Cooking chicken in water

A hard boil rattles the meat to rags and squeezes the water out, a whisper leaves the water in.

And, for free, what the boiled pot doesn't give: chicken broth! That becomes tomorrows rice dish.

Cooking chicken breast

30 minutes of home work before cooking. Into a bowl, put

1. 4 cups cold water,
2. 2 tablespoons of salt.
3. Stir to dissolve.
4. Put chicken breast,
5. and into refrigerator for 30 minutes minimum, 2 hours maximum, never overnight.

Trick #3

Take the breast out of the refrigerator cold and wet. If you put it into a hot pan, it will go grey. Two things:

1. Bring to room temperature, 30 minutes on the counter.
2. Pat bone dry with paper towel, both sides.

A wet piece of chicken heating in a pan will never sear. It steams grey and dry.

(It's the same thing for a steak.)

Don't cook the breast and the thigh the same way for the same amount of time. The first one ends up dry and the second pink. The breast cooks 20 minutes before the thigh. This is usually solved by ruining the breast.

The breast is lean and wants a hot pan for a short time and also your full attention. Take it out early (temperature will glide up) and rest it.

Trick #5

You cook until certain no longer pink. That means dry and nasty. The breast is safe at 165°. If cooking a whole chicken, check temperature via thermometer in thick part of thigh. A breast pulled out at 160° will glide up to 165°. A breast cooked alone in a pan to 165° then rest will glide up to 175°—safe, but sawdust.

Trick #6

Salsa verde in your refrigerator. One protein (chicken) plus one salsa is the dish. Shredded chicken in salsa verde is pollo salsa verde. For example:

1. Boneless thighs brined, 30 minutes.
2. Patted dry.
3. 5 tbsp manteca in hot pan (until shimmering).
4. Thighs into pan, no crowding, until they take real color—4 minutes per side.
5. 2 cups salsa verde covering immediately with a lid to shield against spitting.
6. Turn heat down to simmer, 15 minutes until fall-apart.
7. Pull meat apart into ropes in the pan.
8. Stir through salsa, then fill (doubled) tortillas and garnish with crumbled queso. This is dinner.

Of course, rice and beans.

Trouble-shooting

1. If chicken came out rubbery, it was boiled (not steamed or simmered) or it was never brined.
2. I it came pale and grey, the meat was wet or the pan was too cold.
3. If it came out dry, you cooked it too long in the pan.
4. If the meat tasted like nothing, it was never brined.

Additional

Rotisserie chicken is a useful shortcut for busy weeks. Shred it into the salsa verde. Cook only 8 minutes.

Chicken parts cost more than a whole bird.