Every time I had the chicken, I was fascinated at how soft and tender the meat was, especially the chicken breast meat. I asked the chef if they gave the chicken some special treatment, maybe marinaded it in lemon juice or some other tenderizing agent but he said not. Anyway, I was not going to push any further for an answer, but decided to come and experiment with it when I get back home.
Once back in my kitchen, I thought about it again and it dawned on me that the chicken in the hotel was always thinly sliced and when I make my Thai Curry, I also slice it thinly, so that had to be the trick..... I will explain the method in a minute, but I have to tell you, the grilled chicken breast I had the other night, was as delicious as the ones I had in the hotel and from now on grilled chicken will be on our menu more often, because it is so healthy, ready in a flash and utterly delicious!! Let's make it together...
Grilled Chicken Breast
Ingredients
2-4 organic chicken breasts - de-boned and skinless
lemon juice
olive oil
Slice the chicken breast in half, lengthwise so that you have two "fillets". With the edge of a saucer or a meat mallet gently tenderize and flatten the meat to break up the stringy fibers. Squeeze the lemon juice on the chicken and then rub with some olive oil. Season with the Peppadew Seasoning and set aside. Heat your griddle pan or wait for your coals to burn out. When ready, grill the chicken for about 2-3 minutes on each side on a high heat. Do not overcook, the chicken must remain juicy and soft. These delicious grilled chicken breasts are now ready for enjoying on their own with a wonderful pasta salad that I will share in my next post or you can use it for sandwiches, chicken burgers or even salads. Go on, try it!! Let me know what you think....... use your own spices and rubs and share with us!!!
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22 comments:
Hey Nina, I also started using chicken more over the holidays. What I do with mine is use either strips or cubes of chicken, and slowly fry them in butter over a medium heat. For part of the time I put the lid on to keep the heat in. For the last minute or so I crank up the heat just to brown the outsides a little. The chicken ends up so soft, delicious. I have been using it in a brocoli pasta dish tha we have been having once a week.
How clever, Nina!! PPD
How clever, Nina!! PPD
How clever, Nina!! PPD
This makes perfect sense Nina!!!!
Yup, that's pretty much how we do them around here at Chez Cooksister :) Nothing worse than a stringy dry chicken breast! These look divine.
this would also be great on top of caesar salad...
What fantastic advice, thanks.
Nothing worse than dry chicken - great post Nina and another excellent photo.
What a fantastic discovery! :)
If I do curry and use chicken thighs they are more tender than the breast. This chicken looks really yummy.
Hi Nina, We have chicken breasts at least twice a week for supper in all sorts of ways - As Tracy we used to have a chicken and broccoli pasta once a week and my family loves it. This looks very nice.
Oh, what a good idea Nina. I always soak chicken breasts in plain yoghurt for an hour or so, to tenderise them, but I will try this method when I don't have an hour to waste! Thanks for this useful post.
I bet the fresh lemon juice makes all the difference in the world in terms of freshness and flavor in this dish.
Sam
Hello! Great post. I'll follow this next time I make grilled chicken! Thanks!
Ooh this recipe looks so delicious!
Looks and sounds delicious! Love the picture.
Your grilled chicken looks deliciously tender! The key is definitely not to overcook them. Most of us tend to err on the side of caution when cooking chicken, which inevitably results in dry stringy chicken. Bleurghgh.
The method that I use is very similar to yours, but I use the chicken breasts whole (no cutting in half), then rub them with some spices (I like a mix of cumin, paprika, coriander and cinnamon), and fry in a little bit of oil in a non-stick pan for about 8 - 10 minutes. The chicken will be browned on the outside, but should still feel plump to the touch. If you're unsure, you can make a cut in one of the breasts to ensure it is cooked through, but later on you'll be able to feel when it's done without cutting it open. To further lock in the juices, I only salt my chicken breasts after they've been sealed (browned) on all sides. I find that if I salt it earlier, it tends to draw moisture out, ending in a dryer breast.
Three cheers for succulent chicken breasts!
I'm not a fan of chicken breast either, but yours looks so good that I think I'll have to try it!
I think that chickenbreast must be on my all time favorite list of meats! I use it a lot although not often whole, more like you , mostly cut into pieces.
Nina, I sometimes pound them out to thin paillards or, add some yougurt to regular chicken breasts...great tenderizer.
There's nothing like tender chicken breasts cooked perfectly! Yours look wonderful. Good tips!
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