Boneless chicken breast ideas?

I made a lot of chicken parm, that was the first actual dish learned to cook as a teenager.

[Robin Garr]

Almost too simple: Take a couple of the breasts ... ideally butterfly them by slicing it horizontally almost all the way through and then opening it like a book to make a larger, thinner piece. Sautee in a skillet in olive oil with onions over medium heat until the onions are caramelized and the chicken is just cooked through. Don't overcook, which toughens it. Put down a slice of Gruyère cheese over each, turn off heat, put down lid and leave in the hot skillet just until the cheese melts. Serve and enjoy. S&P at the table, but the cheese may be salty enough to do the job. Taste first.

Two subtext thoughts about boneless, skinless chicken breasts: (1) They're pretty darn bland. Come up with some flavorful sauce or accompaniment; and go free-range if you can. Lots of local, hormone-free pasture chicken at the farmer's markets. (2) Don't overcook. It goes from tender to tough pretty fast when it gets well-done.

Thanks for the idea Robin, had I seen this earlier I would've picked up some gruyere at ValuMarket this evening. As far as the chicken being boneless and skinless... they were free. I prefer legs or thighs, much better flavor, as chicken goes.

[Robin Garr]

As far as the chicken being boneless and skinless... they were free. I prefer legs or thighs, much better flavor, as chicken goes.

No offense meant, Adam, and I hope none taken. I love the dark chicken meat, too - more flavor and, I think, better texture. But I always have some boneless/skinless breasts in the freezer. There's plenty of use for them, from quick sautes like the above to slice 'em, dice 'em, and use them in anything from stir-fries to pasta inventions.

I do stick with local free-range now, just as I do with local meats. It costs a little more, but for me, the perceived benefits in flavor, health and humaneness make it well worth while.

As far as the chicken being boneless and skinless... they were free. I prefer legs or thighs, much better flavor, as chicken goes.

No offense meant, Adam, and I hope none taken. I love the dark chicken meat, too - more flavor and, I think, better texture. But I always have some boneless/skinless breasts in the freezer. There's plenty of use for them, from quick sautes like the above to slice 'em, dice 'em, and use them in anything from stir-fries to pasta inventions.

I do stick with local free-range now, just as I do with local meats. It costs a little more, but for me, the perceived benefits in flavor, health and humaneness make it well worth while.

No offense taken, lol. As to the benefits of free range chicken, I completely agree that the higher price is well worth it in my mind. I'm constantly having arguments/discussions with friends and family about my ideas of value versus quality when it comes to food and libations. It seems that some people either just don't get it, or they have an underdeveloped palate compared to mine.

With three small kids, boneless skinless chicken breasts are retty much all I buy anymore.

1. Chicken Parm

2. Tons of different chicken stirfrys with fresh veggies

3. Coat them in (don't fringe!) crushed corn flakes (very finely crushed with seasonings added) or panko, fry slightly. Then lay in baking dish. Top with salsa and cheese and bake.

4. Make your own chicken tenders either bake or fry.

5. Put in crockpot, top with a large can of green enchileda sauce. Cook on low for 8 hrs. Shred chicken for chicken enchiledas: Flour tortillas spread with a tiny bit of cream cheese, add chicken and colby jack/monteray jack cheese. Roll. Put in casserole. Mix together one can of cream of chicken soup, 1/2 cup sour cream, and one can (small) of chopped green chiles. Spread on top of enchiledas. Top with a sprinkly of cheese and bake for twenty minutes. You can also make an awesome tortilla soup by adding some chicken and a can of black beans back to the juice that the chicken cooked in.

6. Poach chicken. Dice up. Mix together 2 cans of drained chicken O's soup (campbells) with chicken and 1/2 cup sour cream. Pour in a casserole. Top with crushed Ritz crackers and dot with butter. Bake at 350 for 20 mins.

7. Poach chicken. Dice up. Mix 1 can cream of chicken soup and 1 cup of sour cream. Add in 1 cup of cheddar cheese and chicken. Bake at 350 for 30 min. Serve over noodles or rice.

8. Make cornbread stuffing or use mix stuffing. Put in casserole. Place chicken breasts on top. Spoon over either cream of chicken soup or chicken gravy and bake until chicken is done.

9. Dice chicken up. Cook in 2 TSP of olive oil. Remove chicken. Add diced celery, onions, and carrots. Cook until ALMOSt done. In mean time, cook a pack of saffron yellow rice. Mix all together.

10. Pound breasts until uniformily thin. Place one piece of proscuitto on chicken. Place a slice of provolone on top. Roll chicken up to form a "roll". Secure with a toothpick. Brown in olive oil. Place in casserole. Top with good marinara and bake about 30 min.

11. Make chicken salad! Poach chicken. Dice up. Add chopped pecans, pickles, celery, curry powder to taste, green seedless grapes, and mayo. Serve as a sandwich or in a tomato.

12. Make kabobs!

13. Chicken alfredo with broccoli and carrots

14. Chicken carbonara with peas and bacon. QUICK CHEATING SAUCE : Cook chicken. Remove from pan. Dice bacon and cook. Remove. Leave 2 tsp of bacon grease. Stir in 4 oz of cream cheese and 3/4 cup of milk. Stir until SMOOTH. Add 1/2 cup shredded parm cheese. If too thick, add more milk. Stir in about 2 tsp of garlic powder. Mix in chicken and bacon. RIGHT before adding pasta to sauce, stir in 1/2 cup of frozen peas.

15. Chicken fajitas!

16. Chicken tacos

17. Saute chicken. Add in mushrooms either canned or fresh. Stir in an undiluted can of cream of mushroom soup and one can of milk. Adjust seasonings. Serve over noodle or rice.

18. Chicken noodle soup! Use homemade or store bought stock. Dice chicken up and poach. Add carrots, onions, garlic and cook. Add noodles in the last 10 minutes. Add frozen peas the last 5 minutes.

19. Pound chicken thin. Saute in butter with garlic. Deglace pan with white wine. Add more butter to thicken sauce. Add in capers. Serve over pasta.

20. Grill and bbq sauce the heck out of it!

They may not be "hi-brow", but most are quick, easy, and tasty.

my oven sucks...

Thanks in advance.

hey adam. hope all your chicken dishes were tasty. i love it when my mom buys too many groceries and sends me home with a bag full of goodies!

so...about your stove. i moved in with my BF last year and he had an ancient stove with two working burners and a completely crapped out oven. the two burners that did work wouldn't even boil water. needless to say he lived on bagel bites from the toaster oven and microwaved ramen cups. this would NOT do. i cook for fun. it's my favorite hobby. i decided this stove needed replacing or i couldn't live here! anyway, after a few minutes of searching craigslist, i found a used gas stove for thirty bucks! it's a tappan and it's not very fancy, but it works. it was even clean when i picked it up. don't know how your apartment management would feel about it, but if you have a truck and someone to help you move the stove, you could easily solve your problem without spending too much. if you cook a lot, you'll be glad you did. then, you could even go junk the old stove and get twenty five bucks or so back.