I have to confess I am not the biggest fan of eating chicken breast or white meat as it is often called. The reasons being firstly, the meat can be easily overcooked, or cooked using a technique not suited to the ‘structure’ of the meat, resulting in a dry chewy experience. Second, there is not much flavour in the meat itself as it is lower in fat than it’s neighbour, the thigh or leg, and is often bought without the skin on. Both the fat and skin on meat add heaps of flavour and moisture during the cooking process, so when these two things are missing, it is no wonder why the chicken breast can be a ‘boring, tasteless, dry and chewy’ experience.
I appreciate some people don’t like to eat meat on the bone, nor do they like fat or skin. I also appreciate these same diners do like TASTE, TEXTURE and enjoyment from every bite of meat they take.
My challenge was to come up with a chicken breast recipe which was quick, versatile and most importantly, tasty, succulent and full of flavour. Because this is such a quick recipe, I’ve also included instructions of cooking some potatoes & courgettes / zucchini to accompany the chicken. The fact that this whole meal can be ready on your table within 15 minutes has got to be a bonus!
To maintain the moisture in the meat, it has got to be cooked very fast. This means doing a little ‘work out’ on your meat, so it is not as thick. If you cook meat under a high heat, the outer layer will be quickly cooked, thus sealing all the meat juices within the body of outer sealed layer. This is important to achieve the moisture we want. So roll your sleeves up and get your skates on for a very fast cooking experience!
You will need :
A small saucepan for the potatoes
A frying pan
A meat hammer (or end of a rolling pin)
Plastic wrap
Ingredients:
1 Chicken breast fillet
1 medium potato
1/2 Courgette / zucchini (cut as you see in the photo here)
1 clove garlic
3 – 4 Teaspoons Olive Oil
2 Teaspoons Dried Tarragon
3 Teaspoons Lemon juice
Redcurrant Jelly (optional)
Salt & Pepper
Instructions:
1. Boil the kettle, peel potato and cut into 2 cm pieces and place in pan.
2. Add the boiled hot water to the potatoes and cook on the hob. This should take approximately 3-4 minutes. Once cooked (test with a knife if the potato is soft) drain the water and leave in the pan. We will return to the potatoes later.
3. Make up a quick wet marinade. Add the garlic, lemon juice, tarragon, olive oil & salt and pepper into a mortar and pestle and beat until mashed together. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, mix together in a bowl, you will need to pass the garlic through a garlic press first.
4. Place your plastic wrap on top of a chopping board, making sure the wrap will be long enough to fold over the top of the chicken (see photo at step 7), then place the chicken breast on the wrap.
5. Turn the breast over – you will notice the underside has a slight cut from where it was removed from the bone.
6. Taking a sharp knife, place it where the cut is already, and cut all the way along the length of the breast. Do not cut the breast any deeper that 2 cm from the bottom. We just want to cut through the breast 2/3 deep
Over turned breast on the plastic wrap
Follow the cut with your knife
Cut 2/3 deep into the meat lengthways
7. Turn the chicken breast over and spread it out. Place the plastic wrap over the chicken. (You should now have a layer of plastic wrap underneath and over the chicken).
8. Very gently, hit the chicken all over so it is 2 cm in thickness. Make sure you get an even thickness through out. Do not hit too hard as you will break right through the meat and have holes in it. This should only take 30 seconds!
Cover the chicken with the plastic wrap
flatten the meat
marinade meat
9. Start heating up the frying pan. It needs to be very hot.
10. Place the meat in a dish and pour the marinade (garlic, tarragon etc) over the meat, turn and make sure the marinade is underneath too.
11. Whilst waiting for your frying pan to get hot, cut the zucchini length ways and then in to halves and halves again (see photo below)
12. Place the chicken in the pan, and add the potatoes & courgettes / zucchini to the dish that had the chicken marinating (just to use up the marinade). Move them around a bit so they take up the left over marinade.
