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Why is my oven baked chicken dry and tough?

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By New to cooking 14 Jun 2012 18:41	Why is my oven baked chicken dry and tough? On my first attempt, it tasted horrible. The flesh was tough, dry and tasteless. Gas mark 4, 25 mins. I put the breasts on foil, but covered them with foil too. Probably a bad idea. The next attempt was much better, but some of the "centre/middle parts" were still dry, tough and tasteless. I marinaded the breasts for 4 hours with lemon juice, oil, and miso stock. Gas mark 4, 30 mins. I put the breasts on foil, but did not cover them this time. Any ideas please? Thanks a lot for any advice. Reply Quote
By Welshcookie 14 Jun 2012 18:48	Chicken Was it good quality chicken or frozen quarters or just run-of-the-mill chicken? Did you remove the skin? Baste it? Overcook it? Reply Quote
By New to cooking 14 Jun 2012 19:05	Why is my oven baked chicken dry and tough? I got it from Waitrose, and it was labelled organic free range, so my guess is that it was good quality. The "use by date" was today, but it looked fine. It was fresh, as opposed to frozen. There wasn't any skin to remove. I didn't think to baste it, because the flesh looked moist to begin with (having removed it from the marinade just prior to cooking), and also at the end of the cooking process the flesh looked moist. It didn't have any "over cooked" look or taste to it. The odd thing about all of this is that when I oven bake thinner turkey "quick grill" steaks at the same temp + for a bit less than the same time, it turns out much better - completely moist, and that's without any marinading! Reply Quote
By queen of puds 14 Jun 2012 19:47	tough chicken Have you got a meat thermometer? My guess is that the breasts/portions are quite thin & they are cooking too fast thus being overcooked. I'd cook for a little less time, then immediately wrap tightly in foil for 5 mins before serving to see if resting them makes any difference? Reply Quote
By Welshcookie 14 Jun 2012 23:59	Chicken Have to say I would never roast skinless chicken quarters. Reply Quote
By New to cooking 15 Jun 2012 07:43	Why is my oven baked chicken dry and tough? Unfortunately I don't have a meat thermometer. I reckon I probably am over cooking. I'll try two things - I'll slice the breasts in half (parallel), to make them thinner and I'll reduce the cooking time by 10 minutes to a total of 20. I'll marinade them again, as in my 2nd attempt above. I do keep them inside a very hot empty saucepan after cooking, and resting them does seem to help. Thanks a lot for all replies. Reply Quote
By sam from worthing 15 Jun 2012 15:33	dry chicken breasts I would maybe reduce temp down to gas 3. cook for 20 mins - then see if juices are running clear - if still a bit pink then baste and cover. then once cooked - put the cooked breasts on a clean plate to rest for 5 mins while your serving your other bits and bobs up, then plate your chicken up. since moving i am learning a whole new oven and my temps and times are totally different to any recipe i have made in the past or look at now. oh and i would put the chicken on the middle shelf of oven too. and maybe consider using or buying a pyrex oven dish rather than using a tin as chicken breast is quite delicate. They really aren;t that expensive and most supermarkets sell them. good to read you are perseveering with your recipe. Reply Quote
By Noreen, Board Moderator 15 Jun 2012 18:03	Why is my oven baked chicken dry and tough? If I bake chicken breasts I wrap them in Parma Ham and cook them for about 20 minutes at 180 (about gas mark 4/5-ish). No foil, just on a baking tray and the Parma Ham makes sure they are never dry or tough. It's definitely worth buying an oven thermometer to check your oven is actually at the temperature you are setting it too, it is surprising how much even a new oven can be 'out'. They are only a few pounds and against the cost of ruined food worth the money. Good luck! Reply Quote
By sam from worthing 15 Jun 2012 18:19	tough chicken and thermometers but they look so flimsy Nor - as you know i have been having troubles with my oven - think i am cracking it now - getting my cakes good now, most are cooked at 150c and for a good 10 mins less than recipe states. still on the search for a good timer too lol, have brought 2 so far - one fell off my cooker extractor and broke when it hit the work top (and it had tiny read out and tiny buttons) - and the other one was so quiet could just about hear it when in the kitchen. Reply Quote
