Let’s not beat around the bush, here: Chicken breast is one of the most important elements of our diet. And why shouldn't it be? It's cheap, quick to cook, and very versatile! You can make it breaded, sautéed, grilled, in rolls, stuffed, striped, diced with curry, boiled in salad, etc. etc.
Chicken breast is pretty much as reliable as the sweatpants we put on when we come home from work! But the "fast & easy" way isn’t always roses and sunshine. For instance, you could buy the wrong kind of meat – or much worse, you might dry out the chicken too much while cooking so it tastes rubbery. So – let’s dust off our knowledge about poultry and get a refresher course on cooking chicken breast to perfection! It never hurts to review, right?
Cooking chicken without the bones or skin
Don't throw anything away! You can eat (or use) all parts of the chicken – even if some prefer it boneless or without the skin. Both the bone and the skin, however, work to keep the meat moist as it cooks: Since chicken doesn’t have the added fat that other meats might contain, it needs all the help it can get to stay moist!
Skipping the marinade
Of course, you can cook chicken breast super fast, but this doesn’t mean that you can’t plan 3-4 hours in advance! Chicken breast benefits greatly from a little time set in a marinade. Try marinating it with peanut butter and ginger, for example. To make the marinade, just mix the juice of an orange and its grated peel in a bowl or container with a lid. Add 2 tablespoons of muscovado sugar and 3 tablespoons of peanut butter. Then add 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and two teaspoons of grated ginger, 2 cloves of crushed garlic, 1 teaspoon of red pepper, and salt.
To note: There’s a theory that chicken marinades with salt take all the moisture from the meat, but it’s simply not true!
Skipping the sauté
Browning or sautéing any ingredient intensifies its flavor – just think how much better cauliflower tastes when it’s sautéed before roasting! If you really want to earn points with your guests, brown the chicken breast first in a pan for one or two minutes, with the skin side facing down, before transferring it to the oven. This will make the skin much crispier and give the meat a nice golden-brown hue. Are you in the mood for something quicker? Only use boneless chicken breasts in this case.
Needlessly suffering through rubbery meat
Did you overcook your chicken breast? Unfortunately, this is all too easy to do! But we’ve got some great news: All is not lost. Just add some more moisture to the meat. The easiest way to do this is with a pan and that jar of mayonnaise that’s been sitting in your fridge for an eternity! Greek yogurt and cream are also great for an "improvised" salad made from chopped meat. Here’s a basic rule for overcooked chicken meat or leftovers of any other overcooked meat: If the meat is already sufficiently dry, don’t reheat them any further in the oven. Otherwise, you’ll just dry the chicken out even more!
