Improving my relationship with chicken
October 10, 2023 11:44 PM Subscribe
Inspired by this recent Ask, I realize that I would like to cook more with chicken. But I really hate handling raw chicken and I want essentially zero risk that I would undercook it. And I don't want to have to sanitize every surface in my kitchen after cooking. So I'm looking for recipes/approaches that might sidestep this.
Are there recipes/approaches/methods of cooking with chicken that would not require me to put my hands on a raw chicken? Or that would 100% guarantee that the end result would be cooked to temperature?
Like an ideal response would be something like a simmer pot, where I can observe the boiling pot and know that anything in that pot is safe to eat. Or a roasting method that doesn't require spatchcocking or stuffing, yet guarantees a nicely moist and fully done chicken.
I'm aware of the grocery store rotisserie chicken option, and I don't have (or care to use) an air fryer or Costco membership. I don't have a crockpot or instant pot, but I would be willing to obtain one if that was the solution.
Are there recipes/approaches/methods of cooking with chicken that would not require me to put my hands on a raw chicken? Or that would 100% guarantee that the end result would be cooked to temperature?
Like an ideal response would be something like a simmer pot, where I can observe the boiling pot and know that anything in that pot is safe to eat. Or a roasting method that doesn't require spatchcocking or stuffing, yet guarantees a nicely moist and fully done chicken.
I'm aware of the grocery store rotisserie chicken option, and I don't have (or care to use) an air fryer or Costco membership. I don't have a crockpot or instant pot, but I would be willing to obtain one if that was the solution.
Sous vide (“beer cooler sous vide” an option, but circulators aren’t that expensive). If you can find cryovac-sealed chicken you can put it straight in the bath if you really want (but it’s better to season it before cooking). Then you can unbag and eat it “poached” or brown it under the broiler. (Please salt it if you haven’t done already.) Or do all your prep work at once— bulk chicken breasts, salt and pepper, vacuum seal.
Flattening chicken into a thinner even layer usually ensures doneness once it’s brown but that involves extra handling.
Really, just get an instant-read thermometer and a box of nitrile gloves and roast a whole chicken. (Stuffing is a *higher* danger of dryness and pathogens.) Check temp in breast and thigh multiple times. No handling other than removing the organs from the cavity and salt and pepper to start. I’m not squeamish but I often use gloves for handling raw meat so I’m not washing my hands constantly.
posted by supercres at 12:12 AM on October 11, 2023
Flattening chicken into a thinner even layer usually ensures doneness once it’s brown but that involves extra handling.
Really, just get an instant-read thermometer and a box of nitrile gloves and roast a whole chicken. (Stuffing is a *higher* danger of dryness and pathogens.) Check temp in breast and thigh multiple times. No handling other than removing the organs from the cavity and salt and pepper to start. I’m not squeamish but I often use gloves for handling raw meat so I’m not washing my hands constantly.
posted by supercres at 12:12 AM on October 11, 2023
Honestly poaching may be good as long as you like the taste (and are aware it won't brown etc). I use this recipe and just simmer it for a little longer instead of thermometer-testing. When you take it out it's cooked and sanitary, and you can slice it at the thickest part to make sure it looks cooked through, but if you let it cool in the liquid it's basically foolproof.
My other hack, because raw meat is eugh, is buying ready-sliced meat that can go in a stir-fry straight from the package. When it's cooked through, you can slice it with a spatula on the pan - if it doesn't fall apart or looks raw in the middle, you just stir fry it for a few more minutes.
Also you can marinade meat in glass closed containers and as long as you pre-mix the marinade in the container, all you have to wash is the fork you use to move the meat to the container, and the container itself afterwards. Mix marinade, add meat, close the container and do the shake-shake thing instead of messing around with plastic bags etc. I trust my dishwasher to take care of sanitising afterwards.
posted by I claim sanctuary at 12:27 AM on October 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
My other hack, because raw meat is eugh, is buying ready-sliced meat that can go in a stir-fry straight from the package. When it's cooked through, you can slice it with a spatula on the pan - if it doesn't fall apart or looks raw in the middle, you just stir fry it for a few more minutes.
