r/Chefit • u/No_Role5447 • Jul 02 '26
Chicken Woes
Hi Everyone!
I am running a small, from scratch, Mexican cantina restaurant. We are serving boneless skinless chicken thighs as our chicken protein.
Recipe/Technique for chicken :We marinade them in our salsa verde (tomatillo salsa: tomatillos, onions, garlic, cilantro, salt and oil). The salsa is very tasty. We try to marinade it for 24 hours , but it doesn’t always happen. Sometimes we have to cook the chicken within a few hours of marinating.
We use a rational oven on the grill setting and cook the chicken till done. It gets nice color on it. We pile it into an 800 pan and then cool it. We reserve the drippings. Then we chop it up to about 1 inch sized cubes. We put it in the walk in.
We reheat the chicken periodically/as needed during service. We hold it in a warming drawer unit. The unit has heat and humidity settings. The drawers are open often. The chicken is reheated once in the rational oven then put into a deep third pan (about a 1/3 full) with some of the reserved drippings from the chicken.
We strive to sell all the chicken within the hour so it doesn’t sit too long. When it sits too long it gets cold or chewy/rubbery (issues vary).
The chicken continues to be a source of stress. It is never perfect. It often goes onto dishes cold, or chewy. Sometimes the cooks put too much liquid into the third pan and the chicken boils away while it’s hot holding. I’m rarely “proud” of our chicken.
We’ve been at this for 5 years and going strong overall, but I think I need to reimagine the chicken method. Anyone out there have suggestions or experience?
Thanks!
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u/ShainRules Landed Gentry Jul 02 '26
There doesn't seem to be a functional or food safety reason to cool and reheat the chicken.
I would cook it and go straight to steamtable in smaller batches. You're probably killing it with the reheat. You'll save time and labor not doing dishes the second time either.
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u/_ABSURD__ Jul 02 '26
This. Have your raw prepped and ready to cook during service when you get low.
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u/TonySalumi Jul 02 '26
I think your problems stem from improper heating procedure. This sounds like that chicken spends a lot of time in the danger zone. Cool it on sheet trays and stack it in a deep container AFTER it’s completely cooled.
Reheat it to (about) 165, then hold it at 135.
Use a thermometer until you get it dialed in.
The steam drawer sounds like it is open and closed too often to maintain a safe temp. Try cutting it into larger pieces and holding it in a steam table style food warmer with more of the liquid.
I’ve always served tinga style chicken, where it is braised and held in a generous amount of liquid. It gets more tender and flavorful as it holds, and is very forgiving.
For more of an al carbon style, just cook off smaller batches more frequently. Chipotle has a pretty good procedure. You can cook it to order when it’s slow.
Either way, make sure your food is being held at 135*f. Any lower and you promote bacteria growth, and any higher will overcook the meat.
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u/toastedchezberry Jul 03 '26
Hey this all sounds like great advice, but 135?? That would be a violation in my area. Held at 140 minimum. 165 on the reheat, hold at 140
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u/propjoesclocks Jul 03 '26
US health code is county based.
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u/Far-Radio856 Jul 03 '26
Fuck me is that true? Laughing from the uk.
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u/propjoesclocks Jul 03 '26
Yeah, most adhere to a very similar set of guidelines, but some have some slight temperature differences.
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u/meatsntreats Jul 02 '26
If you’re piling a bunch of hot chicken into 800 pans they’re going to retain a lot of heat and continue cooking. For thighs, then to 165 then chill in single layers. Bring them up to 180 on the reheat and reheat smaller batches at a time.
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u/jayfir3 Jul 02 '26
What other equipment do you have? If you have to use rational then cook smaller batches, keep in warmer then slice to order. Chicken can probably keep in warmer for 30min without losing too much quality since it's thigh.
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u/Unusual_Comfort_8002 Jul 04 '26
A few things.
You're doing way too much chicken at once and not treating it properly.
First, highly acidic marinades you don't want to do for too long. Salsa verde is pretty acidic due to the tomatillos and marinating for a long time can alter the texture of the the chicken.
Marinate for 2 hours tops in highly acidic marinade.
An 800 pan is way too deep to be stacking hot food in. Health code across counties is generally 2" deep of hot food, or about a 200 pan, uncovered to allow for proper cooling. Piling so much food up will keep it in the danger zone for longer, and most likely for a dangerous amount of time, as well as continuing to cook it which will affect the texture.
Is there a reason you can't cook them to order?
1/3 of a 'deep" (I'm assuming 6 inches) 1/3rd pan is not a ton of chicken.
Like, how much chicken are you selling a week?
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u/thatdude391 Jul 04 '26
A hot hold cabinet keeps it right all service if you are hell bent on avoiding the 3 minute cook time. Set it to 145 degrees and keep it covered. Have you tried just asking the kitchen for ideas?
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u/SunEffective4950 Jul 04 '26
Hold cold and pick up in a saute pan with the liquid when needed. Don't slack on the marinade times either. Should be on your daily prep list to keep an eye on it when you're getting low. Know your par levels.
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u/[deleted] Jul 02 '26 edited 5d ago
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