CHICKEN BREASTS
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9 WAYS
180
KITCHEN MATRIX
182
I used to be one o those people who ragged on boneless, skinless chicken breasts or being avorless and dry. That was until I learned how to not overcook them. In preparing chicken breasts, remember that they should be cooked only until the last traces o pink have vanished—and no longer. (Use a thin-bladed knie to peek; i you preer a meat thermometer, measure at the thickest spot and stop cooking at 155°F or a little bit higher.) A thinnish breast subjected to high heat can be done in as little as 6 minutes, or it might take as long as 10 minutes or even a bit more—but never 20 minutes unless you are cooking the thing on a radiator. Overcooking is easy, and the results are predictably undesirable.Whatever you cook a chicken breast with is going to gain prominence, and whatever cooking method you choose will have plenty o impact. This provides good reason to keep things as simple as possible: a skillully sautéed chicken breast with lemon juice is a beautiul thing. But gaining that skill takes some practice, and even or veterans, attention must be paid. For these recipes, each o which serves our, you’ll be using our chicken breast halves, about 1½ pounds altogether, not sliced into cutlets or fngers or pounded at but let as they are, about 1 inch thick at the center. Learn to cook by touch (the meat should yield slightly when pressed) and by sight; with only a little practice, you’ll know exactly when the breasts are done.
POACHED
Soy-Poached
Substitute
2 or 3 shallots
or the onions (use butter or oil) and cook until sot, 3 to 5 minutes. Use
2 tablespoons soy sauce, the juice of 1 lemon,
and ¾ cup water instead o the wine. Sub-stitute
1 tablespoon lemon zest, 1 tablespoon sugar,
and
¼ tea-spoon cayenne
or the herbs. Reduce the sauce a bit but skip the extra butter. Garnish:
fresh cilantro and lemon juice.
Coconut-Ginger
Skip the onions, butter, and herbs. Toast
¼ cup shredded coconut
in a dry skillet and set aside or garnish. Put
the chicken
in the pan with
½ cup coconut milk,
½ cup water, and
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger.
Reduce the sauce to your liking and skip the additional butter. Garnish:
the toasted coconut.
White Wine, Onions, and Herbs
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, sauté
2 chopped medium onions
in
2 tablespoons butter
until the onions soten, 5 to 10 minutes. Add
the chicken, 1 cup white wine, 2 bay leaves,
and
several fresh thyme and parsley sprigs.
When the liquid boils, lower the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook the chicken or 10 to 15 minutes or until tender and just cooked through. Transer to a plate and keep warm. Boil the pan mixture until it is reduced by three-ourths; it should be airly thick. Over low heat, stir in
2 more tablespoons butter,
then return the chicken to the pan to reheat and coat with sauce. Adjust the seasoning. Garnish:
chopped fresh thyme.
POULTRY AND EGGS
183
ROASTEDSAUTÉED
Tomatoes, Capers, and Olives
Skip the herbs. Combine
2 or 3 chopped ripe tomatoes, the juice of ½ lemon, 1 teaspoon drained capers,
and
a handful of olives.
Lightly grease the pan with
olive oil,
then put
the chicken
in the pan and pour the tomato mixture over it. Roast or 10 to 15 minutes, or until just cooked through. Garnish:
chopped fresh basil.
Deviled
Skip the herbs. Combine
¹⁄ ³ cup Dijon or coarse mustard, ¹⁄ ³ cup chopped shallots,
and
¼ teaspoon cayenne.
Spread this mixture over the top o
the chicken
beore putting it in the pan. Use any extra mustard mixture to baste the breasts; roast 10 to 15 minutes, or until just cooked through. Garnish:
chopped parsley.
Herb-Roasted
Heat the oven to 425°F. Chop
½ cup fresh parsley, dill, mint, or a combination
(a little minced
garlic
wouldn’t hurt, either). Put
4 table-spoons olive oil or butter
in a roasting pan and place in the oven or a couple o minutes, until oil is hot or butter melts. Roll the chicken in the herb mixture, then add it to the pan; return the pan to the oven. Roast, turning once or twice, or 10 to 15 minutes, or until just cooked through. Garnish:
more chopped herbs.
Florentine
Ater removing
the chicken
rom the pan, substitute
chopped fresh spinach
or the mush-rooms. Use
white wine,
and ater you reduce the sauce by hal, turn o the heat. Wait 30 sec-onds, then stir in
½ cup heavy cream or sour cream.
Turn the heat to low, stirring, until slightly thickened. Return the chicken to the skillet, turn in the sauce, and serve.
Citrus
Skip the mushrooms. Cut
a large orange in half
and section one hal as you would a graperuit, removing any seeds; set the other hal aside. Ater remov-ing
the chicken
rom the pan, instead o wine, add
the juice of the second orange half with the juice of a lime
and
1 tablespoon sugar.
Include the orange sections in the mixture. Finish as above. Garnish:
lime.
Mushrooms and Wine
Put a large skillet over medium-high heat or 2 or 3 minutes. Swirl
2 tablespoons olive oil
and
2 tablespoons butter
in the pan. When the butter oam subsides, dredge the chicken in four, shaking to remove the excess. Cook, turning once, until browned on both sides and nearly cooked through, about 10 minutes total. Transer to a plate and cover loosely with oil. Add
1 pound sliced fresh mushrooms
to the skillet and cook, undisturbed, until the liquid rom the mushrooms evaporates completely. Add
½ cup of any wine
and let it bubble, stirring, until it is reduced by hal, about 2 minutes. Add another tablespoon butter and cook until the sauce is thickened; return the chicken to the skillet, turn them in the sauce, and serve. Garnish:
chopped parsley.
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