Also you can marinade meat in glass closed containers and as long as you pre-mix the marinade in the container, all you have to wash is the fork you use to move the meat to the container, and the container itself afterwards. Mix marinade, add meat, close the container and do the shake-shake thing instead of messing around with plastic bags etc. I trust my dishwasher to take care of sanitising afterwards.
posted by I claim sanctuary at 12:27 AM on October 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
I hate handling raw chicken and do a lot of the same things as I claim sanctuary. I usually buy it in tender form (like the raw tenders, not fried chicken tenders) or get it from the butcher and ask them to cube it. Then when I get home, I’ll make a marinade or a rub, put it in a ziploc bag or big sealable Pyrex, and add the chicken to the bag/container with tongs and mix around. The bag has the benefit of being able to squish from the outside. Also I just toss the bag in the trash. I find the air fryer or oven to cook more evenly than a pan, but I do also stab a few of the bigger bits with an instant read thermometer to check for doneness. The thermometer is the most efficient way to test if the chicken is cooked. I have also cooked frozen chicken breasts/tenders in the instant pot and also poached chicken or simmered it in sauce in a pot, and it’s definitely been cooked but I haven’t liked the texture as much. Same with sous vide chicken.
posted by loulou718 at 1:13 AM on October 11, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by loulou718 at 1:13 AM on October 11, 2023 [2 favorites]
I think you need three (maybe four) things.
- A reliable digital instant-read meat thermometer so you can confidently know your meat is cooked to the temperature you want, and an understanding of stuff like carryover cooking so you can pull a roast chicken breast before it gets over cooked without freaking out about doneness. Having a good instant-read thermometer is so wonderful for increasing confidence in the kitchen, especially if you’re dealing with any immune issues.
- Disposable gloves so you can handle food that icks you out. Wearing gloves for food prep is totally normal in commercial kitchens so why is it seen as some kind of taboo at home? Disposable gloves are great because you get to retain use of your best tools - your hands. A lot of contamination concerns come from hesitant handling of meat. If you can use your hands you will be able to do things like rub in a marinade with the chicken directly in the roasting pan, or pick up a piece and place it into a pot without splashing anything, or hold a piece of meat still and cut it into smaller chunks for a curry or stew. You can get thicker gloves if you can’t deal with a very thin barrier, or double up. It is so so so much better to use gloves than to fling raw meat around by tongs because you are squeamish. Also, if you like spicy, having gloves around is a lifesaver when prepping hot peppers.
- A large plastic cutting board you can fit in your (optional four if you don’t have it already) dishwasher on a sanitize cycle. Have it be a different color than your other boards so you know it’s the meat one, and treat it like a work surface as well as a cutting board. Basically, never put raw chicken on anything but this cutting board, a prep bowl you can also sanitize in the dishwasher, or your cooking vessel. Then all you’ll need to do is pick up the board and put it in the dishwasher, and wipe down the counter with whatever sanitizing solution feels best for your needs. The rest of the kitchen should only have cooked food residue to clean, because you will always keep the raw chicken to that one spot. You can use the board to lift up your cut and seasoned pieces (or whatever) and carry it to the stove if you want, as well.
- A dishwasher is really important if your main concern is food safety in the kitchen. Look into how hot your model gets and if it has a sanitize cycle option. Check the soap/detergent you use for how effective it is at killing off the things that concern you most. I am absolutely a no kitchen knives or nonstick pans in the dishwasher person, but my priorities are not yours. Brush up on hand washing techniques for things like your thermometer (and knives) and big pots that don’t fit in the dishwasher, so you can gain confidence in your clean kitchen and not just what comes out of the dishwasher.
