How to cook a juicy chicken breast perfectly
Chicken takes the cake for being one of the most versatile and nutritional meats around. But it does also get a bad rap sometimes for being dry and bland.
We can't all be Master chefs without a little help, so here's our simple guide to prevent chalky chicken, and instead get the most moist, finger-licking dish!
Start with Air-Chilled Chicken
The first step in delicious chicken is to obtain amazing quality, air chilled chicken, like this.
Air chilling is the process of blasting the chicken meat with cold air or chilling it in a cold chamber for the purpose of preventing pathogens and maintaining flavor.
Along with preserving flavor, air chilling also helps the chicken to better absorb your marinade and to crisp up on the outside (yum!) It also happens to save on water! Double whammy!
Tenderize
This is the fun part. It generally only works with boneless cuts. Basically you're going to pound the meat...respectfully. But you are really going to beat it up. Grab a tenderizing mallet (or rolling pin, jar, baseball bat, really whatever you can manage), wrap your chicken in plastic and go to town.
The goal here is to achieve a uniform thickness and to soften the tissue. This will allow for even cooking. Happy pounding!
Marinade
This step follows the tenderizing and is key to creating dynamic flavors and infusing moisture into the chicken. It also may act as a protective layer surrounding the chicken, to lock that moisture in.
For optimal juiciness, we recommend marinating the chicken for two hours. Basic marinades consist of an oil and acid.
Our recommendation is a complex mixture of (only) milk for 2 hours - then add soy sauce, olive oil, lemon juice, and maple syrup.
Feel free to also add a few desired herbs and spices in there (things like chopped garlic, brown sugar, rosemary, etc). A helpful spice pairing guide can be found here.
Let this sit for at least an hour, but the longer the better.
Braise
Braising sounds complicated, but it is actually quite easy: simply flash-fry the meat quickly before cooking it in juices.
Fry the chicken for about 5 minutes on each side to brown it using butter or oil.
Once the chicken is browned, cover it in liquid to cook.
Liquids used for braising typically include white wine, chicken broth, apple juice, or beer. These liquids are brought to a simmer and the browned chicken is added to soak on low heat for an hour or so (at 350°).
The result is a very moist inner meat with a slightly crispy golden outer layer holding it all in.
If you are prone to overcooking chicken, this method is for you. It's hard to overcook chicken when it's surrounded by liquid! Be sure it isn't under cooked either; the internal temperature of safe, cooked chicken is 165°F.
With all of these combined techniques, and our quality free-range chicken, you're sure to have the juiciest chicken on the block!
With premium air-chilled chicken, every bite will be moist!
Whether you like white meat or dark, our Signature Chicken Variety Pack doesn't disappoint!