I need help with slow cooking chicken!!

[jbuder]

I am doing dinner for 12 tomorrow evening. The game plan is to watch the film Memento, then eat dinner and discuss the film. So I am looking for an entree (probably Chicken) that I can prep most-way before we get started (probably brown stovetop, possibly grill, then slow cook in the oven while we watch the film). I don't want to have to leave the movie to do any fussing, but I would like to begin dinner fairly soon after the movie ends. I am not sure what temperature (Fahrenheit) I should use for a slow roasting overa couple hours, and obviously I do not want to overcook the chicken. Any suggestions or alternative ideas would be greatly appreciated!

[isaac]

well, i dont think that slow cooking chicken is a good idea. the chicken will be dry... it just doesnt have enough fat to keep moist. my recomendation is to... if you are using chicken breasts, i would use a standered breading procedure. take a plate and put flour in it and season it. take another plate and whip an egg lightly. then take either bread crumbs or crushed up corn flakes. take the chicken, season it, put it in the flour, then the egg, then the bread crumbs. then i would put the chicken breasts on a sheet pan and toss in the refer. preheat oven to 350. about 30 minutes before the movie is done, pop the sheet tray in the oven and it should be ready right after the movie.

i hope this helps.

[jbuder]

Isaac-
Thanks for the suggestion. The thing is this: Being diabetic (SUCH a drag for a food lover), I was hoping to avoid adding a lot of carbs to the entree. I was also hoping not to have to leave the film to pop anything into the oven. Perhaps this is unavoidable.... or perhaps I should do some kind of stew. Hmm.

[isaac]

come on... you getting up for 1 minute to pop the sheet pan into the oven!!!!

you dont need to do the breading procedure at all. slap those chickenb on a sheet pan, season them, pop into the refer.. 25 minutes before the movie is done... pop them into the oven.

you can also lightly grill them on one side (but still raw in the middle), pop in a sheet pan and into the refer. 15 minutes before the movie is done... pop into the oven

hope this helps

[jbuder]

okay. okay. i will forfeit the continuity of the film for a few minutes in order to achieve culinary perfection. what could i have been thinking!
thanks for your help.

[isaac]

one MUST sacrafice EVERYTHING for food!!

hope it all works out

[Anneke]

Originally posted by isaac
well, i dont think that slow cooking chicken is a good idea.

You don't?!?!?!?

Remember this thread?
http://www.cheftalkcafe.com/forums/s...sticky+chicken

Jbuder, maybe you should try this recipe; once you've tried it, you'll never go back.
It takes a long time but it's very low maintenance; perfect for this occasion.

[jbuder]

hey thanks, anneke. my family LOVES roast chicken. this one certainly got rave reviews.

both you and isaac have been a big help. thank goodness for cheftalk!

[isaac]

anneke,

there are tons of ways to do chicken. i dont recommend the slow cooking method unles they have time. can it be done... yes... can it be screwed up easly.. sure. you can wrap chicken in ham... fat back.. procuitto, bacon, ect. i also recommend.. if slow cooking.. is to brine it over night. it just gives extra "security" when cooking.

can slow cooking be done... sure. there are TONS of ways to cook chicken

hope this helps.

[isaac]

the recipe you showed suggests you cook the chicken to 180 degrees.... i just cant see a moist chicken when cooked to 180. what do you think?

[Anneke]

I'm comfortable cooking it little less unless I'm having a pregnant woman over... All I can say is that this recipe is foolproof and it's incredibly moist and delicious. You should try it Isaac!

[jbuder]

so here is what i ended up doing. couldn't do the slow-roast chicken because i needed to use my oven for baking bread earlier in the day. i decided to slightly modify isaac's advice and coat my chicken breasts with ground pecans and dried porcini mushrooms. i also sauteed shallots and wine and stock before the film began. i didn't miss too much of the movie getting the chicken into the oven -and who cares even if i had. the food is everything; i have that under control now. just added some cream to the sauce for a short while when the movie was over. turned out great.

thanks for the help, anneke and isaac!!

[phatch]

Of course, many home ovens have timed bake options so it will turn on by itself at the right temp at the right time and turn off too.

Guess you didn't have that option.

Phil

[Suzanne]

I've got that timer option on my oven, but I've never used it in the 7 years I have it. I would worry about food safety, leaving stuff in the oven for a few hours. Especially chicken, and especially if I had partially cooked it and put it into the oven still warm. Does anybody use that feature? How do you get over the safety concerns?

[phatch]

As to partially cooking, I can see where that's a problem. In my case, the food has never waited more than 2 hours, a time I'm not worried about bacteria growth in something cooked beyond 165 degrees. More specifically, in foods that are less susceptible to this growth. I wouldn't use a delicate fish for this, but roasts, casseroles, whole poultry and such work quite well.

This feature would work well for roasting a chicken while watching a movie unnterrupted. I can't think of a dish I would trust for this while I was away at work for 10 hours. Maybe if I started with a frozen item that would thaw for most of the time then cook. Maybe a pre-assembled casserole?

It seems the oven documentation talks about this, but I haven't looked at it in years.

Phil