Okay now to more closely answer your question and not be like “just get over it!!” I think the technique you want is braised boneless chicken thighs. Thighs have more fat in them and you can cook them way long and they will retain juiciness and flavor. Boneless thighs are comparatively cheap and will not have any skin, bones or most of the things that ick some people out about raw meat. Basically, get a big pan that has a lid and put some oil or butter in the bottom, heat it up. Add salt and pepper to that oil and out your chicken thighs directly from the package into the pan. Use tongs and mix them around in the seasoned oil, and let them get a little cooked on the outside on a medium-high heat. You can add whatever dry seasonings at this stage, like paprika or curry blends or dried thyme or whatever. After the spices are aromatic and the chicken has a little color, add liquids and veggies to about 2/3rds up to the top of the thighs. This can be almost anything! Tomato sauce, veggie broth, a jarred simmer sauce with extra water added, beer or wine, orange juice, etc. It all depends on what cuisine you are going for. The veggies would go with, so like if you were doing a mild curry maybe some sweet potato, onions and summer squash, or if you wanted a spin on a French chicken stew you could do red wine and mushrooms and carrots, or whatever you like. An Asian-ish braised chicken dish might be soy sauce, Chinese cooking wine, and chicken stock with cabbage and daikon. Really there are so many options. Anyway back to the technique. You’ve got your chicken nestled in with your veggies and liquid. Bring it up to a simmer, put the lid on, and cook it for like half an hour. If you want to cook it longer than that, you can, and the chicken will be okay! You can use your thermometer to check for doneness as well. You can take the lid off and crank up the heat and let the liquid reduce once the chicken is cooked to your liking. You can add things in that don’t need to cook as long, like frozen peas near the end, or fresh herbs, or a starch like rice or couscous that will suck up all the liquid and make it a whole meal, or precooked pasta that will not soak up all the liquid but still thicken the sauce a bit. Almost no touching of raw chicken and you can cook the heck out of it with very little sacrifice in texture.
posted by Mizu at 2:03 AM on October 11, 2023 [10 favorites]
- A reliable digital instant-read meat thermometer so you can confidently know your meat is cooked to the temperature you want, and an understanding of stuff like carryover cooking so you can pull a roast chicken breast before it gets over cooked without freaking out about doneness. Having a good instant-read thermometer is so wonderful for increasing confidence in the kitchen, especially if you’re dealing with any immune issues.
- Disposable gloves so you can handle food that icks you out. Wearing gloves for food prep is totally normal in commercial kitchens so why is it seen as some kind of taboo at home? Disposable gloves are great because you get to retain use of your best tools - your hands. A lot of contamination concerns come from hesitant handling of meat. If you can use your hands you will be able to do things like rub in a marinade with the chicken directly in the roasting pan, or pick up a piece and place it into a pot without splashing anything, or hold a piece of meat still and cut it into smaller chunks for a curry or stew. You can get thicker gloves if you can’t deal with a very thin barrier, or double up. It is so so so much better to use gloves than to fling raw meat around by tongs because you are squeamish. Also, if you like spicy, having gloves around is a lifesaver when prepping hot peppers.
- A large plastic cutting board you can fit in your (optional four if you don’t have it already) dishwasher on a sanitize cycle. Have it be a different color than your other boards so you know it’s the meat one, and treat it like a work surface as well as a cutting board. Basically, never put raw chicken on anything but this cutting board, a prep bowl you can also sanitize in the dishwasher, or your cooking vessel. Then all you’ll need to do is pick up the board and put it in the dishwasher, and wipe down the counter with whatever sanitizing solution feels best for your needs. The rest of the kitchen should only have cooked food residue to clean, because you will always keep the raw chicken to that one spot. You can use the board to lift up your cut and seasoned pieces (or whatever) and carry it to the stove if you want, as well.
- A dishwasher is really important if your main concern is food safety in the kitchen. Look into how hot your model gets and if it has a sanitize cycle option. Check the soap/detergent you use for how effective it is at killing off the things that concern you most. I am absolutely a no kitchen knives or nonstick pans in the dishwasher person, but my priorities are not yours. Brush up on hand washing techniques for things like your thermometer (and knives) and big pots that don’t fit in the dishwasher, so you can gain confidence in your clean kitchen and not just what comes out of the dishwasher.
