Anyone know any butchers?

[e.rose]

I was trying to go to bed "early" (for me anyway) last night, and I found that I couldn't sleep because my brain was going 20,000MPH. And THEN I realized that I REAAAAAAAAAAALLY wanted a Chicken Cheese Steak... like REALLY wanted one, haha. So I spent half the night looking up recipes and deciding how I wanted to do it. This morning I woke up to the suggestion on FB that I could just walk up to the butcher's counter in the grocery store and ask them to cut me some chicken steaks... but then I Googled (because I'm trying to have all my bases covered) "Where can I buy chicken steaks?" and it seems like no one else in the world knows what that is. So here is my question to anyone who knows or knows anyone who would know: Is there such think as a cut of chicken called "Chicken Steak" or should I just walk up to the counter, explain to them what I'm trying to do and ask them to cut me really thin slabs of boneless chicken?​ Haha... I just don't want to walk up to the counter, ask for a cut of "Chicken Steak" and be looked at like I have 20,000 heads, haha.

 

[Rephargotohp]

No, you may find chicken tenders which are just thinly sliced boneless chicken breast.
But if you really want more flavor and less dry chicken in your Cheesesteak, Buy boneless chicken thighs. And freeze the meat first and while frozen you can thinly slice the meat for your Cheese steak so it cooks quickly

 

[shootermcgavin]

I think you may be going over board. Just go get some chicken breasts.

 

[e.rose]

No, you may find chicken tenders which are just thinly sliced boneless chicken breast.
But if you really want more flavor and less dry chicken in your Cheesesteak, Buy boneless chicken thighs. And freeze the meat first and while frozen you can thinly slice the meat for your Cheese steak so it cooks quickly

Okay, cool. Thanks! :sillysmi:

 

[Big Mike]

And THEN I realized that I REAAAAAAAAAAALLY wanted a Chicken Cheese Steak... like REALLY wanted one,

Congrats. When are you due?

 

[CCericola]

Roast a whole chicken. Shred it off the bone then all you are doing is reheating it on the grill with your fried onions etc... Taste is MUCH better because it was initially cooked on the bone. Cooking raw thin chicken will just give you dry tasteless chicken.

 

[e.rose]

And THEN I realized that I REAAAAAAAAAAALLY wanted a Chicken Cheese Steak... like REALLY wanted one,

Congrats. When are you due?

Not funny. :greenpbl:

Women can be sick without having morning sickness, and women can crave food without being pregnant.

Roast a whole chicken. Shred it off the bone then all you are doing is reheating it on the grill with your fried onions etc... Taste is MUCH better because it was initially cooked on the bone. Cooking raw thin chicken will just give you dry tasteless chicken.

Perhaps I will give this a try :sillysmi:

 

[Derrel]

To make chicken good, you need to do what real poultry chefs do: brine the chicken in saltwater and spices for 1 to 2 days' time. I cook a lot of chicken, and I brine it. There is no "steak" cut on a chicken. The breast is obviously the largest piece, and it can be cut into "a steak" if you want to. The thick end of the breast can also be cut cross-wise and made into three almost equally-thick pieces, and then the thinner, pointed end cut once to make two thin, elongated triangular-shaped pieces.

If you cook chicken and it is dry, and tasteless, you are not brining it and or you are not cooking it properly. The easiest way to cook thin-cut pieces is deep frying in hot oil, with a batter on the outside of the chicken. You can remove the coating if you do not want to eat it, and will have very moist chicken that has had the liquids kept in side during the cooking process, which takes only about 3 minutes when submerged in oil, as contrasted with pan-frying, sauteeing, or southern frying.

If you want good chicken breast strips or chunks, poke holes in both sides of boneless, skinless breast meat with a sharp, pointy-tined fork, such as some of the Japanese-made ones, or use a multi-tined ice-chipper, if you know what that is. Then, brine the chicken in a saline solution of about 1 part sea salt to 32 parts water...i.e. 1 ounce salt, a quart of water. Add to that 10 shakes Worchestershire sauce, 15-20 shakes garlic powder, 2 teaspoons chili powder, and 1.5 tablespoons ground black pepper. This will brine about 15 whole chicken breasts, in two separate non-reactive (i.e. enamelled crocks or plastic/poly tubs, or stainless steel--no aluminum!). After brining, drop pieces into a mixture of beaten egg, garlic powder,and half and half: this is the "egg wash". Drain each piece for 5 seconds or so, then drop it into seasoned flour (flour,garlic powder,pepper, chili powder, maybe some ranch seasoning mix if you like that). "Shake" the flour over each piece, then lift it out with a knife or fork and set it onto a floured plate or some waxed paper. Allow the chicken to come up to room temp for best cooking. Deep-fat fry in small batches, 3 breast strips for 3 mins, or 4 for 4 mins. A "whole", uncut-breast is too thick at one end and too thin at the other end to cook evenly. if you like extra-crispy, after the initial egg wash and flouring, re-dip in egg and re-flour. Fresh, clean,new seasoned flour makes an even coating; when you do a batch of say 25 strips, the remaining flour will have clumps in it from the initial egg wash bits that drip off. It is THOSE BITS that create that "extra-crispy, extra-crunchy" coating so many people like on things like popcorn chicken, so one needs to begin the flour process with an ample quantity of fresh, new, seasoned flour so as to have enough left over for the second round of egg wash and flour-dredging!

