Fat, Fat, Gucky Chicken Breast (Normal or Freaky)? [moved from Site Talk board]

[basildip]

I recently made some chicken stock. I used my pasta pot to enable easy lifting of my vegetables. In my strainer I loaded 1 onion 1whole bulb of garlic, cut in half. I loaded 2 carrots, 1 red bell and 1 green bell pepper. On top of these veggies I placed my boneless skinless chicken breast. I added enough water to just cover the chicken and let my pot gently simmer for approx. 30 min. Then I removed the nearly done chicken, bagged and refrigerated it. I let the veggies simmer another 30 min. When I lifted the strainer I saw a disgusting hugh quantity of white guck, which I assumed to be fat. I threw out the veggies as they had given their all. I used a paper towel to wipe out the thin layers of guck. I ran hot water and filled up the strainer and pot. Then I sprayed Clorox Cleaner and let it soak for an hr. Then I
drained the water to scrub my stainless steel pot. The guck stayed stuck to my pot. My husband decided to soak the pot over night. Next day, I drained the water again. I got out my scrubby sponge and Brillo pad. Again the guck would not budge. In a quandary, I just leaned on the sink for several minutes. Then my eyes fell on my Easy Off No Fume Oven Cleaner, and I sprayed all over that pot for all I was worth. After one hr. I was able to get the guck off, using my scrubby sprung and Brillo. Some spots were still slightly stubborn. Then I rinsed my pots in hot hot water, wiped them down in vinegar,
rinsed again and allowed them to air dry. After that experience I called Sprouts, a New specialty store in Los Angeles. I asked the butcher if he had ever heard of chicken in this condition before. He said no, but he would ask the chef. So, he comes back to the phone and tells me, no the chef had never heard of such either. Then lo and behold, he asked me, "Did you cook it already"?. Needless to say, I just thanked him and hung up. I continued to try and find someone who has had this experience. I called my big sister, my friends, my chef/restaurateur friend who makes chicken soup 7 days a week. Nobody I asked has ever experienced anything so gross. So now I'm asking my Chowhound community--what did I do wrong, or what was wrong with this chicken? Was this normal?

[acgold7]

CBRD is right, as he usually is. This "guck" is just protein and it's an issue with all meats. It's worst with lobster. But you're not making a "stock." You're making a broth. Stock requires bones. You should use whole birds, or better yet, lots of backs and wings, and the last thing you'd want to do would be to stand at the sink and trim the fat. You want the fat for the flavor it helps contribute, and then when the stock is cooled you will remove the fat in one big puck. You will never get a flavorful liquid, either soup, stock or broth, using only boneless white meat.

Lots of threads here on stock-making, either conventional, in a pressure Cooker, or in a Crock-Pot. All will result in great stock if you use the right ingredients and follow the best procedure for the hardware. But what you've been doing is not likely to produce a great product.

And unless you're looking for a really clear consomme, you don't need to skim at all.

[paulj]

Whether this was stock, broth, or how to make a real stock isn't the OP issue. The OP poached the chicken breast, and cooked the poaching liquid some more. So what was the 'gunk' that the OP is worried about? Probably not fat, since a skinless breast has very little fat. Plus fat washes off with hot water and bit of soap. I agree that is was the albumen, meat proteins from the meat. That added 30 minutes probably let some of it stick and dry on the sides of the pot. It can be removed by skimming several times after the liquid comes to boil.

I also suspect the OP is overly concerned about cleanliness of her pots. She probably did not need the stronger cleaners. Oxalic acid (bar keepers friend) is sufficient, in my experience, to remove spotting from SS.

[basildip]

Trust me paulj, I am so grateful for these answers. I feel so so much better to learn this was something natural and not guck at all. Never having made stock/broth this way before, I had never seen this substance in my pot. Truly it looks quite different from what I know to be fat, and frankly it scared me. And thanks for that oxalic acid tip--I'll research it and purchase it.

[basildip]

acgold, are you ever right about my method sacrificing the flavor. And I do love my "stock" a whole lot better with the bones. It's just here lately the tiniest bit of fat is just so nauseating to my tummy. That's why I pull off as much fat as possible before hand. Once I chill a stock made with fat and defat it, I am still sensitive to it in my stomach. But of course all of you are right, for optimal flavor my stock should be made with everything in the pot. With age I've had to sacrifice lots of good flavors. Thanks for taking time to respond.

[nami54]

if you are not able to tolerate any fat at all, it would be wise to check with your doctor.

[basildip]

Sage advice, nami54. Thank you, but I have been already.

[cowboyardee]

Was it sort of frothy?

I believe that's more protein and amino acids than fat, though I'm sure there's a little fat mixed in. It's not unheard of - here's a link to another discussion: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthr...
Yeah, it's a pain in the butt to clean, though I don't think I've ever needed more than a bit of elbow grease and a brillo pad.

Genearlly speaking, I think you're better off using another part of the chicken for broth or stock. Something with a little more connective tissue will give your stocks and broths more body and flavor, and generally don't generate quite as much foam. Also make sure you're not cooking it at a rolling boil, since that seems to exascerbate the issue. Skimming your stock while you're making it also helps.

[basildip]

cowboyardee, I think you may be right re: your thoughts on protein and amino acid. It was much
stranger looking than fat. But I tell you the truth, we soaked and scrubbed for two days to no avail.

Now as for obtaining better stock using another part of the chicken, I know you are right. Due to health, I was trying to avoid standing at the sink, pulling off the unwanted fat, so I used boneless skinless. Well, that didn't work out so well. So I will have to keep searching for the easiest way to get good healthy stock. I must have it. And yes, I did cook it on low and made sure it was simmering and not boiling. Thanks for the skimming tip. But due to health, I'm not able to stand and do that anymore. Okay, now I'm going to check out the link you sent me. Thanks a lot.

[basildip]

cowboyardee, that was a thoroughly enjoyable link. I read several threads, and I see guck from
simmered chicken breasts is not so strange. I noticed many people are turned off by and accuse the poached breast of being too bland. Well, after I finished the poaching, I too wanted to add all the flavor possible. So I carmelized the chicken in dried spices and a little paprika. Then I pan roasted bell pepper, jalapeño and a/b 20 cloves of garlic. These steps added a reasonable amount of flavor to my soup. But as you say, the other chicken parts and skin do impart more body and flavor. Thank you so much. I feel a lot better a/b the guck.

[Jeanne]

This happened with boneless, skinless chicken breast? That's very odd. Was it boiling heavily for a long time or did you lower it to just simmering after the initial boil?

[basildip]

Yes Jeanne, it is very odd. No, as it began to roll and bubble, I made sure to turn the fire down to a low simmer. No one else has heard of this problem either. Maybe I will call Sprouts again. They have had a few days to think about the issue, and might now have an answer. I sure hope so.