This is my fool-proof method to cook chicken breasts for use in other recipes, which results in perfectly cooked, moist and tender chicken breasts each time. Its something which I started doing when I worked at the Manor. The microwave is perfect for cooking them and cooks them quickly and perfectly and its such an easy method to use.
You simply put your chicken breasts into a micro-wave safe dish, thick ends at the outside, smaller ends towards the middle . . . season them as you desire, add a small amount of liquid . . .
Cover them and then microwave on high for a specific time. You can also use plastic cling film if you want, or even greaseproof paper. All work well. If you are using plastic cling film, leave a corner open for venting.
They come out perfectly cooked and ready for other uses. I like to check the internal temperature just to make sure they are cooked through properly with a meat thermometer.
*Microwave Poached Chicken Breasts*Printable Recipe
Two tasty ways to poach chicken breasts in the microwave. Both work very well, giving you delicious and succulent cooked chicken ready to use in a multitude of chicken casseroles, etc.
Method One:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 T chicken broth, white wine, citrus juice or water
Trim the chicken breasts; place in a microwave-safe 9-inch glass pie plate, and arrange them with the thicker portions toward the outside of the dish. Drizzle with the chicken broth. Cover with microwave-safe plastic wrap. Make a vent for the dish by turning a small section of plastic wrap back on itself, leaving a slender vent on one side of the plate. Microwave on high for 6 to 8 minutes, turning after 4 minutes. Let stand covered until ready to serve.
Method Two:
60ml orange juice (1/4 cup)
2 TBS butter
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
In an 8 x 8 inch microwave safe baking dish, mix orange juice, butter, pepper and salt. Microwave on high for 2 minutes. Place chicken in baking dish. Spoon liquid mixture over chicken and cover dish with wax paper. Microwave on high for 12 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
You can of course use other seasonings and liquids. The secret is to have the tight cover so the juices do not evaporate in cooking.
Todd and I have been in the market for a new microwave for a while now. The microwave we had been using was not working as well as it should. We'd had it for about 8 or 9 years, so a new one was really long overdue. I was contacted by AO.Com a week or so ago and asked if I would like to review some appliances for them. Since we were in the market for a new microwave and one of the items being offered was a microwave I decided to go for it!
The Pansonic 23 Litre Inverter Microwave uses inverter technology for fast, even and tasty cooking. Its compact size makes it perfect for small households and kitchens. Our kitchen is very tiny and space is at a premium. To be honest, our old microwave was far too large for the size of our kitchen. We had purchased it when we were living in a huge country cottage. I had been bemoaning that fact for months. This one is perfectly sized fits just beautifully into our space. It came with a handy instruction book that I found very easy to understand. Within no time at all, I had the clock programmed and was ready to use it.
I comes with a removable washable glass turntable and a eco-efficient bright light, which enables you to see clearly into the microwave while it is operating. That's a big plus for me. I want to be able to keep an eye on things.
1000 watt inverter technology means that is is stronger and reheats things faster. It is also able to defrost things more evenly with its handy defrost feature.
It has a variety of auto-cook programmes designed to prepare a variety of meals at the touch of a button. It also features a built in locking system to keep children from messing things up. Pressing the "Start" button three times within a 10 second period, renders the oven controls inoperable, although you will still be able to open the door. Pressing Stop/Cancel three times cancels the child lock. This is a great feature for anyone with young children!
The auto Reheat, Cook and Chaos/Defrost program details are also printed, easy to read, and placed at the top edge of the microwave inside the door.
I've been using it all week for all sorts and am very happy with the variety of programs available to use, as well as with with the performance of this microwave. We like it very much. Two thumbs up!
Thank you very much to AO for sending it to us. To find our more about cost, etc do feel free to check this out on the AO Page. Delivery can be as soon as tomorrow, finance is available and they will even get rid of your old microwave.
Disclaimer - Although I was sent the microwave free of charge for review purposes, I was in no way required to write a positive review of either the microwave or AO. Any and all opinions are honest and my own.