Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are perfect for fresh green toss salad, creamy comfy chicken salad, chicken Caesar salad, or rice & noodles dishes such as fried rice and ramen noodles.
There are only common issues- They are often overcooked until dry and chewy.
In Japanese home cooking recipes, we often make tender moist chicken breasts using the low-temperature slow-cooking method.
Another key is marinating with sugar and salt overnight to help the chicken breast tender and moist.
Commonly, we cook the chicken breast in boiling water for a few minutes and then continue cooking the meat in the boiled water without heat on.
However, it can’t be said “really safe”, so I found a safer way to the cook-use an instant pot.
I’ll tell you two ways to make tender moist chicken breast with Instant pot for those who have patience and not. LOL.
- Marinate The Chicken Breast With Sugar And Salt
- Seasoning The Chicken Breast
- Storage
- Make Tender Moist Chicken Breast With Pressure Cook
- Make Tender Moist Chicken Breast With “Sous Vide”
- Pressure Cooking VS Sous Vide Cooking
- What You Should Do If The Chicken Is Undercooked
- How To Make Tender Moist Chicken Breast With Instant Pot
- Top Tender Moist Chicken Breast With Japanese Instant Noodles
- Tender Moist Chicken Breast With Japanese Instant Noodles For Weeknight Dinner
- Easy 10-minute-Chicken Breast Chashu with Tender moist rolled chicken
- Make A Unique Sandwich With Leftovers
Marinate The Chicken Breast With Sugar And Salt
The only you need to remember is to marinate the meat with sugar and salt overnight.
Sugar keeps moisture and it also makes the solidification of protein slow, which helps to prevent the chicken breast to dry and being chewy.
I tried several ways to make the chicken breast tender and moist-and this way (marinating with sugar and salt) is the best way for this recipe.
Also, using the baking powder solution and marinating with Shio-koji work.
Comparing the sugar marinating with the baking powder solution, the sugar marinating is easier, this is the only difference. (in my opinion.)
When marinating the meat with Shio-koji (or lemon koji), avoid marinating it overnight.
The meat will be salty and tend to dry for this recipe in my experience.
Seasoning The Chicken Breast
I generally season the meat with salt and pepper alone. A simple chicken breast can be used on top of salads, rice & noodle dishes, in most international cuisine from Japanese, Italian, and Mexican to American.
But you can season the breasts how you like-season with garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasonings, or Taco seasoning mix.
Storage
This chicken breast can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months.
Make Tender Moist Chicken Breast With Pressure Cook
The appealing point to using pressure cook mode on Instant pot is, of course, the cooking time will be done shortly.
You can also use a pressure cooker instead of the Instant pot.
I cook the chicken breast wrapped with plastic in a freezer bag, however, I understand you’ll be concerned about it.
If you don’t want to use a freezer bag while cooking, wrap the meat with aluminum foil over the plastic wrap.
- Set “Pressure Cook” mode, high.
- Set the time at 6 minutes.
- Once it’s done cooking, wait for the pressure to go down naturally. (about 20-40 minutes.)
- Open the lid, and continue cooking the meat until the water gets cool down.
Adjust your cooking time when you like to add more tender chicken breasts. (Cook longer.)
Make Tender Moist Chicken Breast With “Sous Vide”
When having an Instant pot or a Sous Vide cooker, we can safely cook the meat at home without checking the temperature all the time.
To use the “Sous Vide” mode/ cooker, be sure the temperature is at least 145F and cook for at least 30 minutes.
In this recipe, set the temperature at 145F for 2 hours. You may need to cook the meat more depending on the size of the meat.
- Select “Sous Vide” mode on the instant pot, and set the temperature at 145F.
- Cook the chicken breast for 2 hours after the temperature is set.
- Open the lid, and continue cooking the meat until the water gets cool down.
Pressure Cooking VS Sous Vide Cooking
So, which cooking method is better?- Pressure cook or Sous Vide cooking.
Chicken breast cooked in both ways, it comes out “tender” and “moist” without a doubt.
The breast in presser cooking looks dry and chewy, but it is not.
However, as time passes, I mean, leave the meat in a fridge for a few days, and the breast in pressure cooking will be dry.
Yet, the cooking time attracts you enough-6 minutes VS 2 hours.
Contrary, chicken breast cooked in the SOUS VIDE method is as moist and tender as looks.
You can enjoy the tender moist meat under proper storing which is wrapping the meat in plastic wrap, then, putting it in a bag.
Therefore, there is no difference if you will use the meat up in the day.
What You Should Do If The Chicken Is Undercooked
Checking the internal temperature of the cooked chicken breast is the way to be sure whether it is properly cooked, however, what you can do in pressure cooking and sous vide cooking?
Another way to tell if chicken breast is undercooked is by checking the color. If you see any pink or red in the center, it’ll need additional cooking time.
If you’re not sure, sear sliced chicken before serving or it’ll be cooked by microwaving.
