As promised, some recipes for eating lots of chicken without getting bored. I give no quantities. You have eyes, a nose & a tongue, you'll figure out what you like better than I can tell you!
FIRST, go with fresh skinless boneless chicken breasts. I resisted this for a long time, but they're way better than frozen chicken breasts, even if you freeze & thaw them once yourself. I can usually find them for $2-3/lb. @ Kroger.
SECOND, there are lots of ways to cook chicken. I either pan fry it in a cast iron skillet or use a George Foreman grill. They're mostly equivalent, but the Foreman grill not only drains stuff away, you can take the drainage and brush it back onto the meat to keep it moist. Try that with an outdoor gas grill!
THIRD, a little prep goes a long way. If you can only let meat marinade for a half hour, you need to add something either alcoholic or acidic. Vinegar works. Really cheap vodka works even better. Prepackaged marinades often include one or the other.
But if you're willing to prepare at least 24 hours in advance, meat will absorb flavor just as well w/o either of those (in fact, you don't want to marinade in something acidic/alcoholic for more than a few hours. try it sometime and you'll see why).
FOURTH, marinades are the key to keeping chicken (and most other meats) interesting. A handful of staples -- salt (or seasoned salt), pepper, and garlic (fresh, jarred, or powdered; fresh is best) make a basic marinade all of their own. You'll want to add them to most any marinade anyway.
Grab an sealable plastic container or bag and add just enough water to moisten all the spices. You can also add a little oil (pick one high in monounsaturated fat like light olive or canola), which will help the meat brown. Add meat, shake, leave in the fridge til you're ready to cook it.
FIFTH--this is where it gets fun. Your ability to keep things interesting depends only on your creativity AND trusting your nose. Most of what you taste is actually smell, so if it smells good, it will nearly always taste good (unless it's totally bitter or lacking in salt, which you can correct with a quick taste). Try some of the following:
- curry powder (try mild, you can always spice it up with other ingredients, or work your way up to the hot stuff)
- montreal chicken seasoning
- Cajun seasoning
- Old Bay seasoning (it's a Chesapeake bay crab thing, but works great on chicken)
- nutmeg, ground cloves, ground ginger, cinnamon (various combos will give you a hint of apple or pumpkin pie)
- parsley, sage, rosemary, and/or thyme (try emphasizing one over the others for different takes). there are lots of others but these 4 will get you started
- "Italian" seasoning (pre-packaged or add basil and/or oregano to the last one)
- lemon pepper (pre-packaged, or grab a lemon / lemon juice and do it yourself! if you do this, lemon juice is acidic--see above)
All of the above marinades are essentially carb free. But if you're _not_ worried about adding carbs try:
- terayki marinade in a bottle
- anything that says asian ginger sesame, etc.
- add brown sugar to nutmeg, cloves, ginger and/or cinnamon (now it will REALLY start to taste like pie)
- roll the meat in flour, corn starch, or pulverized toast crumbs, then add your spices -- like shake n bake only nearly free & it tastes the way _you_ want it to
SIXTH--learn the taste of some staples beyond salt, pepper & garlic. These can be added to basic marinades to change their character:
- Red pepper (for heat -- the more you add the hotter it gets)
- Chili powder (for a particular sort of heat)
- Worchestershire sauce / powder
- Onion powder
- Basil & oregano (stuff will taste inexplicably more italian, whatever it is)
- MSG (go real easy on this stuff, but it can wake up something bland -- it's a key ingredient in chinese takeout!)
- peanut or (if you're really rich) sesame oil add a nutty flavor instead of the neutral flavor of light olive oil or canola oil
- extra virgin olive oil adds a distinct flavor useful with italian & greek flavors
WHEW! I've barely scratched the surface and given you some of my favorites. You don't have to buy all this stuff at once. Try something new this week. Trust your nose (sniff BEFORE you add, and add slowly but don't be afraid to add lots) and get creative.
Live with your parents? Volunteer to cook--they love that! Married? Give the old lady a break. In a dorm? There's gotta be a kitchen around there somewhere. Give yourself a break from the dining commons / cafeteria food! You have no excuses. Get out there, lift heavy, get adequate rest, and clean up your diet with lean protein sources like chicken, turkey, lean pork, lean beef, lean steak, tuna steaks & salmon. They don't have to be boring!
