If the oil temperature and pan size are right, the breasts should be done with one turn in about six minutes. There's no need to pinch, prod, poke or push around the chicken. Turn them and saute for another three minutes. Drop in the breasts and saute until golden brown, about three minutes. If it sizzles enthusiastically for a split second and immediately turns golden, the pan is ready. Just to be sure, flick a little of the dredging flour into the pan. When you're a couple of minutes away from sauteing, increase the heat to a strong medium-high until the oil is hot but not smoking and the milk solids in the butter turn golden brown and smell nutty. I also like the almost-fried look and flavor of coated chicken breasts. A bare chicken breast tends to turn leathery from the high heat. Should chicken breasts be dredged in flour before sauteing? I think so. Removing the tenderloin makes the breast an almost even thickness, guaranteeing fast, even cooking. Also trim off the tenderloin, the small flap of skin on the underside of the breast. While the fat slowly comes to the proper temperature, trim the breast of excess fat and cartilage. The chicken breasts should fit in the pan comfortably with only a little space in between. Try cramming four into an 8-inch skillet, and you'll kill the heat and steam the meat. If you use a 12-inch skillet to saute one chicken breast, the large empty surface will smoke excessively. Just as important as heating the oil and butter to the right temperature is choosing the right-size skillet. Slow, steady heat keeps it from wildly sizzling, spitting, smoking and burning. As soon as you turn on the burner to low, add the butter and oil. Butter for flavor oil to increase the smoking point. Since neither oil nor butter is ideal, use a combination of the two. Over time, I've learned that to saute chicken breasts properly, you must start by heating the pan before you ever touch the chicken. I'm a pretty decent saute cook now, but I haven't always been. Sauteing is a simple technique, and once you learn it, you can cook chicken breasts, turkey cutlets, boneless pork chops and even fish fillets. In the intervening years, I've learned a lot about the art of sauteing and about boneless chicken. With all the special preparation and the fancy French title, those precious morsels were definitely dinner party fare. The recipe was Supremes de Volaille a Blanc from Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking." You couldn't buy boneless, skinless chicken breasts back then, so I selected whole ones and carefully halved, boned, skinned and trimmed them myself. I didn't cook my first boneless, skinless chicken breast until the late 1970s. A boneless, skinless chicken breast is often the quick, easy solution, even though they are often overcooked and our recipes for them tend toward the same old, same old. Squeeze out as much air as possible before sealing the bag and let the chicken hang out in the fridge for 2-3 days.For many households, the answer to the question, "What's for dinner tonight?" is the same. Spread the marinade all over the chicken breasts (I find that using my hands work best), and then place everything in a zip top bag (I use a quart-sized freezer bag). It might seem as if there's not very much to coat two chicken breasts, but never fear! The marinade is made of honey, salt, onion powder, and garlic powder, and will be a very thick paste-like consistency. Call it a homemade way of curing the meat, but without any chemical preservatives! The purpose of this step is not only to flavor the meat, but also to give the meat a slightly longer refrigerator "shelf life". It involves marinating the chicken breasts for at least 24 hours in salt, honey, and other seasonings. This deli meat is prepared using the Torihamu method, which I learned about through Just Bento's Homemade Chicken "Ham" recipe*. You don't need to make those giant deli loaves they have in the market, nor do you need a giant meat slicer.Īll it takes is 5 ingredients, some patience, and a very sharp knife and you are winning! Preparing and Curing
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