By Honey 16 Jun 2012 22:57	Timer "but they look so flimsy Nor - as you know i have been having troubles with my oven - think i am cracking it now - getting my cakes good now, most are cooked at 150c and for a good 10 mins less than recipe states. still on the search for a good timer too lol, have brought 2 so far - one fell off my cooker extractor and broke when it hit the work top (and it had tiny read out and tiny buttons) - and the other one was so quiet could just about hear it when in the kitchen." Sam, I had a problem with not being near my timer when it went off (I would wander off and leave it in the kitchen) and decided I need one that I could hang round my neck... this one has proved to be excellent for me. Put this into Amazon and have a look at this one. Polder 898-90 Clock, Timer & Stopwatch, White H x Reply Quote
By Honey 16 Jun 2012 23:06	Chicken breasts Yes, I think Noreen is right... wrapping something round the breasts does help (not foil). You can also try wrapping bacon around them too. Foil can just increase the heat and make matters worse. It seems a shame to cut those lovely breast in half (they sound as though you could slit a pocket in them and stuff them too). They are clearly good quality breasts and I would just turn down your oven and cook for a shorter time. They can be succulent if you get it right. Well done for persevering. My guess is your oven is too hot. If you are new to cooking, it might be that you are new to the oven too and so I would certainly buy an oven thermometer to see if it's accurate. Good luck and let us know if you crack it !! H x Reply Quote
By New to cooking 30 Jun 2012 16:31	Why is my oven baked chicken dry and tough? Thanks very much for all replies! :) I decided to buy some more identical chicken breasts. But this time, I chickened out of putting them in the oven. Instead, I decided to do a very simple stir fry / curry. Basically, I gently fried the meat, then simmered it in some stock. I tested the meat about 10-15 mins later, and to my great surprise, it tasted very similar to my first oven baked effort, as mentioned in my O.P - that is, tough, dry and tastless. I simmered the meat for another 10 mins, thinking that it was UNDERcooked, and it tasted better - well, it was certainly less tough! Hmmm, I wonder - could the meat have been undercooked the first time I baked it in the oven? Seems a bit unlikely, but you never know.. Reply Quote
By Darkginger 30 Jun 2012 18:02	Dry, tough chicken Frankly, I find nearly all chicken breasts to be tasteless, whether organic, free range or whatever - and I think that's down to the very short lives of chickens destined for cooking. Even the most la-di-da of chickens will probably be well under 6 months old when slaughtered, and that just doesn't allow time for flavour to develop. Equally, most of the flavour is carried in the skin and fat - when we remove that, we're removing the taste, too. I tend to cook breasts bone in and skin on, and then remove the unwanted parts before serving - it really does make a difference to the flavour, and having the skin on (with the fat underneath it) bastes the meat naturally as it cooks. I do use skinless, boneless breasts for my curries, but pre-cook them in a little oil with homemade curry base sauce added (this is mostly made up of cooked, pureed onions, garlic, ginger and spices)- very gently, for about 20 mins. Other people recommend brining your chicken before use (put it in a bowl of salted water for a few hours) - and another method I use if I'm making something like Southern Fried Chicken is to soak the skinless breasts in buttermilk overnight before use - it really does make a difference to how tender they turn out. Unless you have a deep seated hatred of dark chicken meat, you'll probably have more success with chicken thighs - MUCH more flavour, and just as tender if treated right :) Reply Quote
By Honey 30 Jun 2012 20:18	Chicken dry and tough I agree with the comment that thighs are better. I buy boned thighs for curries and slow cook them in a low oven. Moroccan chicken is also better using thighs and cooked slowly so that the flavours can develop. I also marinate strips of chicken breast in slaked cornflour.... just a mixture of cornflour and water and that seems to help keep the chicken tender. Reply Quote