Much more difficult than it sounds, I’m sure you’ll agree. Chicken dries out so quick, almost the same way as a chocolate fondant will solidify in the blink of an eye. The trick is to be very quick and very hot, but let’s not forget that it must be heated right the way through, I’ve never met anyone who orders their chicken medium rare!
It took me a long time to master this, to get it perfect and after reading this, you’ll have perfect chicken too.
INGREDIENTS
Chicken breast fillet, mine are around 1 inch thick, at the thickest point and are skinless.
Lemon wedge
Fresh thyme, or dried. Dried thyme and oregano are the king and queen of dried herbs and are still pretty potent when awakened in hot oil.
Salt and fresh ground pepper
Knob of butter
Generous glug of olive oil
METHOD
Take the chicken out of the fridge ten mins prior to cooking.
Place on a board and remove any fat whilst maintaining a good shape, season generously with salt, pepper, thyme on both sides.
Pre heat oven to 200 degrees. (I have fan assisted oven)
Next heat a heavy bottomed pan with a knob of butter and a splash of olive oil, combine the two in the pan with a spatula. The butter gets a great crispy sear whilst the oil stops the butter from burning at high heat.
When the pan is smoking hot press your fillets down into the center of the pan, try to get every millimeter of the meat in contact with the pan. A quick, even sear will keep maximum moisture in the chicken.
2 minutes and 30 seconds on each side, keep them moving but don’t loose contact. Keep the pan very hot, as hot as you dare really.
Quickly transfer to an oven proof dish and place in the center oven for 6 minutes and 30 seconds, if your fillets are thicker you’ll need to adjust the time by another 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Once cooked transfer the chicken to a clean board an allow to rest for one minute, this is important for the meat to retain maximum moisture and also to finish it’s cooking process.
Slice the breast diagonally from right to left so you see a good cross section of the meat and transfer to your plate.
Add a quick squeeze of lemon and your good to go.
The Home Diners Diary 