You can use other egg washes for different flavors: eggs, buttermilk, and Ranch dressing mix is an awful lot like "the old officer's chicken"...and brining the chicken in salt and buttermilk for 2 days beforehand is a wonderful way to make that flavor come through.

Enjoy...Derrel...amateur chef...

 

[e.rose]

To make chicken good, you need to do what real poultry chefs do: brine the chicken in saltwater and spices for 1 to 2 days' time. I cook a lot of chicken, and I brine it. There is no "steak" cut on a chicken. The breast is obviously the largest piece, and it can be cut into "a steak" if you want to. The thick end of the breast can also be cut cross-wise and made into three almost equally-thick pieces, and then the thinner, pointed end cut once to make two thin, elongated triangular-shaped pieces.

If you cook chicken and it is dry, and tasteless, you are not brining it and or you are not cooking it properly. The easiest way to cook thin-cut pieces is deep frying in hot oil, with a batter on the outside of the chicken. You can remove the coating if you do not want to eat it, and will have very moist chicken that has had the liquids kept in side during the cooking process, which takes only about 3 minutes when submerged in oil, as contrasted with pan-frying, sauteeing, or southern frying.

If you want good chicken breast strips or chunks, poke holes in both sides of boneless, skinless breast meat with a sharp, pointy-tined fork, such as some of the Japanese-made ones, or use a multi-tined ice-chipper, if you know what that is. Then, brine the chicken in a saline solution of about 1 part sea salt to 32 parts water...i.e. 1 ounce salt, a quart of water. Add to that 10 shakes Worchestershire sauce, 15-20 shakes garlic powder, 2 teaspoons chili powder, and 1.5 tablespoons ground black pepper. This will brine about 15 whole chicken breasts, in two separate non-reactive (i.e. enamelled crocks or plastic/poly tubs, or stainless steel--no aluminum!). After brining, drop pieces into a mixture of beaten egg, garlic powder,and half and half: this is the "egg wash". Drain each piece for 5 seconds or so, then drop it into seasoned flour (flour,garlic powder,pepper, chili powder, maybe some ranch seasoning mix if you like that). "Shake" the flour over each piece, then lift it out with a knife or fork and set it onto a floured plate or some waxed paper. Allow the chicken to come up to room temp for best cooking. Deep-fat fry in small batches, 3 breast strips for 3 mins, or 4 for 4 mins. A "whole", uncut-breast is too thick at one end and too thin at the other end to cook evenly. if you like extra-crispy, after the initial egg wash and flouring, re-dip in egg and re-flour. Fresh, clean,new seasoned flour makes an even coating; when you do a batch of say 25 strips, the remaining flour will have clumps in it from the initial egg wash bits that drip off. It is THOSE BITS that create that "extra-crispy, extra-crunchy" coating so many people like on things like popcorn chicken, so one needs to begin the flour process with an ample quantity of fresh, new, seasoned flour so as to have enough left over for the second round of egg wash and flour-dredging!

You can use other egg washes for different flavors: eggs, buttermilk, and Ranch dressing mix is an awful lot like "the old officer's chicken"...and brining the chicken in salt and buttermilk for 2 days beforehand is a wonderful way to make that flavor come through.

Enjoy...Derrel...amateur chef...

HOLY crap!

That is some INTENSE cooking! :lmao:

I appreciate your tips... and I will be saving this in a word document for future reference, but I must admit that I don't think I'm ambitious enough to go through all of that, haha.

 

[Derrel]

No, not really "intense". The chicken keeps longer in the brine than in air. Less waste. It'll keep 10 days if it is underwater. Salt + water + meat...that's why ham is edible 6 months later, and why smoked salmon keeps so long...brine.

Buy an 8-pack of breast meat for $10. Cut it into strips, and drop em into two plastic margarine or potato salad tubs, fill 80% with chicken,then pour the seasoned saltwater brine over the chicken. Put in fridge. You now have chicken for 10 days, ready to cook at a moment's notice.

