posted
I would like to make a rice, broccoli, and chicken dish tonight.
I'm going to buy a lot of brocolli florets, and we already have rice, frozen chicken breasts, and a can of campbell's broccoli and cheese soup.
Do you think I need to buy fresh chicken breasts? I'm not sure how to cook the frozen ones for this dish. (They typically take 40-50 minutes in the oven at around 450 degrees).
My plan is to make the rice on the stovetop, cook the chicken somehow, and then mix the rice and chicken with the soup and put in a casserole dish to bake. Do I have to precook the frozen chicken? Should I just buy fresh and boil the chicken first? Should I cook the broccoli before or mix it raw with everything else--will it get soft in the oven?
Maybe I should just find a recipe and buy chicken. I'm just asking because I'd rather use what I have, and the recipes typically don't say what to do with frozen chicken.
Anyone else, feel free to use the thread for your own cooking questions... Posts: 2880 | Registered: Jun 2004
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posted
You can also thaw it in your microwave. Most microwaves have defrost settings.
Personally, I would brown the chicken in a skillet first and then bake it for 30-40 minutes. You can cut it up in bite-sized pieces first if you want, but you don't have to. It will bake faster if you do, though.
Posts: 1903 | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
I've used the microwave on defrost sucessfully, too, although I would use it right away (as opposed to refrigerating it uncooked for storage again).
You can cook the chicken in with the rice or do it seperately. There is some difference to flavor of the final dish, but not much, IMHO.
Posts: 14017 | Registered: May 2000
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1 lb. broccoli, trimmed, cut into 1" pieces, cooked and drained 8 boneless chicken breast halves 1 can (26 oz.) Campbell'sŪ Cream of Mushroom Soup OR 98% Fat Free Cream of Mushroom Soup 2/3 cup milk 1/4 tsp. pepper 8 cups hot cooked rice
Directions:
PLACE broccoli and chicken in 3-qt. shallow baking dish. Mix soup, milk and pepper and pour over all.
BAKE at 400°F. for 30 min. or until done. Stir sauce before serving. Serve with rice.
TIP: Substitute 1 bag (16 oz.) frozen broccoli cuts, thawed and drained for fresh. To thaw broccoli, microwave on HIGH 5 min.
I think if you thaw the chicken breasts, whether by hot water or microwave, any of these should work fine. (again, not much of a cook, here)
Posts: 2034 | Registered: Apr 2004
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posted
I think if you thaw them, at least particially,, you should be able to get the meat off the bones, then they would be boneless. Posts: 2034 | Registered: Apr 2004
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posted
I always stick them in a bowl and defrost them in the microwave. No problems. Just drain off any liquid that comes out, you'll be fine.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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posted
Actually, when thawing poultry, never ever use warm or hot water. Always use cold water. Warm or hot water can set up a good environment for bacteria like salmonella.
The same thing can happen if you put frozen, uncooked chicken in a casserole and attempt to bake it done. As the chicken thaws the cold of the chicken and the heat of the casserole will make a scary lil warm zone between the two.
Just thaw the chicken and cook it a bit in a pan first (which will help with the taste, too) or boil the pieces in a bit of chicken stock. It'll be safer and have a lot more taste.
Posts: 2848 | Registered: Feb 2003
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posted
There are no bones. It's Tyson's frozen chicken breasts with broth.
I'd rather not use the microwave to defrost--it needs to be cleaned. Also, I'm thinking the contamination of raw dripping juices isn't going to be fun.
I don't think there are boiling directions on the package of chicken, but could I do that?
I like the idea of cooking the chicken with the rice, but I don't know HOW to do that. Add more water?
Posts: 2880 | Registered: Jun 2004
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quote:Actually, when thawing poultry, never ever use warm or hot water. Always use cold water. Warm or hot water can set up a good environment for bacteria like salmonella.
Myth. Cold isn't any safer, I only defrost poultry in the fridge or microwave.
quote:I'd rather not use the microwave to defrost--it needs to be cleaned. Also, I'm thinking the contamination of raw dripping juices isn't going to be fun.
