Weird Chicken Texture???

Hillbilly-Hightech · July 2011

Howdy,

So, the other day my GF decided to marinate some chicken pieces using a marinade from Trader Joes (can't remember the exact marinade - if someone thinks the marinade was the issue, I can get the name later this evening). And the pieces of chicken were thighs, I believe.

Anyway, she marinated the chicken using her vacuum sealer. She put the chicken into the plastic container, put the marinade in, and set up the sealer to do the marinade action (it kept turning on & off until it was done). Then, she put the container in the fridge, waiting for me to come home & fire up the Egg that night.

Well, life being what it is, we didn't actually get around to cooking it till about 2-3 days later. When I popped the top on the container & took the chicken out, I could tell that it "felt" different (was very soft, almost rubbery). And when I went to put it on the Egg using tongs, I definitely could tell something was different - was already starting to fall apart & some pieces were tearing off & falling through the grid.

I never thought much about it & just grilled it like normal (about 350-400) until about 175-180, direct, right on the grid. Every time I went out to flip the pieces, more & more parts would tear off & fall through the grid, so I knew this wasn't acting like "normal" chicken (and no, it wasn't the old "rubber chicken" that lame comics from the '50s use to use in their bits) :P

Upon tasting it, we both knew something was wrong - the marinade had sort of a "pasty" texture to it, and the chicken was very soft, almost to the point of melting in your mouth (not really a good thing for chicken like it would be for chocolate)

Anyway, she thought it was the Egg (I told her this was blasphemy) - my thoughts are that we kept the chicken in the vacuum for WAAAAY too long, and should have used it that day (the vacuum sealer instructions brag that it can perform the same amount of marinating in about 15 minutes that would traditionally take 1-2 days).

so that's my thoughts - that basically we "over" marinated the chicken - anyone ever had any experiences similar to this???

Thanks,
Rob

Little Steven · July 2011

Rob,

If it was a tumbling style marinater it was way too long after half an hour or so. If it was the cannister type from food saver the longest you want to go is about 4 hours with chicken. That depends some on the marinade itself but if it is oil/acid base you can decompose a chicken pretty quick. Buttermilk and youghurt are more forgiving.

Steve

Grandpas Grub · July 2011

The texture does change some when you marinate. Supposedly 20 minutes of vacuum marination is equal to overnight, anyway that's what the information says about the Revo.

I would think the texture would a result of the vacuum, the type of marinate, the time in marinate and what temperature you cooked the chicken to.

I couldn't describe the chicken I have marinated as rubber though, different but not rubber. I seem to cook marinated meat to a little hotter food temperature.

GG

WessB · July 2011

Can't say that I've ever experienced..but do totally agree with over marinated.....if the marinade had anything acidic in it..it was basically cooking the chicken...the marinade ingredients would confirm for sure, but thats my bet..

Little Chef · July 2011

Being in a marinade for 3 days is wayyyyy to long for anything, and especially for chicken. The vacuum compounded the problem! Over marinated...period. The chicken was being broken down by your marinade.

Bear 007 · July 2011

It was cooked before you cooked it, by the marinade that is.

Hillbilly-Hightech · July 2011

Thanks for the replies - you guys (and gals) never fail to impress w/ your knowledge!!

You pretty much confirmed my original thoughts, that we "over" marinated the chicken. :(

You can see from the 2nd pic (the cooked pieces after I took them off the Egg) that there's some smaller pieces on the left hand side - those were the pieces that fell off & fell through the grid - that's how "soft" the chicken was - it fell apart just from flipping it!! (I "saved" those pieces from their fate of being incinerated by the coals). :silly:

Anyway, Lesson Learned: now I know NOT to let something that we've marinated sit around for that long, ESPECIALLY when marinated in the vacuum sealer!!! :ohmy:

hedclown · July 2011

You basically made ceviche chicken. Chicken reacts to acids quickly and the vacuum intensifies the penetration of the marinade. More than an hour or two marinating that method will have bad results.

Good luck experimenting.

Weird Chicken Texture???

Comments

Categories