Dawg’s Cooking Experiments!!!!!!!!!!!!

[fowltemptress]

I just saw this and initially read it as "dog cooking experiments." There are a couple of ways that could have gone . . .
Looks good! Cooking is a great skill to have on hand

 

[ShrekDawg]

They look yummy

They are! LOL I bet homemade would be even better though!!!!!

I just saw this and initially read it as "dog cooking experiments." There are a couple of ways that could have gone . . .
Looks good! Cooking is a great skill to have on hand

Oh boy! Yeah, I can see that being bad! LOL

And thanks!!!!!!

 

[Farmgirl283420]

They are! LOL I bet homemade would be even better though!!!!!

Oh boy! Yeah, I can see that being bad! LOL

And thanks!!!!!!

Maybe you could try?!

 

[ShrekDawg]

Maybe you could try?!

Yeah I definitely want to!!!! LOL

 

[azurbanclucker]

OK. Cooking tips.

1. Marinate your chicken. Breast meat is naturally dry and it will get hard over time. If you marinate it, it will hold the moisture longer and using something acidic will break down connective tissue and tenderize it so it doesn't dry out and get tough as quickly. Darker meat (thigh, leg, etc) has more fatty content and stays moist longer, but isn't as good for you (but tastes better IMO) You're always going to want to have some kind of moisture involved when cooking chicken or it will always be dry and chewy.

2. You need to use it or freeze it within a few days of buying it, and don't thaw/freeze/thaw over and over. That makes it dry out and get tough, and introduces the chance for bacterial contamination. If you're buying it in portions larger than you can eat, cut it up to portions you can handle, put it in vacuum sealed bags (or double bag in a ziplock) and freeze. Just take out what you will use at a time. Label and dat it so in 6 mos you know what it is when you're rummaging around in the freezer

3. If you're going to pre-cook, again, ziplock it and get the air out or vacuum seal it so you can heat and eat. exposure to air and heat is your enemy with chicken. Don't let it loose until you're ready to use it. Making fajitas 4 days later or chicken salad a week later is not gonna work out well if you want tasty and healthy food. Ya gots to plan and stick to it. You can do it. If My raging ADHD can handle cooking, yours can too.

And burn that condensed soup. First off, progresso sucks. second off, it's full of fillers and sodium and crap you don't want in your bod. But it makes a good emergency candle as the oil and preservatives burn off.

 

[ShrekDawg]

OK. Cooking tips.

1. Marinate your chicken. Breast meat is naturally dry and it will get hard over time. If you marinate it, it will hold the moisture longer and using something acidic will break down connective tissue and tenderize it so it doesn't dry out and get tough as quickly. Darker meat (thigh, leg, etc) has more fatty content and stays moist longer, but isn't as good for you (but tastes better IMO) You're always going to want to have some kind of moisture involved when cooking chicken or it will always be dry and chewy.

2. You need to use it or freeze it within a few days of buying it, and don't thaw/freeze/thaw over and over. That makes it dry out and get tough, and introduces the chance for bacterial contamination. If you're buying it in portions larger than you can eat, cut it up to portions you can handle, put it in vacuum sealed bags (or double bag in a ziplock) and freeze. Just take out what you will use at a time. Label and dat it so in 6 mos you know what it is when you're rummaging around in the freezer

3. If you're going to pre-cook, again, ziplock it and get the air out or vacuum seal it so you can heat and eat. exposure to air and heat is your enemy with chicken. Don't let it loose until you're ready to use it. Making fajitas 4 days later or chicken salad a week later is not gonna work out well if you want tasty and healthy food. Ya gots to plan and stick to it. You can do it. If My raging ADHD can handle cooking, yours can too.

And burn that condensed soup. First off, progresso sucks. second off, it's full of fillers and sodium and crap you don't want in your bod. But it makes a good emergency candle as the oil and preservatives burn off.

Thanks!!!!!! This actually really helpful!!!!! I never thought of marinating it tbh. what would I marinate it in for fajitas/Mexican type food?????? I only know of like BBQ sauce or a mix of that and some other stuff for BBQ type chicken, or like teriyaki chicken, etc. etc. but not sure about fajitas. Salsa?????? Anyways, thanks!!!!!!!

 

[azurbanclucker]

Thanks!!!!!! This actually really helpful!!!!! I never thought of marinating it tbh. what would I marinate it in for fajitas/Mexican type food?????? I only know of like BBQ sauce or a mix of that and some other stuff for BBQ type chicken, or like teriyaki chicken, etc. etc. but not sure about fajitas. Salsa?????? Anyways, thanks!!!!!!!

Here's a simple fajita marinade. You can adapt this to your individual taste, it's got a little heat but is not overpowering or going to cook your face. "bland white people fajitas with a little kick" is accurate


Prep time: 10-15 min
Cook time: 10 min or so

Get a medium sized bowl and put a gallon size freezer bag in it opened up (so you can pour in your chicken and ingredients to the bag)

* 1/2 to 1 chicken breast per person you're feeding (depends on how much you normally eat) Sliced into 1-2 inch long thin strips.
*2 tbsp vegetable or canola oil. Olive oil works too but has a lower smoke point.
* 1 lime, juiced
* 1 small lemon, juiced
* 1 orange, sliced like a tomato (naval or blood oranges are great for this)
* 2 cloves garlic or 1 tsp minced garlic (add as much or as little as you like to taste)
* 1/2 cup water
* 1/2 tsp chili powder
* 1/2 tsp salt (kosher or pink himi if you have it, if not plain ol salt is fine)
* 1/2 tsp pepper

Mix all the ingredients in the bag and then toss in the chicken. Coat the chicken well and seal the bag to get as much of the air out as you can. Refrigerate at least 4 hours (so plan ahead). I like to pull it and let it come up to room temp for an hour before I cook but it's not necessary.

Heat a skillet to medium high and add in a tbsp or so of oil. once it's up to temp. pull the chicken out, fry it up in the skillet, and put it in a sealable bowl to rest for 10 minutes.

Serve with tortillas and your fajita fixin's.


The science here is that the acidity in the citrus juices is working on breaking down and tenderizing the chicken. This allows the marinade to soak into the pores and infuse the meat with flavor. The oil helps to bond the seasonings to it as well.

Other things you can experiment with after you try this (to make it more "you")

* various types of chilis
* using stock or bone broth instead of water to add richness
* different seasonings for the mix (there are a lot of good premade seasonings out there too)

Work within your dietary needs, there's really no wrong way to do this unless you make it so hot you can't eat it. Green chilis, poblano peppers, and anchos are all fairly mild and work well, and if you like it hot, you can go as hot as you want.


You can adapt this to beef and seafood as well (like shrimp fajitas)

 

[azurbanclucker]

I should add that's a marinade for 1-2 people. Double the measurements for the ingredients for every 2 additional people. Except the orange, you should only need 1 unless you're feeding like 12 peeps.

 

[Themellowyellows]

Following! I love cooking and baking!

 

[ShrekDawg]

Following! I love cooking and baking!

Welcome!!!!!!