While thinking about this question, I realized that I don’t use boneless, skinless chicken breasts very often, so I’m looking forward to hearing how Kimberly and other people use them in their meals. I almost always use a whole chicken to roast or for soup; bone-in skin-on breasts for roasting; and chicken thighs for chili. When I do use boneless, skinless chicken breasts, the three dishes that I make over and over are:
1. Chicken in the Indian simmer sauce Tikka Masala (I buy the sauce pre made). I cube the chicken and simmer it in the sauce, usually with cubed potatoes or cauliflower, and serve it over rice. It’s really easy and ready by the time the rice is done cooking.
2. I roast the chicken with olive oil and salt, and then cube it for chicken pot pie.
3. I roast the chicken breasts to use in packed lunches and thinly slice them to serve on top of green salad or in the kids’ lunches for finger food.
Since they cook quickly and are so versatile, boneless chicken breasts are a favorite weekday protein of mine. I always have the ingredients for our preferred preparations of chicken breast on hand, so I don’t have to think too much about it at the store. As long as I pick up the chicken, we are set for one meal, and leftovers at least for one lunch. I have cooked all three of these dishes so much that they are now very easy for me, and fortunately everyone likes them.
- Kung Pao Chicken – my mom started cooking this dish when we were younger, and it has been a favorite of mine ever since! On those days when I am really organized, I will cut up the chicken into bite-size pieces and measure out the sauce ingredients ahead of time, making it even faster to cook.
- Sautéed Chicken Breast with Pan Sauce – I like to pound the chicken flatter so it will cook evenly, and so it will cook faster. I simply season the chicken with salt and pepper, dredge it in flour (shaking off any excess) and then cook in a pan that I’ve heated with about 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. They take about 4-6 minutes per side. While they are cooling down, I make a simple pan sauce to serve over the chicken.
- Breaded Chicken – Just like with the sautéed chicken breasts, I also pound these thinner. After seasoning, I dredge first in flour, then egg, then Italian breadcrumbs. A trick I learned years ago is to set these on a wire rack for about 5 minutes before cooking so that the breading won’t fall off during cooking. I also cook these in a combination of butter and oil. I serve with lemon slices. If you want, you can also grate Parmesan, or any other spices or herbs into the breadcrumbs for added flavor.