Okay now to more closely answer your question and not be like “just get over it!!” I think the technique you want is braised boneless chicken thighs. Thighs have more fat in them and you can cook them way long and they will retain juiciness and flavor. Boneless thighs are comparatively cheap and will not have any skin, bones or most of the things that ick some people out about raw meat. Basically, get a big pan that has a lid and put some oil or butter in the bottom, heat it up. Add salt and pepper to that oil and out your chicken thighs directly from the package into the pan. Use tongs and mix them around in the seasoned oil, and let them get a little cooked on the outside on a medium-high heat. You can add whatever dry seasonings at this stage, like paprika or curry blends or dried thyme or whatever. After the spices are aromatic and the chicken has a little color, add liquids and veggies to about 2/3rds up to the top of the thighs. This can be almost anything! Tomato sauce, veggie broth, a jarred simmer sauce with extra water added, beer or wine, orange juice, etc. It all depends on what cuisine you are going for. The veggies would go with, so like if you were doing a mild curry maybe some sweet potato, onions and summer squash, or if you wanted a spin on a French chicken stew you could do red wine and mushrooms and carrots, or whatever you like. An Asian-ish braised chicken dish might be soy sauce, Chinese cooking wine, and chicken stock with cabbage and daikon. Really there are so many options. Anyway back to the technique. You’ve got your chicken nestled in with your veggies and liquid. Bring it up to a simmer, put the lid on, and cook it for like half an hour. If you want to cook it longer than that, you can, and the chicken will be okay! You can use your thermometer to check for doneness as well. You can take the lid off and crank up the heat and let the liquid reduce once the chicken is cooked to your liking. You can add things in that don’t need to cook as long, like frozen peas near the end, or fresh herbs, or a starch like rice or couscous that will suck up all the liquid and make it a whole meal, or precooked pasta that will not soak up all the liquid but still thicken the sauce a bit. Almost no touching of raw chicken and you can cook the heck out of it with very little sacrifice in texture.
posted by Mizu at 2:03 AM on October 11, 2023 [10 favorites]
My mum is a bit iffy about meat and simply holds it with tongs instead of her hands. This goes for everything - unwrapping, cutting, etc. To my knowledge she never touches it and it seems to work fine.
My approach to sanitation is to place it on a wooden cutting board* for all operations prior to cooking, which then makes that cutting board out of bounds for anything else until it's washed. Timber is naturally anti bacterial or it would rot in nature a lot faster (seriously it's much cleaner than your average domestic kitchen plastic) and I wash with very hot water. I don't have a separate board for meat, I'll happily cut bread on a board that had chicken on it the day before. No one I've fed has ever got food poisoning.
*In good condition. Preferably a single piece of timber with no glue, certainly no cracks, no filler in cracks, no knot holes, etc. Select grade, should you talk timber grading language.
posted by deadwax at 3:02 AM on October 11, 2023 [3 favorites]
My approach to sanitation is to place it on a wooden cutting board* for all operations prior to cooking, which then makes that cutting board out of bounds for anything else until it's washed. Timber is naturally anti bacterial or it would rot in nature a lot faster (seriously it's much cleaner than your average domestic kitchen plastic) and I wash with very hot water. I don't have a separate board for meat, I'll happily cut bread on a board that had chicken on it the day before. No one I've fed has ever got food poisoning.
*In good condition. Preferably a single piece of timber with no glue, certainly no cracks, no filler in cracks, no knot holes, etc. Select grade, should you talk timber grading language.
posted by deadwax at 3:02 AM on October 11, 2023 [3 favorites]
a slow cooker would help, as would nitrile gloves. a good butcher, if available to you, would be helpful for spatchcocking which is a great for “season and dump in the oven”
posted by alchemist at 3:52 AM on October 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by alchemist at 3:52 AM on October 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
I like using chicken tenders, as mentioned above (boneless, skinless, breast meat, but in smaller, thinner pieces). That way, it can go straight into a pan with some oil and be cooked straight from the packaging (with some salt sprinkled on). I also dry it off so it spatters less, but you could skip that step for less handling.
I have a reliable meat thermometer that I use to test the doneness of the chicken.
A slow cooker or instant pot is another option.
Basically, smaller pieces of meat will be easier and more reliable to get cooked through. Though for any slow cooking of meat, I would go for dark meat. For recipes that I cook in my Dutch oven, I like to use chicken legs rather than thighs, b/c I find they cook through more reliably (or I chop up boneless, skinless, chicken thighs, but that seems like it would violate your handling raw meat stipulations).
posted by litera scripta manet at 4:29 AM on October 11, 2023
I have a reliable meat thermometer that I use to test the doneness of the chicken.
A slow cooker or instant pot is another option.