It's not going to get on anything but the bowl-- cover with some waxed paper and reduce the time and check every once in a while if you're nervous.
If you prefer to poach, do this: place chicken in pot. Add water to cover. Bring up to a boil. Boil one minute if frozen (if not frozen, immediately turn off.) Turn heat off and DO NOT REMOVE COVER. Let sit 15-25 minutes, depending on size of pieces and bone in/out, or until done. Drain and it will be cooked and tender.
But honestly, I've made that casserole with all uncooked ingredients and cooked it all in the oven. I thought that's what you're supposed to do...
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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posted
I do not like defrosting poultry in the microwave, even when I have one accessible. And defrosting by running it under very warm (just shy of hot) water takes about 2 minutes, which is way too short a time for bacteria to establish themselves. As long as it's cooked immediately, this is not a problem.
Posts: 9866 | Registered: Apr 2002
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quote:Chicken may be defrosted in cold water in its airtight packaging or in a leak proof bag. Submerge the bird or cut-up parts in cold water, changing the water every 30 minutes to be sure it stays cold. A whole (3 to 4-pound) broiler fryer or package of parts should defrost in 2 to 3 hours. A 1-pound package of boneless breasts will defrost in an hour or less.
Chicken defrosted in the microwave should be cooked immediately after thawing because some areas of the food may become warm and begin to cook during microwaving.
If you want to cook the chicken with the rice, I'd first defrost the chicken, then cut it up (you don't have to, but this will disperse the flavor better). Then you can add the chicken to the cooking liquid for the rice. Add an extra 1/2 cup of water if you want, but cooking chicken should release (nt absorb) water, so I don't think you really need extra. Just make sure that the chicken cooks through thoroughly -- i.e., no pink spots in the flesh.
This gives a different flavor than adding chicken which has been browned in a pan to the rice. I like to do the latter because you can deglaze the pan after the Maillard reaction yiels up those yummy browned bits.
Posts: 14017 | Registered: May 2000
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posted
Aah. I never heard of poaching it before. That sounds good.
How about this...
I get a large skillet and mix the can of soup with some water or milk (approximately 1 can's worth), bring it to a boil and add approximately 1 can's worth of rice, and chopped up broccoli.
Then, I cover it, turn the heat to low and let it cook about 20 minutes until the rice is done.
As that's going, I poach the chicken as per ketchupqueen's directions.
When the rice mixture is done, I chop up the chicken, mix it with the rice in a casserole dish and bake it for about 20-30 minutes in the oven at 350.
I don't think the baking step is really needed at that point, but I don't think it will hurt.
posted
Personally, I'd agree with Dana, in that if you are cooking it immediately, 2 minutes doesn't even count. Problem with using that as an official recommendation (I think) is that there is too much opportunity for someone to fudge around with the directions and do it unsafely.
[That would likely be the same people who need a "DO NOT hold over other person's head" warning on their automatic coffeepot carafe. ]
Edited to add: Katarain, that sounds splendid.
Posts: 14017 | Registered: May 2000
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posted
You know those Rice-a-Roni boxes? I've added broccoli to those several times without any (or not much) more water and it's worked out great. I figure that my idea above is pretty much the same thing and should work--assuming there's enough liquid, and I'll make sure there is.
Claudia, yay! Thanks. I'm so hungry already.
Posts: 2880 | Registered: Jun 2004
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posted
[quote]Personally, I'd agree with Dana, in that if you are cooking it immediately, 2 minutes doesn't even count. Problem with using that as an official recommendation (I think) is that there is too much opportunity for someone to fudge around with the directions and do it unsafely.
[That would likely be the same people who need a "DO NOT hold over other person's head" warning on their automatic coffeepot carafe. ] [/quote[
I agree on that one-- if you're going to defrost in water, do it in warm and do it fast and cook it thoroughly. Just use common sense. My problem with defrosting in water is that you then have to decontaminate your sink before putting anything in it (cold water or not, and believe me, it's hard to remember to change the water that often.)
