Chicken Breast

I’ve heard a lot of people comment over the years that white-meat chicken is dry. True, it’s not as fatty as dark meat, but it’s not dry when it’s cooked properly. The important thing to remember is that as soon as it’s no longer pink inside, you want to get it off the heat. If you don’t see pink, it’s cooked. You don’t need to cook it another five minutes “just to be sure.” All that will do is dry it out. Additionally, it’s important that you start cooking it at a high heat and don’t overcrowd it in the pan. If the heat isn’t high enough or the pan is too small for the amount of chicken, excess moisture will build up and you won’t get that browning on the outside that is so delicious. These basic tips, along with misting or very lightly rubbing chicken breasts with olive oil to create a protective coating of sorts, will keep you from needing tons of fat to make absolutely scrumptious chicken dishes.

Everyone who knows me knows chicken parmesan was one of the major reasons I was overweight. Though I certainly don’t eat the deep-fried version these days, I do still love the incredible combination of tender chicken, perfectly seasoned marinara sauce, and gooey cheese. Here is one of the all-time easiest versions that’s especially great for low-carbers, as it’s not breaded. If you prefer the more traditional breaded chicken parmesan, I have a quick answer for you too: Just pop over to page 118 and try the Unbelievably Easy Chicken Parmesan. Or, better yet, try both!

Soaking chicken in buttermilk is an amazing, guilt-free way to make it super-tender and juicy. I’ve converted more folks to unfried chicken by soaking the chicken in buttermilk than I could possibly recall. Just be sure you don’t overcook the chicken. If you do, not only will the chicken not be plump and juicy, the juice that should have been inside will run out and make the breading soggy.

The key to this sandwich is perfectly cooked chicken. Because this sub is jam-packed with grilled chicken, it’s important that the chicken isn’t dry or the sandwich will be dry. Just follow the directions for Basic Grilled Chicken (page 219), and you’ll be well on your way to prepping a delicious sub for the entire family. I love making the chicken on Sunday so I have it to use in recipes like this one over the next few days.

Pat: In Memphis, barbecued meats are ordered either “dry” or “wet. “Dry” meats are coated with a dry spice rub before they’re cooked, and often sprinkled with those seasonings when they come off the grill. “Wet” meats are slathered with barbecue sauce. Folks who crave a double dose of flavor, like me, order foods “wet and dry,” meaning that the meat is sprinkled with dry rub before being cooked, then slathered with sauce afterward. This Memphis pit tradition has found its way into the repertoire of home cooks as well. The application of a dry rub works for meats cooked on the grill or, as our mothers are fond of doing, in the oven. In this recipe, we douse our chicken with a dry rub and then bake it in barbecue sauce. The result is moist, flavorful, falling-off-the-bone tender chicken. We serve this saucy chicken with steamed rice or hot buttered rolls to soak up all the tomatoey goodness, and the accompanying vegetables on the side. It’s no wonder the Neely boys became so good with the grill when Momma was feeding us dishes like this from her kitchen oven.

Gina: This dish is a Southerner’s take on the classic French style sauté of chicken, shallots, cream, and tarragon a killer combination of flavors. Give this recipe to anyone who claims they don’t have time to make dinner, because it comes together in minutes, and the results are just as good as or better than anything you can order at a restaurant. I like to serve this dish with white rice to soak up the cream sauce, some steamed green beans with butter, and a crisp white wine. I remember complaining about being served chicken when I was a little girl, and my mother telling me, “Chicken is the house steak.” She was right! My mother could work a chicken over, from grilling, boiling, frying, baking, and so on she served it so many ways that I thought she was a magician. Well, you know the old adage that you become your mother? Spenser asked me the same question the other night (“Chicken again?”), and I couldn’t do anything but respond, “Chicken is the house steak.” We both laughed, and all those memories came flooding back to me. I loved it!

A plain old grilled chicken breast can be a bit uninspired, so we like to jazz up our breasts (who said that?) in this version of grilled chicken salad that has plenty of moxie. The marinade of fresh lemon juice and zest, olive oil, and fresh herbs infuses the chicken with a bright, sunny flavor (so yummy that you’ll want to use the marinade again and again for grilled meats). Here we team the grilled chicken with potatoes, celery, green olives, pistachios, and a creamy mayonnaise dressing for an over-the-top texture-and-flavor combination. This recipe doubles or triples beautifully, so it’s great for special lunches (think birthday parties, anniversaries, or bridal showers). It’s also great with a glass of chilled white wine and a crackly baguette.