Basically, smaller pieces of meat will be easier and more reliable to get cooked through. Though for any slow cooking of meat, I would go for dark meat. For recipes that I cook in my Dutch oven, I like to use chicken legs rather than thighs, b/c I find they cook through more reliably (or I chop up boneless, skinless, chicken thighs, but that seems like it would violate your handling raw meat stipulations).
posted by litera scripta manet at 4:29 AM on October 11, 2023
I hate touching and using raw chicken as well. I've found that I can get good and satisfying results from roasting and "one pan" recipes that require longer in the oven, so I'm more confident that the chicken has cooked through.
My main method of cooking chicken at the moment is to buy boneless chicken thighs and put them in a ziploc bag with a marinade or a brine, then just dump them from the bag into a roasting tin (I have a cast iron casserole dish I like to use) and straight in the oven for 30 - 45 mins depending on the recipe.
The marinade I use is just eyeballed ingredients: a few glugs of olive oil, black pepper, salt, a couple of bay leaves, some jerk seasoning, a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice, some cloves of garlic (skins on, flattened with the flat of a knife), rosemary and thyme. In the fridge for a few hours/overnight, always comes out delicious and juicy. Sometimes I'll cook them over some small pearl or baby potatoes, or with some leeks and onions, or just on its own in the pan.
Jamie Oliver has some good chicken thigh recipes.
Some good one pot chicken recipes you can adapt as needed.
posted by fight or flight at 4:49 AM on October 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
My main method of cooking chicken at the moment is to buy boneless chicken thighs and put them in a ziploc bag with a marinade or a brine, then just dump them from the bag into a roasting tin (I have a cast iron casserole dish I like to use) and straight in the oven for 30 - 45 mins depending on the recipe.
The marinade I use is just eyeballed ingredients: a few glugs of olive oil, black pepper, salt, a couple of bay leaves, some jerk seasoning, a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice, some cloves of garlic (skins on, flattened with the flat of a knife), rosemary and thyme. In the fridge for a few hours/overnight, always comes out delicious and juicy. Sometimes I'll cook them over some small pearl or baby potatoes, or with some leeks and onions, or just on its own in the pan.
Jamie Oliver has some good chicken thigh recipes.
Some good one pot chicken recipes you can adapt as needed.
posted by fight or flight at 4:49 AM on October 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
I don't have a crockpot or instant pot, but I would be willing to obtain one if that was the solution.
It's pretty hard to undercook chicken in an Instant Pot, and there are a ton of recipies that are essentially "dump it all in," which eliminates both having to touch the raw chicken and having to clean multiple surfaces afterwards.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 5:04 AM on October 11, 2023 [2 favorites]
It's pretty hard to undercook chicken in an Instant Pot, and there are a ton of recipies that are essentially "dump it all in," which eliminates both having to touch the raw chicken and having to clean multiple surfaces afterwards.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 5:04 AM on October 11, 2023 [2 favorites]
I see that you don't want to use an air fryer. Cool.
If that ever changes, you may read my strong feelings about air fryer chicken here.
posted by phunniemee at 6:07 AM on October 11, 2023
If that ever changes, you may read my strong feelings about air fryer chicken here.
posted by phunniemee at 6:07 AM on October 11, 2023
My partner who dislikes both cooking and handling raw meat has had success with Mark Bittman's shredded chicken recipe. The spices are geared towards tacos, but you can cook the chicken plain or adjust the spices to the taste of the recipe. You can also serve the poached chicken in other ways if you don't want to shred it.
So prep all the ingredients: water, spices, salt, etc. in the pot. Unwrap your chicken. Pick it up (tongs can be very helpful) and place it in the water. Proceed with the recipe. Wash tongs, discard chicken packaging.
We are also instant read thermometer fans. Highly recommended. You will never worry about undercooked meat again.
posted by carrioncomfort at 6:14 AM on October 11, 2023
So prep all the ingredients: water, spices, salt, etc. in the pot. Unwrap your chicken. Pick it up (tongs can be very helpful) and place it in the water. Proceed with the recipe. Wash tongs, discard chicken packaging.
We are also instant read thermometer fans. Highly recommended. You will never worry about undercooked meat again.
posted by carrioncomfort at 6:14 AM on October 11, 2023
These are my nonscientific, not exactly recipes.
There is a traditional Southern recipe for chicken and rice which, as far as I have witnessed, involves boiling an entire chicken in water in a large pot until the meat is falling off, removing the chicken, separating the meat from the bones, putting the meat back into the pot, then adding rice and cooking it until the rice is done. I like it more like briyani, but others like it more like soup.