How To Make Tender Moist Chicken Breast With Instant Pot
Equipment
- 1 instant pot *Or Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 boneless skinless Chicken breast
- 1 tbsp Sugar
- 1 TSP salt
- water
For Season Chicken Breast
- salt & pepper
- garlic powder *optional
- Italian seasonings *optional
Instructions
Prepare The Chicken
- Butterfly the breast to flatten (making the even thickness). Pierce the meat as much as you can with a fork.
- Rub the meat with sugar first, then, sprinkle salt, and rub.
- Season the chicken breast as you like. For example, with garlic powder, onion powder, or Italian seasonings.
- Marinate the chicken breast overnight.
- Optionally, make the chicken breast rolled. If you want to skip the step, put the breast in a bag and store them in a fridge overnight.
- First, place the rolled meat on plastic wrap. Wrap it tightly. Hold each edge, then pull the meat while rolling on a counter. (Gently press the sides to the center to make the meat a nice round shape if possible.) Repeat until the wrap is tight. Tie the edge with rubber bands. Place the roll in a bag, and store them in a fridge overnight.
Use "Pressure Cook" Mode
- Place a steam rack or a plate in the inner pot.
- Place the chicken breast on the rack.*I cook the meat in the bag, but, remove the meat and wrap it with aluminum foil if concerned.
- Cover the meat with water. Place a small plate on the meat to prevent it from floating.
- Press "Pressure Cook", high, for 6 minutes, then "natural release".Open the lid and let the meat cook in the hot water until the water gets cool.
Use "Sous Vide" Mode
- Press "Sous Vide", and set the temperature at 145 °F. Cook the meat for 2 hours and turn off the mode. Open the lid and let the meat cook in the hot water until the water gets cool.
- Make sure there is no pink in the middle of the chicken breasts. You can use a meat thermometer to check-should be at least 165°F. Slice and eat.
- *To slice the rolled chicken breast, it is better to refrigerate it for hours so that it's easy to slice without falling apart.
Video
Notes
Top Tender Moist Chicken Breast With Japanese Instant Noodles
As the name suggests, NISSIN RAOH is the king of (instant) ramen.
I remember that I was so impressed when I had RAOH for the first time.
It was not like instant noodles, (as the first product of RAOH was the cup noodles) with its fresh texture and high-quality savory soup.
RAOH has been never stopping to develop new flavors and to improve the noodle and soup quality.
These non-fried noodles provide a fresh texture like regular noodles (maybe more than that?!) and authentic ramen soup without salty and chemical flavor.
NISSIN RAOH is the perfect weeknight dinner at home when you are craving authentic Japanese ramen noodles.
Tender Moist Chicken Breast With Japanese Instant Noodles For Weeknight Dinner
Ingredients
- 1 package NISSIN RAOH
- 2 cups water
- 4 slices Tender moist chicken breast *see the post
- 1 soft-boiled egg
- 2 Nori seaweed
Instructions
- Gather Ingredients.NISSIN RAOH (TONKOTSU)NISSIN RAOH (MISO)NISSIN RAOH (SOY SAUCE)How to make perfectly soft-boiled eggs every time.
- In a small pot, bring the water to a boil.
- Meanwhile, squeeze the base for the soup from a packet into a bowl.
- Remove the noodles from the package, and cook the noodles for 4 minutes in boiling water. Stir the noodles occasionally to loosen.
- Add the half boiled water and combine the base and water for the soup.
- Add the rest of the water and the noodles.
- Top with chicken breast, the soft-boiled egg, and Nori seaweed. Garnish with minced scallions or chives.
- Try this homemade Layu for adding spicy hotness.
Video
You Can Make Chashu Chicken In 30 Minutes
Easy 10-minute-Chicken Breast Chashu with Tender moist rolled chicken
Ingredients
- 1 tender moist rolled chicken breast *see the post
- ½ cup Yakiniku sauce
Instructions
- Gather Ingredients. Make tender moist rolled chicken breast in this post. Make homemade Yakiniku sauce in this post or use a store-bought Yakiniku sauce.
- In a bag, add the rolled chicken breast and Yakiniku sauce. Remove excess air out and seal tightly. *You can marinate the whole rolled chicken or sliced chicken breasts. The sauce will quickly penetrate when the chicken breast is sliced.
- Marinate the meat for about 10 minutes. Rotate the meat occasionally. Since the rolled chicken easily falls apart and dries, avoid marinating the meat for over 30 minutes.
- Use easy chicken breast for ramen, instant noodles, sandwiches, fried rice, and more.
Notes
Make A Unique Sandwich With Leftovers
How To Make Healthy Rice Buns Without Falling Apart: Non-oil, Non-Sugar
To make a beautiful “bun”, the best way is to use a round mold, but, you can still use a round cookie cutter, a plastic container (which I use), or a ramekin. Adding starch to the warm rice is the secret key to how the rice can hold together firmly. Enjoy the crispy light-browned rice buns.
