Kelli FosterSenior Contributing Food Editor
Kelli is a senior contributing food editor for the Kitchn. She is a graduate of the French Culinary Institute and author of the cookbooks,Vegetable Buddha bowls,The probiotic kitchen,Buddha come, InDaily Freekeh Meals. She lives in New Jersey.
Topical 1 mei 2019
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There is a lot of love for chicken fillet. The low fat content keeps it lean, nutritious and nutritious. It is easy to prepare and extremely versatile.
But because this meat itself is so lean, it lacks flavor. All it needs is an outside impulse. One of the easiest ways to improve flavor is to keep one ingredient in your pantry or refrigerator. I hope you're ready for juicy, flavorful chicken.
It's not a special sauce and you won't find it on the spice rack. Instead, the secret to the best chicken breast you'll ever cook is the juices in your jar of pickles. That's right: the tangy, juicy liquid you probably don't think about when you finish the jar. Earlier I shared my tip for storing pickle juice and this is one of the smartest ways you can use it.
This juicy liquid has a strong flavor with lots of spices, some of which are added to the meat to really bring the flavor to life. What also makes pickle juice such a great sauce is what it does to the texture of the chicken. Because of its low fat content, chicken breast can dry out quickly if overcooked. By placing it in this salty solution - even if only for an hour - the meat becomes tender and remains juicy and super juicy.
We've talked about the importance of brining with other lean meats, e.gpork chopsInTurkey— Well, the same principle applies here. A basic brine is essentially just a salt and water solution, with the option to add more flavorings. It works by breaking down some of the muscle tissue and helping the meat absorb moisture. Pickle juice meets the requirements of a brine solution due to its sodium content. The added pickle flavors make it a total solution for better chicken breasts.
If the taste of the brine alone is a bit too sharp for you, you can simply cut it with a little milk. You still get the benefits of super moist, tender and flavorful chicken, just with a milder flavor.
But don't just take it from me: This is the (not-so-secret) secret that has fueled so many people's love affair with Chick-fil-A. It's brine! Well before they are roasted to perfection, the chicken breasts are brined with pickle juice for super juicy, tender meat. People go crazy for this chicken. Waiting in seemingly endless lines and driving for miles to get your hands on it.
So whether you grill, broil, bake or fry it, brine your chicken breast with marinade before cooking it and you can skip the lines for dinner.
