Why would my chicken thighs have come out tough?

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dawnnys

Well-known member
It was like shoe leather... I brined them (then realized they didn't need brining, usually, only breasts), and cooked them slowly over medium heat on the stovetop.

They TASTED good the other night, but the texture was awful. Very chewy and gristly. Is this normal with thighs - gristle?

I recently heard how to prevent tough thighs, but I can't remember how, or where I heard it! Can anyone help me with this please?

 
been fighting this, but the Bad Nan is winning here---maybe just an old hen? hehe, sorry

 
How were they cooked? If you simmered in liquid and it reached a full boil, that would turn them to

rubber. Or maybe, as Nan thought, they were from a tough old bird to begin with, or perhaps they had freezer burn.

I don't know much about brining so maybe someone else can answer that question.

 
Just a thought, Dawn...I followed a recipe for chicken breasts marinated in buttermilk,

then oven-fried, it was from Epi. However, I used the frozen chicken breasts from Sam's. The chicken breasts were a bit as you described, tough and not at all good. I believe it was because they were already brined and the soaking in buttermilk for several hours just overdid it. So if you had frozen chicken thighs that were already soaked in that solution they use, that just might be the case. If they were fresh, obviously not, lol.

 
I cooked them slowly over medium heat on the stovetop and they were fresh, never

frozen. No liquid, except, of course, for the little bit of sauce/marinade that stayed on them when I put them in the pan.

Maybe just a tough old bird like you said ;o)

 
That's odd. Thighs are usually so forgiving. You might consider letting the market know--

it could have been a bad batch.

 
LOL - mine either. Good suggestion, but I don't even remember where I

got them, threw out the receipt, threw out the packaging already, etc. If it happens again, tho, I might.

 
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