Creating Tender Chicken: Avoiding The Rubber Trap

Chicken is a versatile and nutritious food, but it can sometimes turn out rubbery. This can be caused by overcooking, undercooking, or the quality of the chicken. To prevent rubbery chicken, it is important to cook it at the right temperature and for the correct amount of time. Using a meat tenderizer or slicing large chicken breasts in half lengthwise can also help create an even piece of meat that cooks more uniformly. Buying high-quality, organic, and slow-growing chicken can also reduce the chances of rubberiness.

Avoid overcooking your chicken

Overcooking is the main cause of rubbery chicken. The longer chicken cooks, the more moisture it loses, and without moisture, the protein fibres become rubbery. To avoid overcooking, follow the cooking times and instructions provided with your meal. Make adjustments as needed and, over time, you will develop a sense of how long a meal should be cooked.

It is also important to use the correct size of the slow cooker. If a recipe calls for a 3-quart slow cooker but is cooked in a 6-quart slow cooker, you will need to adjust the cooking time as the extra surface area will cause the chicken to cook more quickly.

Buy high-quality chicken, especially chicken that isn't super large. Look for smaller chicken breasts that don't have any white stripes running through them. An even piece of chicken cooks more evenly, so you aren't left with overcooked, rubbery chicken in some spots and undercooked chicken in others.

To check if your chicken is cooked, measure the internal temperature. The chicken is fully cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of 165ºF.

Buy high-quality chicken

One of the main causes of rubbery chicken is overcooking, which causes the chicken to lose moisture and its protein fibres to become rubbery. Therefore, it is important to cook chicken for the right amount of time. However, another major cause of rubbery chicken is the quality of the chicken itself. Buying high-quality chicken is a good way to avoid rubbery chicken.

When buying chicken, it is best to avoid chicken breasts that are very large, as these are more likely to be overcooked in some spots and undercooked in others. It is also important to look out for white stripes running through the meat, which is a condition known as "white striping". This happens when stripes of fat develop along the muscle fibres and can occur in chicken breasts, thighs, and other tender pieces. Chicken with white striping tends to become rubbery when cooked.

Another condition to watch out for is "woody chicken breast", which occurs when the muscle fibres become knotted, resulting in increased connective tissue and bulging muscles. This makes the meat harder and chewier. A 2020 study found that woody chicken breasts have higher amounts of connective tissue than normal breast meat. The study also found that the severity of woody breasts increases as chickens age and that there is a correlation between woody breasts and body weight.

To avoid these issues, it is recommended to buy slow-growing and organic chicken, as these are ideal in terms of quality. One retailer that has been recommended for its commitment to slow-growing pasture-raised heirloom chicken is Cook's Venture, which sells a variety of chicken meat, including whole chickens, thighs, wings, and breasts. However, if organic chicken is not available or affordable, it is also fine to buy non-organic chicken, as long as it does not have any white stripes.

Use the right cooking equipment

Cooking chicken in the right equipment is essential to prevent it from becoming rubbery. Chicken breasts have little connective tissue and less fat, so they can become dry and rubbery if cooked for too long.

Slow cookers are a great option for cooking chicken, as they use moist heat, which helps to keep the meat tender. However, it's important to use the right size of the slow cooker for your meal. Using a Crockpot that is too big can lead to overcooking and rubbery chicken. The extra surface space will cause the chicken to cook more quickly than intended, resulting in dry, rubbery meat. Therefore, it's recommended to follow the suggested slow cooker size for each meal and make adjustments as needed.

Additionally, getting to know your slow cooker is crucial. Different brands, sizes, and ages of slow cookers can influence the outcome of your meal. For example, some Crockpots may cook hotter than others, so you might need to adjust the cooking time accordingly. By paying close attention to cooking times and how your meals turn out, you can make the necessary adjustments to perfect your chicken dishes.

If you're using a pressure cooker or Instant Pot, it's important to follow the instructions and recommendations specific to that cooking equipment. Pressure cookers use moist heat, which can help keep chicken moist and tender. However, ensuring you use the right settings and timing is crucial to prevent overcooking or undercooking, both of which can lead to rubbery chicken.

For oven-baked or grilled chicken, using a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature is the best way to avoid undercooking or overcooking. Chicken is considered fully cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of 165ºF. This helps ensure that your chicken is safe to eat and reduces the risk of rubbery texture due to overcooking or undercooking.

Check the internal temperature

Checking the internal temperature of chicken is the best way to avoid rubbery chicken. The ideal internal temperature for chicken is 165ºF. This temperature ensures that the chicken is cooked without being overcooked, as chicken loses moisture as it cooks, and overcooked chicken loses too much moisture, resulting in a rubbery texture.

To achieve this ideal internal temperature, it is important to use the right size of cookware. Using a Crockpot or slow cooker that is too big can lead to overcooking and rubbery chicken. The recommended size for a slow cooker is usually provided with the recipe or meal instructions, and using a larger or smaller cooker will require adjustments to the cooking time. For example, if a recipe calls for a 3-quart slow cooker, using a 6-quart cooker will require reducing the cooking time to account for the extra surface area.

Additionally, the brand, size, and age of your cookware can influence the outcome of your meal. It is important to understand your equipment and make adjustments as needed. Checking the doneness of chicken by measuring its internal temperature ensures that it is cooked thoroughly without becoming overcooked and rubbery.

While checking the internal temperature is crucial, other factors also contribute to the rubbery texture of chicken. Overcooking is the main cause of rubbery chicken, so following cooking instructions and adjusting timings based on your equipment is essential. Undercooked chicken can also exhibit a rubbery texture, but this is usually accompanied by a shiny appearance and a jiggly consistency, indicating that it is unsafe to eat.

The quality of the chicken itself also plays a role. Woody chicken breasts and chicken with white striping are more likely to result in rubbery meat due to increased connective tissue and muscle fibre knots. Buying high-quality, organic chicken that is not overly large can help prevent rubbery chicken.

Add sauce to mask rubberiness

If your chicken has turned out rubbery, there are several ways to salvage it by adding sauce to it. Chicken is made up of three basic elements: protein, fat, and liquid. When chicken is overcooked, it loses moisture, and without moisture, the protein fibres become elastic, resulting in a rubbery texture. Therefore, adding moisture back into the chicken can help mask its rubberiness.

One way to do this is by simmering the chicken in a sauce. You can go with a creamy Alfredo sauce, BBQ sauce, or a soy-based sauce. You can also shred the chicken into very small strips to make the texture less noticeable and then add it to a sauce. This will help to soften the chicken. Shredded chicken can be added to a variety of sauces, including enchilada sauce, creamy jalapeño ranch, or a homemade healthy honey mustard sauce.

Another option is to marinate the chicken in an acidic liquid such as lemon juice or vinegar, which will help to break down the muscle fibres and make the meat more tender. You can also try coating the chicken in a moist marinade before cooking it.

Frequently asked questions