The day I realized I was cooking chicken breast like steak and ruining it every time

I always thought high heat was the way to go for chicken breast. Get that pan screaming hot, slap it in, get a good sear. Every time I did it, the outside was tough and the inside was either dry or still raw. My buddy watched me cook once and said 'hey, are you trying to pan-sear a piece of poultry like it's beef?' That's when it clicked. I was using the wrong method for the wrong protein. Now I cook chicken breast on medium heat with the lid on, and it's actually juicy. Has anyone else been doing one cooking method for everything and had it blow up in their face?

3 comments

3 Comments

verawhite10d ago

Oh yeah, I went through the SAME thing. Now I pound mine even thickness, salt it ahead of time, and cook on medium with a lid and it comes out perfect every time.

the_oscar10d ago

Wait, you cooked chicken breast on screaming high heat with the lid off the whole time?

seth_harris369d ago

Did I just somehow miss the entire concept of "screaming high heat" being a bad idea? I did the exact same thing last month. Thought I was being smart by getting a good sear, ended up with a dry, sad hockey puck that tasted like burnt regret. Had to choke it down with a gallon of barbecue sauce. Now I do what Vera said. Pound it flat, salt it an hour before, medium heat with the lid on, and it actually stays juicy.