying them and then tossing them into salads. I poach them at 70C in salt water and then make cold curried chicken salads and chicken slices for sandwiches. Pounded thin for schnitzel, they make some of the most tender meat I've ever eaten.

[mrbigjas]

wait i suddenly realized the answer to the question posed by the subject of this thread: you eat them because when you kill a chicken, you get two of them, and what are you gonna do, throw them away? that doesn't seem like the right thing to do. might as well learn to cook them some way that you like.

i often do various types of scallopine with them, because i'm not convinced that the choice of protein makes that much of a difference in those sorts of dishes--they mainly seem to be about the sauces.

[Swisskaese]

We eat a lot of boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but... we only buy what they call here "chicken schnitzels". They are pounded chicken breasts.

They cook evenly and you can do anything with them. Here is an example:

Hungarian Paprikas

I also cook them in a lemon, thyme and rosemary sauce. A mango and orange sauce. A mustard and lemon sauce....they ideas are endless.

I also dip them in egg and bread them with matza flour or panko.

Edited September 4, 2006 by Swisskaese (log)

[Tess]

Michelle, what is that vegetable on the upper left?

I think pounding makes a big difference. I used to pound them, rub them with calvados and let them sit for a while before lightly flouring and sauteeing in butter. It has to be good chicken though; the supermarket stuff has a very strange taste, to me.

[jo-mel]

Dark meat lover here, too!

But, on South Beach diet, I mostly use chicken breast fillets -- the thin ones. I do them with a marinade that keeps the chicken moist, and they are cooked in just a couple of minutes -- then glazed with something.

To a package of the fillets, I add a Tbsp. cornstarch, a Tbsp Egg beaters/or regular egg and a Tbsp. sherry. Mix all ttogether with the chicken and let sit about 20 minutes --- or longer in the refrig. Sometimes, when I don't have the time, I cook them right away, but sitting in the marinade a little while does help.

Then into a hot Pammed pan. When the top side shows the sides getting white, I Pam them and flip for another minute. Then in the same pan I add some orange marmalade (sugar free for me), and some balsamic vinegar and cool till it is bubbly.

The chicken always comes out moist and has a nice texture to it. I do it with thin boneless pork also.

Apricot or cherry jam is good, too (I use sugar free). So is marmalade, mustard and soy sauce.

No matter the glaze, the chicken is not dry as I don't overcook, and the cornstarch acts as a coating, sealing in the juices.

[kiliki]

That's a beautiful picture C. Sapidus posted, and I used to make things like that (or ordered them at Thai restaurants), but I inevitably ended up picking the chicken out and eating all the rest. Now when I order Thai I get tofu instead of any meat-I'll happily eat fried tofu, which tastes so much better to me than BSCB.

[scubadoo97]

Michelle, what is that vegetable on the upper left?

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Looks like Jerusalem artichokes to me

[Swisskaese]

Michelle, what is that vegetable on the upper left?

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Looks like Jerusalem artichokes to me

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Yes, it is jerusalem artichokes.

[kelautz]

Wonderful thread with lots of good ideas. Here's a suggestion I haven't seen here yet.

In Japanese cookery, the flesh of animals is marinated briefly in a small amount of sake. Something about the enzymes in sake make the flesh more delicious when cooked. Anyone know anything more about this reaction? I've been known to add a sprinkle of "sun dried garlic" to the sake marinade. After 30 min or so, pat dry and cook as usual in any style.

I keep a square aesceptic (sp?) packaged litre of cooking sake in my refrigerator door at all times. It has many uses.

[Kent Wang]

I believe it is the acid in sake that tenderizes the meat. In Chinese cooking, rice wine (which is essentially sake) and rice vinegar is used in the same way. Vinegars and citrus juices are more common in the West.

[stephenc]

Just marinate them overnight.

Unmarinated white meat is gross. Marinated white meat is healthy and delicious.

[Tess]

Michelle, what is that vegetable on the upper left?

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Looks like Jerusalem artichokes to me

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Yes, it is jerusalem artichokes.

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Thanks!