Chicken breast

Why

Chicken breast is a lean muscle with almost no fat or collagen, so unlike the thighs it has nothing that holds juices or masks dryness when overcooked; the further it heats beyond the target temperature, the more the muscle proteins contract and squeeze out juice. It is also uneven: the thin end is done before the thick one, and by the time the thick end is cooked the thin end has dried out. That is why thick breasts are split horizontally or gently pounded under film to an even thickness. Safety depends on the temperature in the thickest part: US authorities give 74 °C for poultry, the UK FSA and the German BfR 70 °C for 2 minutes and poultry with no pink; lower temperatures are only safe with a much longer hold – the FSA gives 65 °C for 10 minutes, for example – which a pan can't deliver. Juiciness, then, comes not from undercooking but from precision: take the meat off the heat as soon as the thermometer shows the required temperature, rather than cooking it on according to the recipe's timing.

How to do it

• Split thick breasts horizontally into two thinner pieces, or gently pound them under film to an even thickness.
• Salt them well ahead, or just before they go into the pan, not a little while before – see the Salting meat ahead card.
• Pat the meat dry before searing and cook it in a well-heated pan so a crust forms before the inside dries out.
• Measure in the thickest part: take the meat off as soon as it reads 74 °C, or, as in European practice, 70 °C held for 2 minutes.
• Let the cooked meat rest for a few minutes before slicing.

If it goes wrong

If the thermometer reads too low, return the meat to the pan or sauce and measure again shortly; finish cut slices in the pan. Overcooked, dry breast won't turn juicy again: slice it thinly or shred it and serve it in a sauce, soup or salad with dressing. Next time even out the thickness and measure earlier.