13. Let the chicken cook for 2 1/2 minutes, and turn over to cook the other side for 2 1/2 minutes. Use an implement to push the chicken down into the pan GENTLY if you see thicker parts of meat. When juices run clear, remove the chicken on to a side plate and cover with some foil or a saucer. This will allow the chicken to cook a little longer in some steam, and also develop juices whilst the meat relaxes.
NOTE:
Do not add any oil to the pan. this will cause a lot of smoke, and it is not necessary. There is oil on the chicken from the marinade which will stop the meat from sticking to the pan.
cooking in the frying pan
add vegetables to pan
14. Add the vegetables and potatoes to the same pan, add salt & pepper. – In the photos above, do you see how hot the pan is? Stir the potatoes so they are browned on all sides, turn the courgettes / zucchini when each side is browned. This should take no more than 2-3 minutes.
15. Whilst you’re waiting for the vegetables, slice the chicken breast, arrange on the plate and then add the potatoes and courgettes
- 1 Chicken breast fillet
- 1 medium potato
- 1/2 Courgette / zucchini
- 1 clove garlic
- 3 - 4 Teaspoons Olive Oil
- 2 Teaspoons Dried Tarragon
- 3 Teaspoons Lemon juice
- Redcurrant Jelly optional
- Salt & Pepper
-
Boil the kettle, peel potato and cut into 2 cm pieces and place in pan.
-
Add the boiled hot water to the potatoes and cook on the hob. This should take approximately 3-4 minutes. Once cooked (test with a knife if the potato is soft) drain the water and leave in the pan. We will return to the potatoes later.
-
Make up a quick wet marinade. Add the garlic, lemon juice, tarragon, olive oil & salt and pepper into a mortar and pestle and beat until mashed together. If you don't have a mortar and pestle, mix together in a bowl, you will need to pass the garlic through a garlic press first.
-
Place your plastic wrap on top of a chopping board, making sure the wrap will be long enough to fold over the top of the chicken (see photo at step 7), then place the chicken breast on the wrap.
-
Turn the breast over - you will notice the underside has a slight cut from where it was removed from the bone.
-
Taking a sharp knife, place it where the cut is already, and cut all the way along the length of the breast. Do not cut the breast any deeper that 2 cm from the bottom. We just want to cut through the breast 2/3 deep
-
Turn the chicken breast over and spread it out. Place the plastic wrap over the chicken. (You should now have a layer of plastic wrap underneath and over the chicken).
-
Very gently, hit the chicken all over so it is 2 cm in thickness. Make sure you get an even thickness through out. Do not hit too hard as you will break right through the meat and have holes in it. This should only take 30 seconds!
-
Start heating up the frying pan. It needs to be very hot.
-
Place the meat in a dish and pour the marinade (garlic, tarragon etc) over the meat, turn and make sure the marinade is underneath too.
-
Whilst waiting for your frying pan to get hot, cut the zucchini length ways and then in to halves and halves again (see photo below)
-
Place the chicken in the pan, and add the potatoes & courgettes / zucchini to the dish that had the chicken marinating (just to use up the marinade). Move them around a bit so they take up the left over marinade.
-
Let the chicken cook for 2 1/2 minutes, and turn over to cook the other side for 2 1/2 minutes. Use an implement to push the chicken down into the pan GENTLY if you see thicker parts of meat. When juices run clear, remove the chicken on to a side plate and cover with some foil or a saucer. This will allow the chicken to cook a little longer in some steam, and also develop juices whilst the meat relaxes.
-
Do not add any oil to the pan. this will cause a lot of smoke, and it is not necessary. There is oil on the chicken from the marinade which will stop the meat from sticking to the pan.
-
Add the vegetables and potatoes to the same pan, add salt & pepper. - In the photo to the right, do you see how hot the pan is? Stir the potatoes so they are browned on all sides, turn the courgettes / zucchini when each side is browned. This should take no more than 2-3 minutes.
-
Whilst you're waiting for the vegetables, slice the chicken breast, arrange on the plate and then add the potatoes and courgettes
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