Has anyone else noticed that chicken breasts are of a poorer quality than what they used to be. It doesn't matter what supermarket of what type ie premium or not, the breasts are often tough and rubbery. Even cooking doesn't seem to relax the chicken.
davidt4,
Mar 18, 3:20am
Waitoa free range chicken breasts are very good; I have never found them to be tough.
socram,
Mar 18, 3:27am
Had no problem at all. New World at less than $10 kg have been fine. Moist and tender.
tealeaf1,
Mar 18, 3:27am
What supermarket supplies those?
tealeaf1,
Mar 18, 3:29am
Perhaps that's my problem I've been paying at least $19 a kg.
buzzy110,
Mar 18, 3:29am
I only buy free range. I have to go to a special shop that provides restaurants & retail outlets around Auckland to buy mine because I can only find breasts and thighs without skin in supermarkets. I cannot understand the obsession with removing the skin. No skin = big loss of flavour imo.
And like Davidt4, I find that free range chicken is OK but in saying that I only get breasts to make davidt4's butter chicken. Before she posted that recipe I never bought breasts, preferring thighs or whole chicken because I definitely prefer the presence of bones in my meat.
eljayv,
Mar 18, 3:35am
I haven’t enjoyed them as much since they started taking them off the bone. I think they are dry and I prefer thigh meat.
davidt4,
Mar 18, 3:54am
I buy them from New World. But I must say that thighs are much better for most purposes, and even better is to buy a whole free range chicken and break it down yourself into breasts, thighs, drumsticks and wings. I get three meals for two out of a whole chicken, plus stock from the carcass and wing tips.
kaddiew,
Mar 18, 3:57am
I've just defrosted, flattened, seasoned and flash fried a $7.99 per kg supermarket chicken breast, and it's flavourful, very moist and tender. It's very easy to overcook them. No complaints here about supermarket chicken breasts.
sossie1,
Mar 18, 4:00am
I've never bought chicken breasts. I buy a whole chicken, and remove the breasts, the rest goes towards another meal. So much cheaper, especially when there is a free range chicken on sale.
fifie,
Mar 18, 4:13am
I MO chicken breasts can be dry, depends what you make with them. Whole chickens the way to go, as someone said you can use all, even carcass for stock.
tealeaf1,
Mar 18, 4:44am
Yeah I'm finding that the tenderloin chicken is lovely so I have been buying a lot of that, sometimes it not available. When I'm chopping up the chickens breast prior to cooking I notice that they are quite textured and firm. Perhaps the tenderloins are just tainting my observations for other cuts. LOL
flancrest,
Mar 18, 5:13am
A lot of people seem to moan about chicken these days. Too much fluid released during cooking. Too tough. Rubbery.
Never found any of these issues, with any brand or grade of chicken, except on a couple of occasions where I have made a mistake such as overloading a pan, or a temperature issue.
I’m fairly certain the prevalence of chicken issues is down to a higher volume of people who just can’t cook.
buzzy110,
Mar 18, 5:38am
Oh dear. Things are certainly looking dire when those doing kitchen duty are now unable to follow the instructions on their packets and jars of simmer sauce properly and have difficulty operating the buttons on their microwaves.
I blame it all on people who are trying to spearhead a return to old-fashioned cooking skills using fresh primary produce. They need to be stomped out before they confuse the populace anymore than they have done up to now.
awoftam,
Mar 18, 6:51am
Your post is helpful how? If you have something to say, then just say it.
tealeaf1,
Mar 18, 7:59am
Interesting though that the chicken is tough before it even makes it to the pan! So not sure the cooking is actually the problem.
smallwoods,
Mar 18, 9:36am
What? How do you determine this? Surely not trying to eat it raw?
buzzy110,
Mar 18, 8:51pm
I know this is Recipes but surely gentle ribbing is allowed, surely. You did see the emoticon didn't you?
socram,
Mar 18, 9:08pm
Why buy chicken breasts? Why skin off? Simple. At less than $10 a kg, cooking for a dozen people for a BBQ, you get a full kilo of meat for your money. Zero waste.
I wouldn't dare criticise other's cooking methods but as with turkey, most people complaining about the meat being dry, probably overcook it.
For a BBQ the most requested meat I do is the chicken - and at that price, it is half the price of decent sausages anyway and needs minimal prep.
Cut the breasts into thick slices lengthwise and marinate overnight in whatever is to hand, but usually, a mix of yoghurt, coconut cream, dessicated coconut and just a little curry powder and maybe smoked paprika.
Use a silicone sheet on the BBQ flat plate and only ever on a medium heat until just cooked. (Easy enough to cut through to check.)
Any left over marinade and uncooked chicken at the BBQ gets turned into a curry anyway.
Everyone jumps up and down that the thighs on the bone, skin on, have more flavour - then they drown it in a curry sauce anyway - and I hate a pile of debris on my plate which has to be disposed of somehow.
socram,
Mar 20, 5:31am
Skinless chicken breast at New World, $7.99 Kg again at the moment.
Can't really say that there is any meat on sale that is better value and as I kg mushrooms is $11.99.
flancrest,
Mar 20, 6:02am
If your chicken is tough, while raw, you are buying chicken from the wrong people.
sherrydog,
Oct 11, 3:01am
Always buy Waitoa and have had no problems. Must be free range whatever it is.
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