How to make chicken soft? (Jaw surgery)

[seeforyourself]

Random post, but I hope somebody has an answer!

Ok guys, so I just had double jaw surgery a month ago yesterday, and I JUST started going back to the gym lightly. I lost 12 pounds and though it was mostly fat, some muscle was lost too. I started with chest day yesterday and did 35 pound dumbbells (used to do 55-60 pound ones) and it was hard! I didn’t do much chest since a lot of the motion is near my face. I wound up with an extremely sore chest and shoulders the next day.

It is quite obvious that this loss is from not working out and the deficit of calories. I am starting to eat a lot of eggs, mashed potatoes, and Mac and cheese again, but want to add chicken as well. I lack A LOT of protein in my diet. Unfortunately, protein shakes don’t really satisfy me.

Is There a way to make chicken very soft? I can do SOME chewing, but not a lot and not too heavy. I know some grilled chicken from salads are sometimes very soft - but I’m not sure how much sugar is in it with the seasoning. Do you guys have any idea how they make chicken so soft??!!! I really don’t want to put it in a blender and drink it

 

[agenda893]

If you have the equipment cooking it Sous Vide will get it as soft as you want. Short of that you could do a low, slow roast in the oven - like 3-4 hours at 250-300 degrees depending on how you like it.

 

[JayKay514]

Chicken only gets tough if you overcook it and it gets dry. Fat content also matters a lot - dark meat like legs and wings are fattier and more tender than breast meat, which is leaner.

As agenda893 noted, sous vide cooking with a marinade is one way to avoid moisture loss; the other way is to add fat - for instance, when roasting a whole chicken, add chunks of butter and/or fatty bacon and herbs under the skin so that it melts into the breast meat.

Alternately, you can chop it very finely, maybe mix with chicken liver pate to make a spread that's easier to eat?

 

[0388631]

I would stick to thigh meat. It's very difficult to dry it out unless you're going open flame. Though I'd be concerned about the lack of fiber in your diet, too. I'd make vegetable and fruit smoothies for in between meals, just so that you're getting some vitamins in and you don't strain a lot when the time comes, so to speak.

Feel better.

 

[TheAppleFairy]

Meat grinder

 

[jbarley]

Meat grinder

I'm surprised this wasn't the very 1st suggestion.

 

[Chuck Rodent]

When I had double wisdom teeth removal, I ate a lot of mashed canned salmon for the protein. If you like the taste, that's a soft alternative.

 

[Starship67]

When I had double wisdom teeth removal, I ate a lot of mashed canned salmon for the protein. If you like the taste, that's a soft alternative.

Thats similar to what I was gonna suggest. Maybe some canned white meat chicken packed in water is very soft. You can even find organic nowadays if that matters to you.

 

[D.T.]

I'm not sure how soft it needs to be, but a slow cooker (aka, "Crock Pot"), with it cooking all day can really soften it up, maybe with a nice base of some chicken stock.

Sounds like you've had quite a journey! Good that you're getting back into a slightly more regular lifestyle!

 

[bluespark]

I'm not sure how soft it needs to be, but a slow cooker (aka, "Crock Pot"), with it cooking all day can really soften it up, maybe with a nice base of some chicken stock.

Sounds like you've had quite a journey! Good that you're getting back into a slightly more regular lifestyle!

I strongly second the slow cooker suggestion. This is what people use to make things like chicken pot pie. Use the low setting and let your dish cook as long as the instructions suggest for that setting -- usually around eight hours. The chicken will be so soft you can "chew" it with your tongue alone. Slow cookers are also convenient (i.e., throw in everything in the morning and have a healthy one-dish meal ready after work) and the food tastes good. Search online for slow cooker recipes.

Sous vide works on a similar principle (low heat, long hours) but I find it more labor and supply intensive and you still have to make and cook the rest of your dish once the chicken is done. It's really more of a cooking method (one used by top chefs, among many others) than a cooking solution. For example, with chicken, I still find the need to quick-char sous vide chicken on the grill for optimal enjoyment.