If you want to get fancier, you can sautee mirepoix in butter/olive oil, then add the chicken and boil it in stock/broth.
If you want to make dough and cut thin strips this becomes chicken and dumplings/pastry.
I also get crazy and add bacon/smoked sausage at the beginning, but when I stray too far from tradition I get told that I am ruining things.
Alternatively, it's actually fairly difficult to overcook chicken thighs: in my grad school days I would wake up every morning, put four bone-in skin-on chicken thighs on a sheet pan, cover in salt/garlic powder/herbs de provence, put it in a cold oven set to 450 degrees and wander around the house getting ready (approx 45 mins to 1 hour) until everything had fried nicely in its own rendered fat. You can toss some brussel sprouts or root vegetables on there too, but not too many because the water ruins the frying.
posted by Comrade_robot at 6:57 AM on October 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
There is a traditional Southern recipe for chicken and rice which, as far as I have witnessed, involves boiling an entire chicken in water in a large pot until the meat is falling off, removing the chicken, separating the meat from the bones, putting the meat back into the pot, then adding rice and cooking it until the rice is done. I like it more like briyani, but others like it more like soup.
If you want to get fancier, you can sautee mirepoix in butter/olive oil, then add the chicken and boil it in stock/broth.
If you want to make dough and cut thin strips this becomes chicken and dumplings/pastry.
I also get crazy and add bacon/smoked sausage at the beginning, but when I stray too far from tradition I get told that I am ruining things.
Alternatively, it's actually fairly difficult to overcook chicken thighs: in my grad school days I would wake up every morning, put four bone-in skin-on chicken thighs on a sheet pan, cover in salt/garlic powder/herbs de provence, put it in a cold oven set to 450 degrees and wander around the house getting ready (approx 45 mins to 1 hour) until everything had fried nicely in its own rendered fat. You can toss some brussel sprouts or root vegetables on there too, but not too many because the water ruins the frying.
posted by Comrade_robot at 6:57 AM on October 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
It's pretty hard to undercook chicken in an Instant Pot, and there are a ton of recipies that are essentially "dump it all in," which eliminates both having to touch the raw chicken and having to clean multiple surfaces afterwards.
Chiming in to agree! Also if you just need some cooked chicken to throw into another recipe -- a chef salad, for instance -- with an instant pot you can throw one or more solid frozen chicken breasts/thighs into the pot directly from the freezer(!), dump a cup of water or chicken broth over it, sprinkle on some seasonings, and just set it to high pressure for 15 minutes and come out with fully cooked, tender and juicy chicken with a minimum of fuss or cleanup.
Removing the defrosting step means that I can make frozen chicken without having to remember to put some in the fridge the night before, so it's great for weeknights where planning sometimes flies out the window.
posted by Strange Interlude at 7:04 AM on October 11, 2023 [3 favorites]
Chiming in to agree! Also if you just need some cooked chicken to throw into another recipe -- a chef salad, for instance -- with an instant pot you can throw one or more solid frozen chicken breasts/thighs into the pot directly from the freezer(!), dump a cup of water or chicken broth over it, sprinkle on some seasonings, and just set it to high pressure for 15 minutes and come out with fully cooked, tender and juicy chicken with a minimum of fuss or cleanup.
Removing the defrosting step means that I can make frozen chicken without having to remember to put some in the fridge the night before, so it's great for weeknights where planning sometimes flies out the window.
posted by Strange Interlude at 7:04 AM on October 11, 2023 [3 favorites]
I buy a family sized pack of boneless chicken thighs, dump them all right into an Instant Pot, and throw away the packaging in its own bag immediately. I then wash my hands before touching the Instant Pot to put on its lid and turn it on. You could wear gloves which you bag up with the packaging so you don't even need to worry about your hands touching the sink.
I freeze the leftovers and don't need to worry about uncooked chicken for a good long time.
posted by metasarah at 7:06 AM on October 11, 2023 [3 favorites]
I freeze the leftovers and don't need to worry about uncooked chicken for a good long time.
posted by metasarah at 7:06 AM on October 11, 2023 [3 favorites]
I don't love handling or cleaning up after raw chicken either, and in my opinion, a slow cooker (Crockpot) is the answer, or at least, an answer.. Crockpots can be obtained for under $20 on Amazon, in all sorts of sizes. If you're cooking for yourself, 1.5-2 quarts, 4 qt for 2-3 people, or 5-6 quarts for a family or multiple people.
