The Problem
The chicken breast: low-fat, low-calorie, high-protein, affordable, and.....always dry?! Since the dawn of time, this has been the struggle for anyone trying to compose a healthy dish -- chicken breast is a practically perfect protein, but the only way to keep it from drying out while cooking has been to smother it in creamy sauces, cheese, butter, or all of the above. Fortunately, it doesn't need to be this way. Try out the recipe below for chicken breast that always comes out juicy but without the added calories of extra fats.
The Plan
This recipe relies on a covered frying pan and indirect heat to cook the chicken. The most important part is that once the cover goes on the pan, do NOT take it off until the time is up. This way, the chicken will baste itself as it cooks, resulting in juicy and delicious chicken breasts every time.
The Procedure
- Take your chicken breasts and pound them to an even thickness, about 1/2 of an inch. By making the thickness uniform, you'll guarantee that the whole breast will cook evenly.
- Season your chicken with your desired seasoning. This Moroccan seasoning blend is a favorite, but any seasoning will do.
- Heat a frying pan over high heat, with just enough oil in the pan to prevent sticking. Avocado oil is a great choice, as it can be heated up to 500 degrees without smoking.
- Place the chicken in the hot frying pan and immediately turn the heat down to medium-hot (7 on a scale of 1-10), and leave for one minute.
- After one minute, flip the chicken over, cover the pan, and turn the heat to low (2 on a scale of 1-10).
- Let the chicken cook at low for 10 minutes. Do not open the lid during this time, as the heat and steam building up is what will cook the chicken.
- After 10 minutes at low, turn the heat off completely and wait for another 10 minutes. Again, do NOT open the lid or otherwise disturb the chicken during this time.
- After 10 minutes without heat, your chicken is done! Use a meat thermometer to make sure the chicken is cooked to 165 degrees, and enjoy!
This can be a hard recipe to get used to, since it requires a lot of trust even when it doesn't look like much is happening. Once you cook your chicken this way, though, you'll never go back. So get seasoning, get cooking, and enjoy!
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