Master Recipe for Sauteed Chicken Breasts
By America's Test KitchenPublished on September 12, 2011
Time
25 minutes
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 ½ pounds), rinsed and dried thoroughlySalt and ground black pepper ¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour 1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter 1 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil
Instructions
- Sprinkle 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon pepper on both sides of the cutlets. Measure flour onto a plate or pie tin. Working with one cutlet at a time, press both sides into the flour. Make sure tenderloin is tucked beneath and fused to main portion of breast. Pick up cutlet from tapered end; shake gently to remove excess flour.
- Heat butter and oil in a heavy bottomed skillet measuring at least 9 inches across bottom. Swirl skillet over high heat until butter has melted. Continue to heat skillet until butter stops foaming and has just begun to color. Lay cutlets in skillet, tenderloin side down.
- Maintain medium high heat, so fat sizzles but does not smoke, and sauté cutlets until browned on one side, about 4 minutes. Turn cutlets with tongs (a fork will pierce meat); cook on other size until meat feels firm when pressed and clotted juices begin to emerge around tenderloin, 3 to 4 minutes. Serve immediately, or if making one of the sauces, transfer cutlets to a plate, keep warm in oven set at lowest temperature possible, and continue with recipe.
Time
25 minutesYield
Serves 4Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 ½ pounds), rinsed and dried thoroughly
Salt and ground black pepper
¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter
1 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 ½ pounds), rinsed and dried thoroughly
Salt and ground black pepper
¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter
1 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 ½ pounds), rinsed and dried thoroughly
Salt and ground black pepper
¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter
1 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
Our ideal sautéed chicken breast recipe would have to produce chicken with a nicely browned exterior and a tender, juicy interior. Although there are several keys to sautéing boneless chicken breasts correctly, one element was paramount for our sautéed chicken breast recipe: there must be enough heat. Other points we found to be significant were drying the meat thoroughly with paper towels after rinsing under cool water and lightly flouring the cutlets. Flouring serves two purposes: It creates a barrier between the fat in the pan and the moisture in the cutlet so that the fat "spits" less, and it helps to produce a consistently brown and crispy crust.
Instructions
- Sprinkle 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon pepper on both sides of the cutlets. Measure flour onto a plate or pie tin. Working with one cutlet at a time, press both sides into the flour. Make sure tenderloin is tucked beneath and fused to main portion of breast. Pick up cutlet from tapered end; shake gently to remove excess flour.
- Heat butter and oil in a heavy bottomed skillet measuring at least 9 inches across bottom. Swirl skillet over high heat until butter has melted. Continue to heat skillet until butter stops foaming and has just begun to color. Lay cutlets in skillet, tenderloin side down.
- Maintain medium high heat, so fat sizzles but does not smoke, and sauté cutlets until browned on one side, about 4 minutes. Turn cutlets with tongs (a fork will pierce meat); cook on other size until meat feels firm when pressed and clotted juices begin to emerge around tenderloin, 3 to 4 minutes. Serve immediately, or if making one of the sauces, transfer cutlets to a plate, keep warm in oven set at lowest temperature possible, and continue with recipe.
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