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.

[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?

[ani-mama.livejournal.com]

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