by Author Name Withheld 125

Created on: June 07, 2010

Chicken breast is a highly versatile meat with a subtle flavour and tender texture.  It lends itself well to a huge variety of dishes, from all types of cuisine and depending on the time, can be cooked quickly or for longer periods.  The humble chicken breast can be roasted, fried, crumbed, stir-fried, grilled (broiled), barbecued, poached, braised, fricasseed and any number of other types of cooking in between.  It has a reputation of being fairly tasteless but this needn't be the case with a little imagination and fore-thought.

It's almost becoming a bit of a cliche now but when choosing a chicken breast from the supermarket, try and stick to organic, free-range.  The cheap chicken breast is cheap for a reason and even if the welfare of the humble chicken is of no concern, at least consider the flavour of free-range, particularly corn-fed chicken as it is hugely superior to that of an intensely-reared one. 

Roasting

Care must be taken not to dry out a chicken breast, particularly a boneless one, when roasted in the oven.  To that end, by wrapping in prosciutto with perhaps a mushroom filling between the ham and chicken will help it keep moisture in. 

Fried

Frying a chicken breast is easy as long as the breast is thin enough.  A fillet that is too thick will cook on the outside but will still be pink in the middle, a big no-no for chicken.  To overcome this, slice the breast in half horizontally and then between two pieces of saran wrap, bat out thinly with a rolling pin or heavy pan.  This will ensure consistent, even cooking throughout the breast as well as reducing the overall time needed.

Crumbed

Taking the flattened chicken breast above, marinade in milk for at least an hour, longer if you have the time.  Dip into seasoned bread crumbs then shallow fry in hot oil.  When the outside has turned golden brown, the chicken is ready but insert a knife into the thickest part to make sure.

Stir-frying

Most food cultures have a recipe for stir-fried chicken.  This involves small strips of thinly-sliced chicken breast, quickly fried in a hot pan or even better, a wok.  As the chicken does not have a large mass, cooking times are quick and preparation is key when making a stir-fry.  Make sure all the meat and vegetables are prepared and ready to throw in the pan.  Keep all the slices of vegetables the same size to ensure even cooking.  Add sauces and condiments at the end of cooking.

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