Gina: Few dishes are as soothing or as comforting as this creamy stew of poached chicken and tender egg noodles. As kids, when any of us were feeling low, we could always count on my mom (these days she’s known as Grandma Jean) to have a pot of this soup on the stove. It seemed to me that anytime I had a bowl of it I was instantly cured. I’m not sure if it was the combination of ingredients, or the love my mother put in every pot, but I know that now, when I make it for my family, they feel the same way. Grandma Jean would simmer a whole chicken for hours (Grandma Jean took her time with everything). We, however, who always seem to be pressed for time, have thankfully found a way to create similar flavors with a shortcut (don’t tell Grandma!). We poach sliced chicken breasts to juicy perfection in the stock, and then add green peas and lemon juice for a final layer of fresh flavors and color. This one comes with our Neely guarantee: One bowl of this stew and you are on your way to recovery. Thanks, Mom!

Here is a quick, tasty, and light dish that can also be done with veal scallopine or turkey-breast cutlets. Served with a tossed salad, it’s all you need for a great summer meal. Leftovers, if there are any, make a tasty sandwich stuffer.

This is a more contemporary version of one of the standbys of Italian-American cooking. Instead of coating a thin, breaded, and fried chicken cutlet with tomato sauce, I like to top a chicken thigh with sliced fresh tomatoes and slices of fresh mozzarella or Fontina cheese.A light sauce made with fresh tomatoes and basil finishes the plate. Fontina is a mellow, lightly aged cow’s-milk cheese that melts beautifully. Take the time to search out Italian Fontina—you’ll appreciate the creamy difference. You can prepare this dish using veal or pork cutlets as well (see variations below).

The finished sauce will be lightly thickened by the bread crumbs that fall into it as the chicken bakes. My favorite way to serve this is with simply steamed green beans: set the chicken on top of the beans and pour the tasty sauce around the chicken, not over it—you want the bread crumbs to stay crunchy.

The title of this dish, alla sorrentina, means it comes from Sorrento, across the bay from Naples. You may have had this dish prepared with mozzarella cheese, which is the cheese of the area, but I am showing you an alternative way here, using Fontina. Use whichever you like, and whichever you can get. By the way, alla sorrentina is a good indicator that the dish you order will contain eggplant in some form or another. If you prepare this dish without the eggplant, you’ll have scallopine alla bolognese. You can add a little elegance to the dish by straining the sauce as you spoon it onto plates. That is something I do in my restaurants. But in my home—and most likely in yours—the sauce is just fine the way it comes out of the baking dish.

Cooking is all about making decisions. Sometimes you have to decide if you are going to have great looks or great flavor. Of course, I try to have both, but if it is ever a question of giving up one or the other, I always go for the best flavor. In this dish, for example, lightly cooked peppers would look brighter, but I prefer the flavor of peppers that have simmered until they begin to break down. So I cook them longer, for better flavor. Choosing two different-color peppers helps make up for what little we lose in appearance by cooking the peppers fully. Fresh herb sprigs serve as more than decoration. The heat from the dish releases the aroma and adds to the enjoyment.

Cerignolas are large green olives, each the size of a plump almond, with a very nutty, buttery flavor. They are usually kept in brine. If you cannot find them, other brined green olives will do. But use the ones with pits, which you will remove. They have more flavor.

You have all seen those large, wax-coated provolone cheeses hanging like oversized pears in Italian groceries. When the same cheese is made into smaller shapes, which are hung to dry only briefly, they are sold as a softer, milder cheese known as provola. The wonderful soft texture of the cheese is perfect for this reinforced soup. If you cannot find provola, substitute a young soft cheese like Fontina or fresh Pecorino. You can use fresh mozzarella, but it will be very stringy when ladling and eating the soup. Boiling the meatballs before adding them to the soup may seem a little odd, but it removes some of the raw-meat flavor and helps keep the clear flavors of the soup intact.

Although white rice is always included in the fast-food version of this dish, I left it out here. It would have added about 100 calories per serving, and these burritos are really good without it—even better, I think. If you can’t find corn salsa, buy fresh refrigerated salsa and stir in some low-sodium canned corn.