You simply buy skinless/boneless chicken thighs, and just open the package and dump it into the crockpot. Add veg if you want (ideally harder veg - carrots, potatoes, turnips, onions, etc.), spices if you want (oregano, thyme, onion powder, black pepper, etc.), possibly a bit of liquid to cover the bottom (broth, white wine, water with a little Better than Bouillon), and cook on high for around 4-5 hours, depending on how full it is. (My understanding is that chicken should cook on high in the crockpot to kill the bacteria; beef typically cooks on low.). Chicken thighs are preferable here, as they don't dry out with long cooking like chicken breasts do. (There are similar methods to cook chicken breast in the crockpot: I don't do it, so I can't advise, but if you strongly prefer chicken breasts, I'm sure Google can advise.) No touching the raw chicken, and no clean-up from raw chicken. In addition to not having to handle raw chicken, it's the easiest cooking method I'm aware of, with the lowest amount of active involvement time, and the end result is usually delicious and healthy. I use the slow cooker all the time and strongly recommend.
posted by ClaireBear at 7:15 AM on October 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
You simply buy skinless/boneless chicken thighs, and just open the package and dump it into the crockpot. Add veg if you want (ideally harder veg - carrots, potatoes, turnips, onions, etc.), spices if you want (oregano, thyme, onion powder, black pepper, etc.), possibly a bit of liquid to cover the bottom (broth, white wine, water with a little Better than Bouillon), and cook on high for around 4-5 hours, depending on how full it is. (My understanding is that chicken should cook on high in the crockpot to kill the bacteria; beef typically cooks on low.). Chicken thighs are preferable here, as they don't dry out with long cooking like chicken breasts do. (There are similar methods to cook chicken breast in the crockpot: I don't do it, so I can't advise, but if you strongly prefer chicken breasts, I'm sure Google can advise.) No touching the raw chicken, and no clean-up from raw chicken. In addition to not having to handle raw chicken, it's the easiest cooking method I'm aware of, with the lowest amount of active involvement time, and the end result is usually delicious and healthy. I use the slow cooker all the time and strongly recommend.
posted by ClaireBear at 7:15 AM on October 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
I also hate cutting/handling raw chicken and almost never do it, thanks to my instant pot. For many recipes you can dump in boneless breasts/thighs with other ingredients and never touch it again. You could use tongs to transfer them in if you don't want to touch them at all.
You can also cook whole chickens or bone-in pieces, fresh or frozen, quickly and easily without touching them any more than dumping them in the pot, and there's a large range of "safe" cooking times between undercooked and overcooked, much more than for other cooking methods. It's never come out dry for me, unlike pan-frying or roasting.
I think the instant pot or a similar electric pressure cooker is exactly what you want. A crockpot would do much of the same things too, just much slower, but if you'd have to buy either one, an instant pot is far more versatile and practical for daily meals.
posted by randomnity at 7:16 AM on October 11, 2023
You can also cook whole chickens or bone-in pieces, fresh or frozen, quickly and easily without touching them any more than dumping them in the pot, and there's a large range of "safe" cooking times between undercooked and overcooked, much more than for other cooking methods. It's never come out dry for me, unlike pan-frying or roasting.
I think the instant pot or a similar electric pressure cooker is exactly what you want. A crockpot would do much of the same things too, just much slower, but if you'd have to buy either one, an instant pot is far more versatile and practical for daily meals.
posted by randomnity at 7:16 AM on October 11, 2023
FYI, an Instant Pot is very similar to a crockpot/slow cooker. I have both. The Instant Pot has more functions (pressure cook, saute, etc.), and is also much more expensive. However unless I'm using those other functions, I strongly prefer the crockpot to slow cook things, especially for things that cook on low (beef, etc.). In my experience, the Instant Pot gets hotter than a crockpot at equivalent temperature, and the heat is less evenly distributed, leading to less tender meat. I did a one-for-one comparison at one point to prove my hunch. It's not the end of the world, and if you only want to buy one device and want the additional functions of an Instant Pot, it's not a bad pick. If you have the additional $20 and the small amount more kitchen space it requires, I think it's worth having a crockpot in addition to an Instant Pot, if you want the latter. But if you're only slow cooking, my opinion is that a crockpot will give you marginally better results.