And I think it sounds very nice.
In the future, if you have some time, here's an alternative: Mix rice and soup with some milk, broth, and/or water. Season as desired. Pour into greased casserole. Sprinkle with broccoli and top with chicken. Cover and bake at 350 degrees about 1 hour 30 minutes, until rice is cooked and chicken is done all the way through. (To speed this up, you can parboil the rice first and partially cook the chicken.) Uncover and top with cheese, if desired, and cook an additional 15 minutes or so to brown top and reduce any additional liquid. Mmmmm. Works with or without veggies, any type of chicken, any type of creamy soup.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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posted
Partially thaw the chicken, and when it is still firm, but thawed enough to slice with a sharp knife, slice it into thin slices.
Blanch the broccoli by dropping it into boiling water, leaving it in for, like, half a minute, then drain it out. Or, if your broccoli is the frozen kind, just thaw it and dry it off.
Cook up the rice the regular way.
Hot wok. Add oil, then sizzle sizzle stir fry the chicken and the broccoli. Season with ginger, garlic, hot pepper, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sherry, or whatever you season up your stir fry with.
Me, I'd add some sliced firm mango, too. I like mango with this.
Serve the stir fry over rice. Lose the condensed soup.
Posts: 10397 | Registered: Jun 2005
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posted
Yeah, I'm trying to limit the time that raw chicken and its juices are around my kitchen. When I keep all of the dishes done and keep a spotless kitchen, it would be much easier to be certain that its not contaminated. So, I want to take care of the raw chicken as fast as possible and I love the poaching idea. The oven dries out the chicken so much, so I would expect poaching to help with that.
I find it hard to believe that 25 minutes in recently boiled water is really enough to cook the chicken all the way through, and I KNOW that my husband will be skeptical, so the oven time is just a reassurance. Besides, they're big breasts, so they probably WILL need more time in the center.
Posts: 2880 | Registered: Jun 2004
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posted
Yes, but they leak. I have never done this and not had a leak. And those recommendations call for the original packaging, which is worse still! I guess I'm a bit of a freak. But I never skip the decontamination after anything has even touched anything that's touched anything that's touched raw poultry.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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posted
Well, if they're big breasts, yeah, they're gonna need more time. Those are the poaching times for small, fairly thin boneless pieces. Adjust as needed. Oh, and make sure it gets to a ROLLING boil before you count it as a boil.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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posted
(It's kind of like boiling potatoes-- part of the cooking is the bringing up to a boil time. But unlike potatoes, you don't want to boil past that, to prevent boneless chicken from getting rubbery. So you poach-- like hard-boiling eggs.)
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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posted
After reading enough microbiology studies, I've adopted the practice of keeping everything as clean as possible but still treating the sink as contaminated. If I drop a carrot stick in the sink, it just goes down the disposal.
Probably overkill, but even the best-kept sinks test as the dirtiest places in the house (from a micro standpoint).
Posts: 14017 | Registered: May 2000
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posted
Yeah, I know you're supposed to make hard-boiled eggs and hebrew national hot dogs that way. (Boiling and then covering and letting them sit in the hot water.) But I've always been too "chicken" to do it... like they won't really be Done.
Posts: 2880 | Registered: Jun 2004
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posted
Poached eggs are a wee bit different. If you'd like to learn how, I have a book somewhere with instructions for no-fail poached eggs. I can try to find it.
And CT, me, too. Unless I've just bleached it-- then I'll wash my veggies in it.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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posted
My hard boiled eggs are always done. And I learned this method of cooking chicken in HS Foods class, so I think you're safe. Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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Oh... Cause I've looked and looked at the hot dog package and couldn't find those words. They really need to do add that for the clueless people like me.
I mean, I assume... suuuure they must be already cooked. After all, they only take 45 seconds in the microwave...
posted
If you're defrosting by immersing in standing water, it's actually faster (as well as safer) to use cold water. Because of the difference in density, cold water has a significantly higher heat transfer rate.
