Chicken breasts instead of thighs? Slknight, help!

[SusanL]

I tend to stay away from recipes that have thighs in them, as my DH hates them. If you want to substitute breasts, how do you adjust the time and the temperature? I don't remember a thread on this. The chicken barley recipe looked great and has been recommended but I didn't want to risk the chicken breasts becoming dry or tough. TIA!!

[slknight]

Hmmm. When I made the chicken barley the other night I said I thought the chicken seemed a bit dry, but my husband said he liked it. Maybe I'm not the best person for this advice!

What I've done with this one is cut the chicken into pieces so the breasts aren't too large. It says to cook the chicken for a minute or two at the beginning. It's important not to overcook it then because it's going to simmer for a long time. I think the reason you have to cook everything in this one for so long (55 minutes or something like that) is to cook the barley. Barley is very slow to cook, but I recently found "quick" barley which I think is 15 to 20 minutes. Anyway, although I thought the chicken was dry the other night, it really wasn't too bad. It is simmering in tomatoes and chicken broth so that helps keep it moist.

I don't think I've tried substituting chicken breast in any other recipes, so I can only offer my advice on the chicken and barley. It is a really good recipe though, so I would try it out.

[LSB]

I always substitute chicken breasts for thighs as I don't like dark meat either. I just cook them a little less time I think. I never pay that much attention! If you think the chicken might be getting too well done but the sauce needs more time, you can always remove the chicken and add it just before serving to warm it up.

[lsdesign]

Just last night I substituted breasts for thighs for the Chicken Mole 30 min. meal from the latest CL. I only cooked it for 1/2 the time in the micro. The green beans were a little more crunchy than we liked but the kids ate it up! I was so surprised as it had chili powder and other such things. I didn't think it was that great but it is a repeater in this house.