Can You Ladies Show Me How To....

Fideo: Fry the Fideo until golden brownish, add water & chicken bouillon, bring to boil & cover for 10-15 minutes, remove from heat & uncover for 5 minutes before serving.

Use a thermometer!!!! Mine is a life saver because like you I tend to over cook most of my meats if I don't check the temp.

I saw this on the Frugal Gourmet years ago - to boil a chicken put the chicken in a big pot and cover with cold water. Bring it to a boil. Turn off the heat, put the lid on the pot and let it sit for 1 hour. Your chicken will be cooked but tender and will come off the bone easily but will not fall apart like it will if boiled too long. It works like a charm.

I've never boiled chicken... but here is a site with great tips on it:
http://www.bonelesschickenrecipe.com/Chicken-Articles/how...

But as for baking, it depends on if it is boneless, if it is floured or crusted, on the oven temperature, the lower the temp, the longer it cooks... so there are many variables depending on how long to cook.

To check for doneness, I pull the chicken out, make a deep cut in the thickest part and make sure the meat is white in the middle and the juice is clear (so no pink). I also usually cover it in foil too for part of the bake time.

Here is a good site on suggestions on cooking chicken:
http://www.ehow.com/how_2713_bake-chicken.html

I can never boil chicken either. So I cook it in a crockpot on low for 4-6 hours. In a cup or so of water or broth. Season however. Then shred it with two forks. So awesome and tender. I usethe chicken in everything...casseroles, salads, enchiladas,tacos, by itself. Give it a try. It really is hard to mess it up.

I never boil chicken...I usually bake it in the oven or grill it.
You need to cook til the juices run clear and the chicken is white--no pink.
Keep checking it.
If I bread tenderloin pieces (smaller than chicken breasts) then bake in the oven it usually takes about 25 mins.

I boil chicken for gumbo and such...you want to cook it till it falls off the bone. Which can be for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. If you use pieces that do not have a bone then try 45 min to an hour.

The trick for baking chicken and getting it tender is a slow bake. Which means low temp (250 to 300 degrees for 3 hours for a whole chicken to 1.5 hours to 2 hours for chicken pieces) hope that helps.

The right type of pot/pan is also important. What do you use?

I always cut my chicken up, season it, and put it in a large pot, cover the chicken with water, and when it starts to boil, let it boil for about 30 minutes on low. You can stick the chicken with a knife to see if it is tender, because it may not take 30 minutes. I bake leg quarters only. I put tin foil in the bottom of my pan and put my seasoned chicken in the pan, cover and bake it on 350 degrees for about 30 to 45 minutes. i check it with a fork and knife to see if its still pink because you want to make sure its cooked through. I dont know how to make fideo, sorry.

Baking it in the oven usually takes an hour or so. If you flaten out the chicken breasts first you can pan fry them or bake them at a much faster rate (30-40 mins in oven). Also, try steaming chicken in the microwave. You can buy those steam bags and it has directions right on them for all types of meat.

I boil only breast or thigh meat (no whole chicken). Breast takes longer, as it is thicker. You can pierce it with a fork to see if it goes in easily. If it does, take the meat out and make a cut to see if it is pink inside. If not, it is done.
The good thing about boiling chicken is you can use the water in which you boiled as chicken broth.

I can NOT bake chicken! I ruin it every time. So...I slow cook it!

I also don't know how to make Mexican spaghetti, but I have a recipe for Mexican chicken that can be served OVER spaghetti:

one small pkg chicken breasts, cubed
one 15 oz can cream of mushroom
one 15 oz can cream of chicken
one (or two-depending on heat tolorence) cans of rotel-UN drained(this is the 'juice' used to reconstitute your creams)
one 15 oz can mushrooms, drained
one small can sliced black olived, drained
Cooked brown rice or spaghetti

Cook the chicken cubes and drain. Add all ingredients (except rice or spaghetti) and cook to a bubble. Serve over brown rice or spaghetti.

I add a salad and garlic bread too!

I always bake chicken with the bone at 350 degrees for 1 hour, center rack. Don't open the door.

I bake boneless chicken at 350 for 30-40 minutes, depending upon thickness/thinness, breaded or unbreaded, with thinly sliced tomatoes/onions. Also, don't open the door.

Remove and let stand at least 5 minutes, as the meat continues to cook.

First, wash the chicken, then place into your baking dish, sprinkle with lots of dry herbs, salt and pepper. Even the dollar store varieties are fine.

For Mexican flavor use a Lawry's Seasoning Salt with extra oregano and cumin and pepper.

For Italian flavor use Garlic Salt with extra Italian spices and black pepper.
Etc....

After you have tried the above cooking times, then adjust your time/temp according to your likes and how the oven bakes. If you want the chicken crispier, then increase the temp to 375 degrees, but decrease the time by about 5 minutes.

I also have never boiled chicken, but have many friends who do.

They place the chicken with a bay leaf, S&P, cover with water into a pot, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and let cook for 20-30 minutes only. For boneless white meat, I would recommend only 20 minutes.

Just an FYI....check your oven and make sure the temp it says it is is the temp that is registering....mine ended being 15 degrees off and that is why I burned everything......