Why is chicken breast so bland

I struggle with cooking chicken so much. Part of the trouble is that I work late so I mostly stick to recipes that I can cook in 30 mins or less. Usually some kind of sheet pan recipe that I can pop in the oven. Sometimes I'll cook on the stove top. I usually cook chicken thighs because they tend to stay jucier than chicken breasts, but I can't seem to season them properly. However we buy boneless chicken thighs which don't come with any skin on them, so I know I'm losing out on that tasty skin... but I've tried so many recipes and no matter what I put on my chicken it comes out tasting like nothing! I mainly make chicken because my fiance and I ate both training for running and biking events. We're tying to stay lean, so I don't use any recipes that involves smothering chicken in any kind of sauce like honey mustard or bbq sauce.

I have tried some slow cooker recipes but those also came out dry as hell. It's so frustrating because I put in so much effort into finding recipes, and cooking healthy meals and it tastes like nothing! It's hard to stay in track when all my food is so boring. What should I do?

Edit: Because everyone is bringing it up. I do use salt when I make chicken. I suppose Incould try using more, but that seems excessive. I usually start by seasoing with salt and pepper and then season with other spices. A lot of my recipes use a bit of olive oil and a blend of spices like paprika, cumin, chili pepper, garlic powder. I just want to clarify I'm not just putting plain chicken in the oven and expecting it to be delicious lol.

Hate it when chicken breasts are dry and tough? Tweak your technique to make sure your chicken stays juicy and delicious.

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Why is chicken breast so bland
Taste of Home

Cooking the perfect chicken breast is a skill many home cooks aspire to have in their culinary toolbox. Chicken is versatile and affordable–and healthy, too. (Check out all 100 of our chicken breast recipes.) But chicken that’s dried out and tough? No, thank you!

To help make sure you get a moist and always-delicious chicken breast, avoid these seven kitchen mistakes.

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Why is chicken breast so bland
Shutterstock / Bon Appetit

Mistake #1: Starting with skinless breasts

A lot of us go straight for the boneless, skinless fillets at the meat counter. It makes sense–they’re easy to work with, and we’ve all heard that the skin is unhealthy. But keeping the skin on while it’s cooking helps keep the chicken moist. (You can always take it off before you dig in.)

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Why is chicken breast so bland
Shutterstock / Fredograf

Mistake #2: Not marinating or brining the meat

Chicken breasts can be dry. After all, they’re not as fatty as other parts of the bird. But a marinade, brine or rub goes a long way in adding flavor to the meat and keeping it moist. If you’re going for simple, that’s OK–a basic salt and pepper rub is just fine.

Want to get a little creative? Try a Grilled Basil Chicken or this not-so-basic Paprika Dry Rub recipe.

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Why is chicken breast so bland
Shutterstock / napocska

Mistake #3: Not pounding out the meat

Pounding chicken breasts helps tenderize the meat. With your strength (and the force of a trusty meat tenderizer), you start to break down the proteins in the meat. Plus, with thinner breasts, you reduce the amount of time it takes to cook the breasts all the way through. This is helpful because we often end up overcooking it!

Here’s our best advice for flattening chicken breasts.

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Why is chicken breast so bland
Shutterstock / Anetlanda

Mistake #4: Not pounding the breasts out to an even thickness

If you’re cooking more than one chicken breast, you’ll benefit from making sure the breasts are all the same thickness. If they’re not, you’ll likely have a hard time getting them all to the proper internal temperature (165° F) without drying out a few.

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Why is chicken breast so bland
Kit Leong/Shutterstock

Mistake #5: Cooking chicken for too long

Nobody likes a medium-rare chicken breast–or salmonella. But an overcooked chicken breast is tough and unpleasant to eat. Recipes offer good guidelines for cooking, but until you’ve practiced enough, it can be hard to know when you’ve cooked the chicken through.

Let a meat thermometer help. Lots of cooks advise cooking chicken until it reaches an internal temperature of 160° F, assured that it will rise to 165° while it rests.

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Why is chicken breast so bland
Shutterstock / MaraZe

Mistake #6: Not letting the meat rest

If you’ve ever pulled a piece of meat out of the oven or off the grill and cut into it right away, you’ve probably noticed the juices running onto your plate. That is juicy goodness that you’d probably rather savor in the meat! So, tent some foil over your chicken after it cooks and let it rest on the countertop for 10 minutes before serving.

Originally Published: June 14, 2018

Why does chicken breast taste so bland?

One idea is that chicken is seen as having a bland taste compared to other meats because fat contributes more flavor than muscle (especially in the case of a lean cut such as a skinless chicken breast), making it a generic choice for comparison.

How do you make chicken breast less bland?

5 Easy Ways to Make Chicken Breast More Interesting.
Ways to Cook Chicken Breast..
Brine them before cooking..
Marinate them with something delicious..
Use a spice mix or dry rub to flavor..
Glaze them while cooking..
Top with a tasty sauce..

Why does chicken breast have no flavor?

Chicken breast is a great ingredient to use any night of the week. But because both the chicken bone and skin has already been removed, it can often lack flavour when cooked.

Why is chicken so tasteless now?

Flavor compounds in the food birds eat find their way into bird tissue. Scientists refer to this as biodistribution — it's the same reason a dairy cow that eats onion grass produces milk that tastes like onions. And the food we feed chickens today has no flavor at all.