On Sat, 15 Nov 2008 16:35:59 +0000, bonappettit
> wrote:

>
>I am essentially a not too bright male who regards persons like Alton
>Brown with profound suspicion. Unable to find a self-sacrificing woman
>to cook for me, I have to do this dreary stuff myself. I read a book
>with 487 chicken recipes, and I still don't know how to cook a chicken
>breast in water for sandwiches. Persons with my degree of inaptitude
>don't want to know from moist, savory, tasteful, sauces, and
>thermometers — I just want to know enough to avoid E. coli and
>salmonella.
>
>Depending on which package has the least juice on the bottom, I buy
>skinless, boneless, chicken breasts or chicken breasts that have skin
>on and/or bone in. All I want to do is cook this stuff to eat with rice
>or for sandwiches.
>
>Do I have to rinse the raw chicken first? How much water do I put in
>the pot with it? Do I put salt in the water? Do I bring the water to a
>boil? If so, I imagine I reduce it to a simmer, right? How long do I
>simmer? How do I save the leftovers? How long can I keep them before
>they get hairy?
>
>After I get this down pat, I'll go for the Alton Brown treatment.

Don't boil it - that ruins it! Put your chicken into a frypan and
sprinkle seasoning over it (use Mrs Dash or another pre-prepared
chicken spice if you really want to keep it simple) and then add some
water. Cook the chicken for 10-15 minutes or until the water has all
gone. Turn the chicken over and add more water and do it again. At the
end you should have deliciously moist chicken ready to use for
whatever you want.