 

[Tomorrow]

Slow cooker, preferably in liquid. Chicken (like any other meat) gets tough when it dries out.

Also if you don't mind casseroles or chicken salad, canned chicken is pretty soft.

 

[BernyMac]

Put it in a blender with gravy. Blend and add gravy to a consistency that you can tolerate.

 

[D.T.]

Search online for slow cooker recipes.

Slightly off topic (apologies to the OP ...), but we do a recipe in the slow cooker using turkey thighs - which are super succulent and rich, almost like duck, and silly cheap - they're just rubbed down with a good olive oil, S&P, set them in the slow cooker. Right, so no liquid, skin side down, 6+ hours ... it's amazing. Pull them out, remove skin, sliced thin.

 

[bluespark]

Slightly off topic (apologies to the OP ...), but we do a recipe in the slow cooker using turkey thighs - which are super succulent and rich, almost like duck, and silly cheap - they're just rubbed down with a good olive oil, S&P, set them in the slow cooker. Right, so no liquid, skin side down, 6+ hours ... it's amazing. Pull them out, remove skin, sliced thin.

Sounds tasty -- I may try this. Thanks!

 

[jav6454]

Random post, but I hope somebody has an answer!

Ok guys, so I just had double jaw surgery a month ago yesterday, and I JUST started going back to the gym lightly. I lost 12 pounds and though it was mostly fat, some muscle was lost too. I started with chest day yesterday and did 35 pound dumbbells (used to do 55-60 pound ones) and it was hard! I didn’t do much chest since a lot of the motion is near my face. I wound up with an extremely sore chest and shoulders the next day.

It is quite obvious that this loss is from not working out and the deficit of calories. I am starting to eat a lot of eggs, mashed potatoes, and Mac and cheese again, but want to add chicken as well. I lack A LOT of protein in my diet. Unfortunately, protein shakes don’t really satisfy me.

Is There a way to make chicken very soft? I can do SOME chewing, but not a lot and not too heavy. I know some grilled chicken from salads are sometimes very soft - but I’m not sure how much sugar is in it with the seasoning. Do you guys have any idea how they make chicken so soft??!!! I really don’t want to put it in a blender and drink it

Have you tried havig banana milk shakes with peanuts, almonds, pecans and cashews? These nuts have lots of protein and calories. If you are worried on bits of nuts, you can pre grind them and add them once ground into the shake mixture.

 

[lowendlinux]

Since I live alone and still want to cook but don't want to spend time doing it I use the crock pot for a lot of stuff. Just put the chicken and stock in on low before you go to work and when you come back it'll be soft and ready to eat ditto for lean pork.

 

[rhett7660]

Meat grinder

Or a blender. When my father-in-law had his jaw wired shut, we would pretty much blend everything and he would drink it through a straw. Trust me it looks pretty darn gross, but when it comes down to it, blended pizza really doesn't taste that much different than a pizza slice.

In the beginning we were blending each item by itself and towards the end, there were some items he was mixing and well, yeah it looked pretty gross. Blended steak is something not for the faint of heart, but outside the texture it tasted like steak!

 

[ZapNZs]

Brine it. The chicken will be softer, juicier, and more flavorful. The downside is that you probably won't like chicken that wasn't brined going forward.

 

[0002378]

Shredded chicken

Cook the chicken preferably in a slow cooker on low heat or baking in the oven or steaming/boiling it, and then simply shred it with 2 forks. Nothing softer than shredded chicken.

Eat it fresh (while it is still moist and soft), don't let it harden or dry.

Here's a great recipe: https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/slow-cooker-shredded-chicken

 

[RootBeerMan]

Eat ground chicken or ground turkey. They're soft and contain all the same protein. Hamburger is a good idea, too. If it's just protein you're after try nut spreads. They're soft and chock full of tasty protein.

 

[Face Ache]

Look up Chinese Master Stock Chicken.

Also, thinly slice the chicken across the meat's grain.

 

[0388631]

Velveted chicken would work, too.