posted by ClaireBear at 7:19 AM on October 11, 2023
posted by ClaireBear at 7:19 AM on October 11, 2023
You can buy frozen raw chicken pieces, thaw them in a bowl in the fridge for at least 18 hours (with or without marinade), and then pour the meat from the bowl into the pan. The only time you are touching the meat is in a frozen state and so there isn't any liquid to worry about.
posted by soelo at 8:31 AM on October 11, 2023
posted by soelo at 8:31 AM on October 11, 2023
I don't like handling meat either. Using gloves is great. Remove that weird giblets package from a whole chicken. Cram 2 fork-pierced lemons in the cavity. Salt and pepper the outside (and lay a few bacon slices on the bird (if even more meat is OK)). Cook on high in a crockpot 4 hours. I add garlic but really, when don't I add garlic? Anyway, after all that the meat is delicious and the carcass is ready for whatever you think best. I always make broth with it. Being in charge of the kitchen around here means that I cook food my eaters love and that I love and that I don't want to love. Even so, this is a way of handling chicken I put up with.
posted by kingless at 9:32 AM on October 11, 2023
posted by kingless at 9:32 AM on October 11, 2023
Is frozen meat less objectionable to you? The frozen tenders straight into the slow cooker/instant pot is a very low slime way of getting decent chicken. I do frozen tenders into the frying pan too, but it's a bit of a learning curve to get them cooked through.
posted by advicepig at 1:59 PM on October 11, 2023
posted by advicepig at 1:59 PM on October 11, 2023
phunniemee your linked response says chicken breasts for 20 minutes. But what temperature do you use? Also about how much does each one weigh? Do you do any kind of flattening out or literally just dump it? (I remember your post and go back to it often wondering about these details!)
posted by halehale at 5:05 AM on October 12, 2023
posted by halehale at 5:05 AM on October 12, 2023
phunniemee your linked response says chicken
I pour out the goo, then dump the chicken into the hopper and kind of jiggle it to make sure it's lying down and behaving. Season liberally. Then into the air fryer, mine doesn't have precision temp it's just a dial, but approx 375°. At 10 mins I might peek and flip with a fork and season the other side, but sometimes I forget and it's fine. 20 mins total I've never had an undercooked piece. I don't weigh anything.
If you're ever unsure you can google "'ingredient' air fryer" to get the average time and temp to aim for. Raw shrimp from frozen works great in the air fryer, too.
posted by phunniemee at 5:15 AM on October 12, 2023
I pour out the goo, then dump the chicken into the hopper and kind of jiggle it to make sure it's lying down and behaving. Season liberally. Then into the air fryer, mine doesn't have precision temp it's just a dial, but approx 375°. At 10 mins I might peek and flip with a fork and season the other side, but sometimes I forget and it's fine. 20 mins total I've never had an undercooked piece. I don't weigh anything.
If you're ever unsure you can google "'ingredient' air fryer" to get the average time and temp to aim for. Raw shrimp from frozen works great in the air fryer, too.
posted by phunniemee at 5:15 AM on October 12, 2023
Super great advice in this thread, which I greatly appreciate as someone who is also ooked out by raw chicken. After years in food service having to deal with it, I learned to rely on a quick sanitizing option—I keep a spray bottle with diluted bleach in the kitchen specifically for dealing with chicken. As recommended above, I keep all the chicken ooey on one cutting board, use one knife, and put everything in the sink and spray down with bleach immediately after handling. (I also hold my breath and make faces the whole time; not sure how much that helps contain the ick but it can’t hurt.)
posted by tinymojo at 12:32 AM on October 13, 2023
posted by tinymojo at 12:32 AM on October 13, 2023
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Javahar Polo – Jeweled rice with saffron chicken
I guarantee that after that much braising the chicken would be fully cooked but moist, and nothing would require you to touch the chicken with your hands or a cutting board, it can be accomplished entirely with tongs directly from the package to the pan.
posted by foxfirefey at 12:07 AM on October 11, 2023 [2 favorites]