Nobody ever believes me when I tell them that, but try it out, and you'll see what I mean.
Posts: 10177 | Registered: Apr 2001
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posted
On my advice on thawing, it comes from working in restaurants. You can't do the warm water method just for the reason CT explained, it's too easy to fudge. Restaurants are also the reason for the "Don't hold over anyone's head" on the coffee pots... waiters reaching under the beverage counter while someone else is picking up a coffee pot is amazingly commonplace and really dangerous.
Posts: 2848 | Registered: Feb 2003
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posted
Poaching works well if you're going to shred the chicken. If you want to keep more of the chicken's flavor (as opposed to allowing in to blend more with the other flavors) I'd recommend sauteeing or baking it instead.
I'm a big advocate of the "cook things seperate, then bake them together to integrate the flavors" method. In this case, you could poach and shred the chicken, blanch and chop the broccoli, steam the rice, put them together in a casserole stirred together with the soup, and bake around 350 for ten-fifteen minutes; that would probably work. The soup's function is basically to keep everything moist, as well as adding a unifying flavor.
Posts: 3826 | Registered: May 2005
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I did the rice, soup, and broccoli in the skillet, but I didn't let the rice get soft enough. This wasn't planned on my part, it just wasn't soft by the time 25 minutes was up. So, I mixed in a cup or more of water and put the whole thing in a casserole dish. It was still pretty thick. I thought that the oven would fix the rice problem.
Then I cut up the chicken. It was a wonderful technique, by the way, the poaching. Very soft, tender, yummy meat. I cut that into strips and laid it on top of the casserole. Then I covered the whole thing in foil and put it in the oven at 350 for 25 minutes.
I tested the rice at the end of 25 minutes, and it was better--but not done yet.
I think I cooked it for 30-45 minutes more, with 15 minute increments.
So, I'm eating it...but it needed lots of salt. It's okay...a little thick, and I think every once in a while I'm either eating browned rice or a kernel that didn't quite get done enough.
The salt thing surprises me, because I used two cans of soup--and I didn't think the added water would desalt it that much.
Next time, I'd still use two cans of soup and the milk, but I'd use a lot less rice and would make sure it finishes in the skillet. (Even though I used the 2xliquid/1xrice mixture.)
Overall: 2 out of 5 because of the rice problem.
Otherwise, I think this would be a 3....or maybe even a 4.
Thanks for all your help. Posts: 2880 | Registered: Jun 2004
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posted
When defroasting I use cold water, but I put the meat in a bowl in the sink and let a continuous trickle of water run into it. That way you don't need to worry about changing the water, and the movement of the water really speeds things up. Now, obviously, that's also pretty wasteful of water, if you're into conservation. I don't do it very often, but it works really, really well when you're in a hurry and don't have any other options. (I don't have a microwave.)
Posts: 7954 | Registered: Mar 2004
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posted
Sure, add another can of soup and maybe some grated cheese, thin it down with plenty of milk in a saucepan, and make "cheesy chicken-rice soup with broccoli." Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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posted
(Oh, don't boil it again! Simmer. Simmer gently and slowly. And maybe throw some chicken broth in there while you're at it. And pepper. It needs black pepper-- and I'm not a big black pepper fan, but I say that fervently.)
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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posted
For future reference-- a typical baked chicken-rice-cream soup casserole. You can add veggies in there, switch the soups and seasonings around, use different chicken pieces, whatever you like. Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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posted
Well, as long as we're on the topic has anyone ever done a baked chicken & brown rice casserole? Cooking time for brown rice is much longer so I assume I can't just switch ingredients. Would I end up with either rubber chicken or crunchy brown rice? I couldn't find anything online when I was searching recently.
Posts: 3149 | Registered: Jul 2005
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I guess I'm a bit of a freak. But I never skip the decontamination after anything has even touched anything that's touched anything that's touched raw poultry.
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It was supposed to be cheesy and yummy.
