Perfectly Cooked Chicken Breasts

And a little bit of Cluck University and 4 simple tips

Chicken is now the most consumed meat in America, with the average person consuming over two pounds per person per week - primarily in breast form. But why? 50 years ago, chicken was an expensive food item typically relegated to a Sunday night meal.

Over time farmers began experimenting with less expensive chicken feed in the form of soy and corn (no comment on subsidies), and the advent of antibiotics in the chicken industry allowed farmers to grow massive amounts of chicken in small spaces. This covers the supply story, but what about demand?

The increase in demand for chicken coincided with the government health agency’s campaign against saturated fats. The primary message behind the American Heart Accosication was that cholesterol is bad, Saturated fats are bad - alternatively, lean meats and carbs are good. Billions of dollars have been spent to disseminate this message, and thus the explosion of chicken breasts.

Now that we have the history down let’s nail down the perfect way to cook chicken breast.

Chicken breast doesn’t have to be boring, nor does it have to be complicated. With a few simple steps, you can take this average, everyday cut to another level - always juicy, moist, seasoned and flavored with a pop of fresh herbs and citrus.

The 4 key steps when cooking chicken breast are:

1. Pound the meat so it is even thickness all the way across. This avoids having a juicy top part and a dry overcooked tail end.

2. Dry Brine the meat by salting at least 2 hours ahead of cooking. This ensures both a moist bite and seasoning throughout.

3. Reverse-sear the breast. Not only does this step make it easier to cook, but it also gives you a more tender bite and a beautiful sear. No more burnt chicken sticking to the pan.

4. Rub with a simple citrus herb mixture before the slow roast (step 1).

Ingredients:

2 medium-sized chicken breast

1 tablespoon kosher salt

For the rub:

1 teaspoon fresh thyme chopped

1 teaspoon fresh rosemary chopped

1 teaspoon fresh chives chopped

1 tablespoon garlic powder (I use powder because I don’t want the raw garlic to burn)

For the finish:

1 tablespoon avocado oil

1 lemon zested (Save the lemon for the juice in the final stage)

1 tablespoon avocado oil

1 tablespoon whole butter

Instructions:

Pre-heat your oven to 275 F

Line a cutting board with plastic wrap. Top with the chicken breasts. Top with another layer or two of plastic wrap. You can also do this in a heavy-duty zip lock baggie.

Top the plastic-wrapped cutting board with the two breasts. Cover with plastic wrap. Pound the fat part of the breast so the meat is thickness all the way across. Transfer to a baking sheet.

Top with the kosher salt and rub all over both sides.

Allow the chicken to sit in the salt (in the fridge) for at least 30 minutes but up to 24 hours.

While the chicken is salting combine the ingredients for the herb rub.

Remove the chicken from the fridge, rub with the herb rub all over the breast, and place in the oven for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes of cooking, flip the breasts and cook for another 5 minutes.

Heat a cast iron skillet or saute pan over medium-high heat and add the avocado oil once you have pulled the breasts. Pat the chicken dry (save the juice from the pan). When your pan is almost smoking, sear the chicken in the pan until it’s golden brown.

Flip the chicken and pour the juice from the roasting pan into the chicken. Add the juice from the lemon and a pat of butter. Turn the heat down and baste the chicken with the juice. Temp the chicken and turn the heat off around 150F. Allow the chicken to sit in the pan or on a plate for about 10 minutes before slices. Drizzle with the juice from the pan. Season with fresh chives.