FIRST, go with fresh skinless boneless chicken breasts. I resisted this for a long time, but they're way better than frozen chicken breasts, even if you freeze & thaw them once yourself. I can usually find them for $2-3/lb. @ Kroger.
SECOND, there are lots of ways to cook chicken. I either pan fry it in a cast iron skillet or use a George Foreman grill. They're mostly equivalent, but the Foreman grill not only drains stuff away, you can take the drainage and brush it back onto the meat to keep it moist. Try that with an outdoor gas grill!
THIRD, a little prep goes a long way. If you can only let meat marinade for a half hour, you need to add something either alcoholic or acidic. Vinegar works. Really cheap vodka works even better. Prepackaged marinades often include one or the other.
But if you're willing to prepare at least 24 hours in advance, meat will absorb flavor just as well w/o either of those (in fact, you don't want to marinade in something acidic/alcoholic for more than a few hours. try it sometime and you'll see why).
FOURTH, marinades are the key to keeping chicken (and most other meats) interesting. A handful of staples -- salt (or seasoned salt), pepper, and garlic (fresh, jarred, or powdered; fresh is best) make a basic marinade all of their own. You'll want to add them to most any marinade anyway.
Grab an sealable plastic container or bag and add just enough water to moisten all the spices. You can also add a little oil (pick one high in monounsaturated fat like light olive or canola), which will help the meat brown. Add meat, shake, leave in the fridge til you're ready to cook it.
FIFTH--this is where it gets fun. Your ability to keep things interesting depends only on your creativity AND trusting your nose. Most of what you taste is actually smell, so if it smells good, it will nearly always taste good (unless it's totally bitter or lacking in salt, which you can correct with a quick taste). Try some of the following:
- curry powder (try mild, you can always spice it up with other ingredients, or work your way up to the hot stuff)
- montreal chicken seasoning
- Cajun seasoning
- Old Bay seasoning (it's a Chesapeake bay crab thing, but works great on chicken)
- nutmeg, ground cloves, ground ginger, cinnamon (various combos will give you a hint of apple or pumpkin pie)
- parsley, sage, rosemary, and/or thyme (try emphasizing one over the others for different takes). there are lots of others but these 4 will get you started
- "Italian" seasoning (pre-packaged or add basil and/or oregano to the last one)
- lemon pepper (pre-packaged, or grab a lemon / lemon juice and do it yourself! if you do this, lemon juice is acidic--see above)
All of the above marinades are essentially carb free. But if you're _not_ worried about adding carbs try:
- terayki marinade in a bottle
- anything that says asian ginger sesame, etc.
- add brown sugar to nutmeg, cloves, ginger and/or cinnamon (now it will REALLY start to taste like pie)
- roll the meat in flour, corn starch, or pulverized toast crumbs, then add your spices -- like shake n bake only nearly free & it tastes the way _you_ want it to
SIXTH--learn the taste of some staples beyond salt, pepper & garlic. These can be added to basic marinades to change their character:
- Red pepper (for heat -- the more you add the hotter it gets)
- Chili powder (for a particular sort of heat)
- Worchestershire sauce / powder
- Onion powder
- Basil & oregano (stuff will taste inexplicably more italian, whatever it is)
- MSG (go real easy on this stuff, but it can wake up something bland -- it's a key ingredient in chinese takeout!)
- peanut or (if you're really rich) sesame oil add a nutty flavor instead of the neutral flavor of light olive oil or canola oil
- extra virgin olive oil adds a distinct flavor useful with italian & greek flavors
WHEW! I've barely scratched the surface and given you some of my favorites. You don't have to buy all this stuff at once. Try something new this week. Trust your nose (sniff BEFORE you add, and add slowly but don't be afraid to add lots) and get creative.
Live with your parents? Volunteer to cook--they love that! Married? Give the old lady a break. In a dorm? There's gotta be a kitchen around there somewhere. Give yourself a break from the dining commons / cafeteria food! You have no excuses. Get out there, lift heavy, get adequate rest, and clean up your diet with lean protein sources like chicken, turkey, lean pork, lean beef, lean steak, tuna steaks & salmon. They don't have to be boring!