Hubbs says, "Babe, I want chicken strips". Head to kitchen, 1)plug in Fry Daddy. 2) Mix an egg and some half and half in a bowl, throw in some spices. In another bowl, mix flour,pepper,garlic powder, chili powder. 3)) pull some chicken out of the fridge, and with a fork, drop the strips into the egg wash, allowing some of the water to drain off before adding to the egg wash. 4) Lift chicken out of egg wash with fork, and drop in to flour. SHake flour around. 5) Put chicken on plate 6) deep fry 4 pieces for 4 minutes each. In 12 mins. you have 12 beautiful chicken strips. it's really not "intense", but I just told you EXACTLY how to make something people ask me to bring to parties...

 

[mishele]

Babe, I get my chicken cheese steak meat right out of the freezer section. They are "kinda" like a Steak-umm but are real meat. Check the freezer section of your local store. I think you are crazy going through all this for a steak sandwich. It's going to cost you 3x as much to make 2 sandwiches. Just google a sandwich shop in your area that makes the best sandwiches!! Oh and don't forget the french fries!!! Gotta have french fries!!!

 

[Derrel]

French fries--YES!!!!!! Buy yourself the Back To Basics brand "Apple/Potato Master"...it peels, cores, and ribbon cuts a potato in about 5 seconds, and makes curly fries!!!!

You want mashed potatoes in 15 minutes start to finish? Bee-hive-shaped ribbon cut potatoes cook in 10-12 mins in boiling water, and the peels come off a one, big,long peel.

http://www.amazon.com/Back-Basics-Apple-Potato-Peeler/dp/B0000DE2SS

 

[e.rose]

No, not really "intense". The chicken keeps longer in the brine than in air. Less waste. It'll keep 10 days if it is underwater. Salt + water + meat...that's why ham is edible 6 months later, and why smoked salmon keeps so long...brine.

Buy an 8-pack of breast meat for $10. Cut it into strips, and drop em into two plastic margarine or potato salad tubs, fill 80% with chicken,then pour the seasoned saltwater brine over the chicken. Put in fridge. You now have chicken for 10 days, ready to cook at a moment's notice.

Hubbs says, "Babe, I want chicken strips". Head to kitchen, 1)plug in Fry Daddy. 2) Mix an egg and some half and half in a bowl, throw in some spices. In another bowl, mix flour,pepper,garlic powder, chili powder. 3)) pull some chicken out of the fridge, and with a fork, drop the strips into the egg wash, allowing some of the water to drain off before adding to the egg wash. 4) Lift chicken out of egg wash with fork, and drop in to flour. SHake flour around. 5) Put chicken on plate 6) deep fry 4 pieces for 4 minutes each. In 12 mins. you have 12 beautiful chicken strips. it's really not "intense", but I just told you EXACTLY how to make something people ask me to bring to parties...

Sweet! Thanks!

Babe, I get my chicken cheese steak meat right out of the freezer section. They are "kinda" like a Steak-umm but are real meat. Check the freezer section of your local store. I think you are crazy going through all this for a steak sandwich. It's going to cost you 3x as much to make 2 sandwiches. Just google a sandwich shop in your area that makes the best sandwiches!! Oh and don't forget the french fries!!! Gotta have french fries!!!

Haha!

I don't think it'll cost more... Because the amount of chicken I can buy for the price of one sandwich is much more. I can take what i need for the sandwiches and still have chicken left over for whatever else during the week. HOWEVER... I am definitely all about ease, so I will check the freezer section for what you get! Haha!

What part of the freezer section do you get it from? I've never had, much less seen Steak-umm before so I don't know where that would be kept either. Is it near the "normal" meats? Or is it more near the "TV Dinner" type section?

 

[e.rose]

French fries--YES!!!!!! Buy yourself the Back To Basics brand "Apple/Potato Master"...it peels, cores, and ribbon cuts a potato in about 5 seconds, and makes curly fries!!!!

You want mashed potatoes in 15 minutes start to finish? Bee-hive-shaped ribbon cut potatoes cook in 10-12 mins in boiling water, and the peels come off a one, big,long peel.

Amazon.com: Back To Basics Apple And Potato Peeler: Kitchen & Dining

Hahaha! You're like my own personal Cooking Channel!

 

[CCericola]

No self-respecting Delaware Valley resident uses premade frozen "chicken cheesesteak meat" or Steak-ums. But we do however, use cheese-wiz And Holy Top Chef Derrel. I think it might be easier for her just to drive down to Tony Luke's, Chickie & Pete's or Geno's!