Three Favorite Chicken Breast Recipes

Earlier this summer, we kicked off our new food series: one ingredient, three ways. So far, we’ve featured chickpeas and eggs, and this week we’re turning to chicken breasts. Because it’s so easy to make chicken breasts boring, I often forget how easy it is to make them utterly sumptuous. The three recipes today — from cookbook authors Odette Williams, Christina Chaey, and Dan Pelosi — are so delectable that I now have a freezer full of poultry. Set aside your memories of dry, pallid cutlets, and check out these the all-stars…

Odette Williams, cookbook author and writer of the newsletter Devour

“Here’s the thing about this chicken piccata: Everyone – and I mean everyone — loves it. It’s so simple and comes together lickety split, but it has a restaurant-quality specialness. Whenever I make this for my son’s friends, they think I’m some kind of magician. It’s a glossy, lemony, bold-flavored classic that always delivers.”

Odette’s Chicken Piccata
Serves 4

2 skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 lbs)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
6 tbsp cold, unsalted butter, divided
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/3 cup white wine
3/4 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp drained capers
A handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Cut each chicken breast in half, horizontally. Working with one at a time, place each piece between two sheets of parchment paper, and use a meat tenderizer or rolling pin to pound to an even 1/4 to 1/8-inch thickness. On a large plate, combine flour, a little salt, and a few generous cranks of pepper. Dredge each piece of chicken through the seasoned flour.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add two chicken pieces and sauté until golden (about three minutes per side). Transter to a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken, adding a splash more oil if needed. Set cooked chicken aside on a plate, somewhere warm.

Reduce heat to low. Add three tablespoons of butter and the sliced garlic, and gently sauté until they turn golden (1-2 minutes). Add wine and cook until the liquid is reduced by half (1-2 minutes). Add stock and cook to reduce for another 3-4 minutes. Stir in lemon juice, capers, remaining three tablespoons of butter, and parsley. (Some days I add in a little extra butter here.) Give the skillet a shimmy to help emulsify the sauce.

Return chicken to skillet and coat in sauce. Season as needed and serve — in the skillet or on a warmed serving platter, with sauce poured overtop. Ta da!

Christina Chaey, recipe developer and writer of the newsletter Gentle Foods

“I often buy chicken breasts and broccoli for the week — and nine times out of 10, I end up using them to make this quick sesame chicken recipe, developed by my old colleague, Rhoda Boone. It’s light yet comforting and super delicious. The recipe calls for steaming the broccoli in a separate pot (which isn’t as fussy as it seems, I promise), but if you’re making stovetop rice, you can instead throw the broccoli florets on top of the rice in the last two or three minutes of cooking; the broccoli will cook in the residual steam from the rice. Can you tell I’m an expert at making this meal?”

Quick Sesame Chicken With Broccoli
Recipe by Rhoda Boone
Serves 4

1 1/2 cups quick-cooking white rice
1 3/4 tsps kosher salt, divided, plus more
8 cups broccoli florets
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, thighs, or a mix, patted dry and cut into 1-inch chunks
4 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp honey
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp Sriracha
1 large clove garlic, finely grated
1 tsp finely grated ginger
1 1/2 tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds, divided
2 scallions, thinly sliced

Cook rice with a pinch of salt, according to package directions. Set a steamer basket in a medium pot filled with an inch of water. Cover and bring water to a boil. Steam broccoli, covered, until crisp-tender (5–6 minutes). Drain and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk cornstarch, pepper, and 1 1/2 tsp salt. Add chicken and toss to coat. Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a large skillet over a high heat. Add half of the chicken and cook, turning occasionally, until chicken is cooked through and a light brown crust forms (about five minutes). Meanwhile, whisk together honey, soy sauce, vinegar, Sriracha, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, 1 tbsp sesame seeds, and remaining 1/4 tsp salt in a medium bowl.

Transfer first batch of chicken to a plate. Heat remaining 2 tbsp vegetable oil and cook remaining chicken. Add sauce to skillet, along with the first batch of chicken. Toss well and cook until sauce is reduced and thickened (about two minutes). Fold in reserved broccoli, toss to coat, and remove from heat. Divide chicken and broccoli among four plates and top with scallions and remaining 1 tbsp sesame seeds. Serve with rice on the side.

Dan Pelosi, food writer and author of Let’s Party and Let’s Eat

“I grew up deeply immersed in chicken-cutlet culture. There was a pile available to eat at all times. Throw a cutlet onto a plate with any other food, and it just makes sense — kind of like a purse that works with every outfit. No one can resist a good chicken cutlet, and I can proudly say mine are some of the best out there. There’s parmesan and lemon zest in the panko coating, and brown mustard in the egg wash. It adds depth of flavor without complicated ingredients. You can use these cutlets as a salad base (or topping), for chicken parm or a sub, or just with a pinch of salt or squeeze of lemon on top.”

Grossy’s Chicken Cutlets
Serves 3-4

3 lbs boneless skinless thin-cut chicken breasts
1 cup flour (any kind, including gluten-free flours, will work!)
2 eggs
2 tbsp spicy brown mustard
1 cup plain panko (breadcrumbs work too — I just prefer panko)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Zest of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper
Olive oil, or other neutral frying oil

Get set up to coat your cutlets. I like to do them all in one pass, as the process sort of kidnaps your hands — so you might as well just get it over with at once. Grab two small trays or plates and two medium bowls. Place your cutlets in one tray. In one bowl, add flour. In the other bowl, add eggs and mustard. Whisk to combine. In the other tray, add panko, parmesan, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Use your hands to combine.

Set the trays and bowls out on your countertop and start coating your cutlets in this order: flour, egg, panko. The desire to perfectly coat each cutlet and not make a mess while doing it should be abandoned immediately — perfection doesn’t taste good! As you coat each cutlet, place them on a tray.

Grab your largest frying pan and fill it with oil (it should be about 1/4 inch deep). Place the oil over medium heat for a few minutes to get it ready for frying. Grab a pair of tongs if you have them — they’ll help you handle the cutlets as you fry. Line a baking sheet with paper towels and set it on the counter, near the stove. Working in batches, place cutlets in the hot oil (do not crowd the pan), and let them fry on each side for about 4-5 minutes. Be sure to move them around in your pan as there will be hot spots, and we want cutlets to cook evenly! Once they’re golden-brown, remove from the oil and rest them on the lined baking sheet. On your first round of cutlets, cut into one of them to ensure they’re cooked through. Note your timing, and adjust as needed for the next rounds.

You can keep cutlets warm in a 200°F oven during and after your fry. (Just don’t leave them TOO long or they’ll dry out.) From here, you can use them however you’d like. Serve hot or at room temperature (room-temp cutlets make an amazing sandwich). Enjoy!

Thank you, Odette, Christina, and Dan! Do you have a favorite way to make chicken breasts? Tell me all about it — my freezer beckons!

P.S. More great chicken recipes, including easy curried-chicken sandwiches and a five-ingredient chicken dinner (with lemony spinach — yum!).

(Chicken piccata photos by Matt Russell. Sesame chicken photo by Chelsea Kyle, with prop styling by Alex Brannian and food styling by Rhoda Boone; sesame chicken recipe by Rhoda Boone, originally published on Epicurious. Chicken cutlets photo by Dan Pelosi.)