SERIOUS cooking failure

[thistlechaser]

Oh Internet, sometimes you contain bad advice. I saw a LJ cooking post saying that this was totally yummy:

I've been looking for ways to make my boneless, skinless chicken breasts less boring, and while I knew that wouldn't exactly be a healthy way, I thought it might be good for a one-time thing (or two, if it were good enough to eat the leftovers the next night). I baked my chicken breast as usual, then followed the directions on the box, breaking up the chicken and using that instead of hamburger.

Right off the bat, the smell was odd. Very odd. Which is not something I like noticing about my food. It smelled like pickles, which would be reasonable for a burger maybe, but this smell was really strong.

Basically it tasted like it smelled. Maybe the heavier flavor of beef would have masked the intense pickle flavor more, but I suspect not. I ate a few forkfuls and I'm going to toss the rest out.

On the plus side, I bought more ribs to make this weekend. Spare ribs instead of baby back, I'm not sure if that will make a difference or not. Alas, if I had gone shopping tomorrow instead of today, the baby back would have been on sale and I could have gotten those again, but I didn't see the sale until after I had already bought these.

I think my stomach is already unhappy from that horrible pickle-cheese dinner. Blech.

Comments

[teaandfailure.livejournal.com]

... I should probably try this sometime because I love me some strong pickle flavor.

PERHAPS THIS SKILLET WAS MEANT FOR ME ALL ALONG.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Maybe! But this morning in the shower, I realized what part of my problem probably was. The box calls for a pound of browned hamburger meat, I used one small chicken breast. So there was less bulk/seasoning!

But, knowing that, you could make it with a small amount of meat to get the heavier pickle flavor.

[lokyst.livejournal.com]

Have you tried adding some variation with chicken thighs? They are quite fatty, so I cook them on a roasting rack in the oven at 350F for an hour so they're not swimming in the fat and I can feel vaguely less guilty. Be sure to cook them fatty side up so that they self baste.

As for flavorings, start by sprinkling with salt and pepper, since I know you don't like strong flavors. Then move on to onion powder and garlic powder (not salt) if you want some thing more. Finally try finding something called Garam masala, sold by Indian stores. It's not hot at all, mostly fragrant spices like cinnamon and cumin. But that might be a bit too much for you. Although after the experience of the pickle flavor you might be more brave?

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

I like white meat better than dark, though at this point I'm so bored of breasts I'd be open to switching it up some.

Good idea on onion and garlic powder, I was mostly just doing salt and pepper. Garam masala sounds interesting! I'm going to see if I can hunt that down.

Thanks! :)

[lokyst.livejournal.com]

A word of warning: masala just means spice mix. So make sure you get garam masala. The other masalas do have chillis in them! It's a dark brown color.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

So I'm seeing! I'm poking through Amazon to see my choices. (Free shipping there = I do as much of my shopping through them as I can.) Thanks for the head's up!

[ani-mama.livejournal.com]

You might try starting with the garam masala available at the spice rack at a local chain supermarket...it is milder. If you like curry and Indian food in general you would probably like garam masala.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

I don't like curry or Indian food, but I'm bored enough with chicken to be willing to try. Since I can spice it myself, I can use just a little bit, hopefully it'll be mild enough!

I went grocery shopping just hours after ordering it through Amazon, then kicked myself. I could have picked it up there, right!

[ani-mama.livejournal.com]

Poke through the recipes here. http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Ingredients/Chicken-Recipes/Chicken-Breast-Recipes

They usually have pretty easy recipes. Someting like this would be a nice way to use up a chicken breast http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Angel-Hair-Pasta-with-Chicken , and it will be super easy if you use frozen mixed veggies. I make something similar with more garlic and shrimp instead of chicken for Kidlet all the time.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Woot! Thank you!

[ani-mama.livejournal.com]

Pro tip: Any prepackaged product from the supermarket that bills itself as a "dinner kit" usually tastes horrible. Avoid!

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Very good advice!