Cooking Chicken Breasts

I love to cook with chicken, but until recently I had shied away from chicken breast, especially boneless, skinless breast, because it always seemed to come out dry. Turns out, I was way overcooking it when I boiled it. Here are three ways to cook chicken breast without drying it out.

If You Have Two to Three Hours:
Cook it in the slow cooker for 2 to 3 hours on low or about 1-1/2 hours on high. Make sure to cover the chicken completely with water or broth. Start checking it after an hour or so; it doesn't take all day like you might expect.

If You Have 45 Minutes or So:
Poach the chicken on the stove.

1. Put it on the bottom of a saucepan large enough that you can completely cover all the chicken with your choice of cool liquid (water, broth, cooking wine).
   
2. Cook it on medium heat, uncovered, for 10 minutes or so--just until it almost comes to a full boil. Watch it closely and do NOT let it come to a rolling boil. (Do make sure that it is bubbling slowly, though.) *
   
3. Turn the burner off and cover the pot tightly.
   
4. Leave it on the warm burner for about 30 minutes. Cut into the thickest part of a breast to check that there is no pink. If it isn't done, turn the burner back on for a few minutes, but again, don't let it boil.
   

*I sometimes set a timer so I don't walk off and forget the chicken and then come back to find it boiling furiously.

If You Have 30 Minutes:
Brush the breasts with beaten egg whites and bake uncovered at 350 for 20 to 30 minutes or until done.

Try Mixing in a Few Chicken Thighs
Unless you are adamant that all the chicken must be white meat, try mixing about half and half with chicken thighs. The extra fat will make the chicken breast much more moist and juicy, and you'll save money as well! This works especially well in the slow cooker. In fact, if you are making a recipe that cooks for 8 or 10 hours, consider using only chicken thighs; they stand up to the long cooking time much better than breasts.