How to boil chicken tenders (+3 simple steps)
In this brief guide we will answer the question, “How to boil chicken tenders?” as well as other questions pertaining to the subject at hand like how to make your own chicken tenders and the tips for boiling.
How to boil chicken tenders
Chicken tenders or chicken strips are a good option to use in a wide variety of dishes. You can use them in pizzas, rolls and whatnot. Here is a step by step guide to boil chicken tenders.
- Take a large pot and fill it with water. Add chicken tenders to the base. You can add one layer on top of another, but make sure that you put enough water to completely submerge them as well.
- Start heating the pot and allow it to boil. Once the water has reached a boil, turn down the heat source and let it simmer for 10 minutes.
- Your tendons are done when the internal temperature of the thickest part is 165F or above. To prevent them from overboiling, check the internal temperature after five minutes.
How to make your own chicken tenders
To make your own chicken tendons, simply boil chicken breasts in a large pot. When the chicken breasts are done (usually take about 30-40 minutes overall) shred them with the help of forks. Do not shred them completely because it will result in small sized tendons or chicken fingers.
Some chefs recommend using your hands to shred the chicken, but I would advise otherwise. This is because our hands contain a lot of bacteria and carelessness may result in serious illnesses.
If at all you want to use your hands to shred chicken breasts, make sure you wash them for 20 seconds with soap. After your hands are clean, you should not touch any utensil and just get shredding! Avoid touching your face and clothes while shredding, this will result in contamination. Moreover, cool down the chicken breasts for 10 minutes so you can use your hands, otherwise it is going to be too hot and you may burn your hands.
Boiling Hacks (Tips for boiling)
If you cook regularly, knowing when and how to boil is an essential part of your cooking regime. Boiling is a quick way to clean and disinfect food items. Not to mention that it retains original flavour while also eliminating the harmful microorganisms that may be inhabiting your food product.
Boiling is a moist-heat cooking method when the temperature of the liquid reaches 212F. The food product is completely submerged in water for even heat distribution. It is an explosive phase change between liquid state and a gas state.
It is one of the safest and most reliable methods for cooking till date, and a lot of health professionals recommend boiling water before using it. Here are some tips that will facilitate you in boiling any food product.
Use a food thermometer.
Well, this is the oldest trick in the book. When boiling any particular food product, you need to make sure that the temperature is neither too low nor too high. A quick and effective way to solve this problem is by using a food thermometer. A temperature of 212F is just right for you to boil any food product. But wait! Shouldn’t the temperature be different for different food products? Well, not really.
Since the technique in itself revolves around the use of water, and you are using that heat to boil your food product, it remains pretty much the same for all food items. Of course, there can be minor changes in the temperature range, but 212F is a benchmark.
Use salt for quick boiling
The reason you should use salt is because salt actually lowers the boiling point of water, which in turns speeds up your boiling process. It does add some salty taste to your dish, and most of the dishes use salt inevitably. So it is not really a problem unless you don’t like salt or have hypertension
It is important to note that you should not unnecessarily add salt to shorten your boiling time when it comes to chicken, because adding extra salt will harden the surface of the chicken and it will not be as tender as it can be without the addition of salt.
Use pots reasonably
Boiling involves cooking in water, therefore you need to know when to use which pot. This actually saves you a lot of time because if you are just boiling an egg in 1 litre of water, you are just using more water than needed. Moreover, it will require more time to reach the boil.
When boiling, make sure that your pots can be covered – avoid using pans. Using deeper pots actually help to keep the food submerged properly and evenly distribute the heat. Afterall, it is the water that is cooking!
Other facts about boiling
On top of it being the best way to cook food, boiling actually concentrates the flavour of your food. It also allows you to cook a large amount of food with ease. Although some nutrients leach out in the water that is used in boiling, boiling does not affect the nutritional status of the food product. Just use the water that you boiled in along with the dish and you will not lose any nutrients while cooking!
Find out How long are chicken strips good for in the fridge.
Other FAQs about Chicken that you may be interested in.
How much meat is on a rotisserie chicken?
How long will unrefrigerated chicken broth be good?
Can you get botulism from a chicken broth?
Conclusion
In this brief guide we have addressed the question, “How to boil chicken tenders?” as well as other questions pertaining to the subject at hand like how to make your own chicken tenders and the tips for boiling.
References
https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/a22826207/how-to-boil-chicken/
https://www.wellplated.com/how-to-cook-shredded-chicken/
