How to prevent chicken from becoming tough? 3 recommendations from kiwilimón chefs

Tinga, stew, tacos, rolls, or stuffed, knowing how to prevent chicken from becoming tough is important because this protein is one of the most common in Mexican kitchens and perhaps even in the world.Thanks to its versatility, flavor, yield, and sometimes even price, chicken is the meat we use the most when cooking, but it's easy to mismanage its cooking, resulting in a dry and tough chicken breast.Cooking breasts properly ranges from knowing that chicken should not be washed, to ensuring it is cooked thoroughly to avoid any bacteria that raw meat may have, but also knowing when to stop cooking so that it doesn’t end up dry and tough. So, to master the art of cooking chicken, here are tips from kiwilimón chefs.3 recommendations to prevent chicken from becoming toughThese tips to ensure chicken doesn't turn out tough are from kiwilimón chefs Brenda Villagómez, Yamilette González, and Alexandra Romero, so they will undoubtedly help you achieve flavorful and juicy chicken.To ensure breasts remain tender when boiling, always start cooking them in liquid at room temperature; that is, do not boil the water first and then add the chicken, as you would with pasta, for example.Cooking them starting from room temperature liquid and allowing both water and chicken to boil together will help the breasts gradually progress in cooking and seal on the outside to keep their juiciness. To check if they are ready, simply insert a knife and make sure the white color is even and no blood comes out of the breast.When you want to grill or bake thick breasts, there are two essential tips: the first is to marinate the chicken piece with lemon or milk, as they contain enzymes that can break down protein and tenderize the meat.Fat is also a great option to achieve this, as it moistens the protein during cooking; therefore, when grilling or roasting chicken, you can occasionally brush it with oil to keep the meat moist, or spread butter between the skin and the meat to help soften it. You can use a mixed cooking method, especially for baked chickens and you have two options: first, sear the breast to ensure that the juices do not escape (this will be the first cooking). Then take it to the oven (the second cooking) in a tray with a bit of liquid that your recipe calls for, which can be citrus juices or fruits, wines, or broths; remember to cover it.You can also take the breast directly to the oven without any liquid in the tray, but with a container of water inside the oven, as this helps keep it moist with the steam generated, and in fact, it will also have two cookings: one with steam and another with hot air.Finally, as extra recommendations to prevent chicken from becoming tough, you can always use a meat tenderizer like those sold in supermarkets, and remember that while cooking, it is necessary to cover the breast very well for at least 80 percent of its cooking process to ensure that the liquid it already has does not evaporate; the other 20 percent can cook uncovered to allow the meat to develop a golden crust.