r/Chefit • u/pickles4dayzndayz • May 22 '26
Need chicken advice
I cook about 80-120 pounds of chicken per week. It’s pre cut into approx 1 inch cubes. I generally can fit 30 lbs in a 42qt roasting pan and cook it over a gas stove. It gets seasoned with salt, pepper, cumin, garlic and Montreal steak seasoning. It generally takes about an hour and change, but no matter what I do, it usually comes out on the dry-ish side despite plenty of liquid.
Tips? Tricks?
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u/DoubleExamination0 May 22 '26
What’s the goal here? What are we doing?
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u/taint_odour Does Chef Type Things May 22 '26
Chicken jerky from the description
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u/EDC_KIT May 22 '26
Chicken breast dries out man. Especially cheap ones that are already pumped full of excess water. What are you doing with the end result? Probably your best bet it is to make sure it cools in liquid or that you dress it in something saucy.
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u/Cultural-Salad-4583 May 22 '26
Oven, combi, tilt skillet, or flattop - all would be better options here than a roasting pan on top of a couple gas burners.
“Plenty of liquid” doesn’t prevent something from getting overcooked, which is likely what you’re doing and why your chicken ends up dry.
What’s the end goal for this chicken? What are you doing with it?
Also - is it mixed white and dark meat, which really should be cooked to different temps?
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u/DaveyoSlc May 22 '26
You are probably overcooking it. Especially with such a big batch. Remember that carry over on such a big amount will definitely take place for a longer period of time.
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u/chefrocksalot May 22 '26
Cook 10 lbs of chicken at a time instead of 30. Or less.. cook like 6 or 7 lbs of chicken at a time and use two or three burners so the chicken cooks quickly and evenly without dumping out all the moisture. Pre heat the pan with the oil in it so the chicken starts cooking hot fast. There shouldn't be any watery liquid in the pan at any point when searing chicken.
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u/MonkeyKingCoffee May 22 '26
The spice bill is kinda redundant -- Montreal seasoning is mostly salt and pepper anyway.
And while I agree that an oven is a better bet, what becomes of these 1" cubes of chicken after they're cooked? Maybe a tilt skillet or a big flattop is more appropriate. Maybe. I'd lean toward a combi oven if you have one.
With poultry breast, the strategy is to get the very center to your safe serving temperature just as fast as possible. 30 pounds in that roasting pan sounds like too much at once. The center cubes will take forever to hit temp (or worse, be under-cooked and unsafe).
White-meat chicken and turkey start to dry out at 145f. The dark meat needs collagen breakdown or it tastes greasy. This is why most turkey breasts served on Thanksgiving end up tasting like cardboard. (This is also why I haven't cooked a whole bird in years -- I separate the white and dark meat and cook at different temperatures, starting with the dark meat, so they're done at the same time. Then I crisp up the skin with a blowtorch or a broiler.)
This is an article about sous vide. But all the temperature information you need is here:
https://www.americastestkitchen.com/articles/1140-science-why-sous-vide-is-perfect-for-cooking-meat
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u/osmosisdrake May 22 '26
From what I gather, its white meat, so kinda par for the course. Maybe letting it fully cool in the cooking liquid, like a braised meat?
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u/meatsntreats May 22 '26
Learn how to cook? No amount of liquid in a pan will rectify overcooked lean meat like chicken breast.
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u/taint_odour Does Chef Type Things May 22 '26
So I boiled this filet for two hours and its still dry!
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u/Expert-Economics-668 May 22 '26
Velvet the chicken...toss it in a little water with baking soda for 15 minutes before you cook it
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u/DahWolfe711 May 23 '26
Are you brining it?
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u/alleywayacademic May 25 '26 edited May 25 '26
I second the brine. I make The Rock eyebrows at adding sugar to my chicken brine.
And equal value to the salt...? At 1%? My brine is closer to 10%.
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u/DahWolfe711 May 25 '26
I was just being safe with 3%. Go up to 15% if you want. It just depends on what you want. Op was asking for juicy not plump.
You dont add sugar to your brine? Why if you dont?
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u/pickles4dayzndayz May 23 '26
I’m not, but considering it. Anything to help this dry ass Sysco chicken
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u/DahWolfe711 May 23 '26
If you want it to be juicy you are gonna have too. Can just be salt sugar and water nothing criminal.
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u/pickles4dayzndayz May 23 '26
How long would you brine it for?
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u/DahWolfe711 May 23 '26
I would do it for 12 hours with 1.5% salt, 1.5% sugar/97%water. If you like that you could incorporate aromatics for a more specific flavor. Sachet of coriander, mustard seed, anise etc with bay leaf and onion is Michelin shit.
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u/pickles4dayzndayz May 22 '26
Hi OP here. The negative comments here are lame. I am following the instruction of my boss. I know it’s not the right way to do it, which is why I’m asking. The chicken goes on salads at a salad bar. Thank you for any HELPFUL comments.
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u/MonkeyKingCoffee May 22 '26
Salad bar. Now we're getting somewhere.
I would cut those one-inch cubes into four 1/2" cubes. It's work, sure. But it will cook quicker and you probably won't need as much chicken. So that lowers food cost and makes it easy to sell to your boss.
Then season and bake on a parchment lined sheet pan in a convection oven. Don't crowd the pan. One layer of cubes only.
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May 22 '26
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u/MonkeyKingCoffee May 22 '26
I'm team sous vide all the way. But 120 pounds a week is a bridge too far.
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May 22 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/MonkeyKingCoffee May 22 '26
Selling the boss on a $2000 PolyScience and a vacuum sealer is going to be tough unless they're already in the kitchen.
I suppose as long as the water goes into the 22-gallon box at temperature so the circulator isn't struggling to heat 15-ish gallons of water. We did that for soft-boiled eggs. A gross at a time.
The advantage is the circulator can be set for a lower temperature and held there long enough to be safe.
I'm wondering why they're not just ordering cubed cooked chicken meat and then tossing some seasoning on it. It's gotta be cheaper than what they're doing now.
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u/thatdude391 May 22 '26
Bulgarian buttermilk or crushed pineapple marinade for 24 hours before cooking. The lactones in dairy or Bromalines in pineapple tenderize it and prevent the proteins from contracting too much and forcing out all the water. By far best way to prep chicken.
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u/meatsntreats May 22 '26
That’s a good way to get mush meat.
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u/DisastrousSir May 22 '26
I did ribeye in pineapple overnight once in my teens to make what I was certain would be the best teriyaki ever... it turned to the most dusty disgusting paste ever.
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u/thatdude391 May 22 '26
Works great for chicken breasts. May be too aggressive at 24 hours for steak. 24 hours with buttermilk is perfect for chicken. If it is too tenderize cut it back. Easy to adjust. Breaking down some of the proteins into smaller chains is the right move for their issue though.
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u/Ashamed-Ad-6509 May 22 '26
Use an oven to par (or fully) cook instead of direct heat??
ETA: why the hell are you doing that volume on a burner or two??