Help - "Cooked" Chkn for casseroles and such

[Jennifer D]

This is an idiotic question - I apologize in advance, but I haven't made anything with "precooked" chicken in a very long time (e.g. casseroles and such), and hope to do so tonight

So what's the drill?? Something like: put the chicken in a pan/skillet with a cup (more, less?) of water, bring to a boil, cover and simmer 15 minutes (longer/shorter??)???

Am I in the ballpark???

Again - sorry, I know it's a dumb question.

[goldilocks]

Jennifer,

You have several options to obtain cooked chicken for casseroles. You can put the chicken on a pan and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10-15 minutes. Chicken will be done when it is white and no longer pink. Also you can poach on the stovetop. Put chicken in a pan (like a shallow frying pan)just cover with water and simmer until done, 10-15 minutes. Just watch it and you'll know when it's done. Then you can shred or cube for your recipe. Another thing I do sometimes is buy a rotsserie chicken at the store and use that. Also, wholesale clubs such as costco carry roasted pieces of chicken for salads, casseroles. These can be frozen and defrosted too. Hope these ideas help you.

[JulieAnn]

I don't know if you should or not, but I just defrost the chicken in the fridge then microwave it 4-7 minutes until done. I only use one plate that way and it's really quick. Before I worried that it would be less tender than boiling, but think it's the same.

[Gail]

Yet another (granted not as fast) option is to make chicken soup at the same time which you can always freeze and use later or in recipes. Typically, I'll use about three breasts with bone put in a soup kettle about 1/2 to 2/3 filled with water, toss in about half an onion (no need to slice), a carrot or two (no need to do anything other than wash the dirt off first), a celery stalk, a clove of garlic, salt, about 10 peppercorns and a bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and leave the chicken in for about 45 minutes, then remove it for whatever use. Crank up the heat and toss in a bouillion cube for a bit more body, and boil the stock down about another hour.

...just another thought, possibly for another time. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[luv2cook]

I personally throw my chix in the crockpot with onion, garlic, spices, sometimes a bay leaf and just cook all day and then cook and cut and freeze. Whenever I want to make pizza or a cass., there it is, ready to go

[Tiger]

I find using the microwave the easiest,fastest, and least dishes used way of pre-cooking chicken.

[Gail]

Although I've already used up my two-cents worth, I'm going to take out a loan on next time by mentioning something else you probably don't care about. As it happened, I made a sinful-but-delicious chicken dish last night which left me with some uncooked chicken parts. Feeling too lazy at a late hour to do much of anything with them, I merely threw them into a pot, covered with water, brought to a boil, then steamed for a while. And while the results were juicy, I've gotten so used to using carrots, onion, celery, etc with my chicken in the above method, I was blown away by how bland the chicken tastes the other way. Sure, it's subtle flavoring boiling or steaming with the veggies, but it does make for a more flavorful chicken all-around. So whether you pre-steam, boil, or nuke-- my suggestion to you might be to throw in some manner of other ingredients to give your chicken a bit more character.

My. That was a great deal more than two cents, wasn't it? http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif

[SHERRY]

My favorite way to cook chicken for casseroles is to pam a pan, season the chicken breast and roast it at 450º for 5 min then turn over and roast till done. Seals in the juices, it is not diluted with water, it's seasoned, and is tender and fast. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[TamiK]

I also bake my chicken breasts when I need cooked chicken for a recipe. I just coat with cooking spray, sprinkle with seasoned salt, and pop them in the oven at 350 until they're done. Sometimes I make several and freeze the cooked meat to have on hand. Much better than the "brand-name" precooked chicken.

[digginsjr]

I don't like boiling chicken in plain water, because it tastes so bland. If boiling add some herbs and spice to the water to give it some flavor, or try some white wine.

[Lynn B]

Wow! Those are some GREAT ideas to cook that chicken! I will try some of them!

What I often do is cook MORE chicken than I need for a particular recipe. Then I shred or cube it, and freeze it! (Either in Tupperware or freezer bags). Then next time, when you need some -- voila' !!! There it is -- just defrost and use!

Lynn