Kitchen Magic: How to Cook Moist and Tender Chicken Breasts

Boneless skinless chicken breasts - is there anything more boring? They are difficult to cook and often served dry, chewy and tasteless. After many attempts to make exciting dishes with BSCBs, we now avoid them in favor of the more tasty (and forgiving) thighs.

We do have one method, however, that makes unfailingly juicy and succulent boneless skinless chicken breasts. We have given up on all our fancy experimentation and, when confronted with a pair of the little buggers, return to this with very consistent and satisfying results. Even so, each time still feels like magic.

This method takes trust; you can't check them or really watch them cooking. But I promise that if you follow this method exactly you won't be disappointed. I learned it from the old Joy of Cooking, which gives this method its special label: Cockaigne, reserved for only their personal favorite and best recipes.

Moist and Tender Chicken Breasts

2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, of even thickness
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup flour
Handful of herbs (optional)
Olive oil and butter

If you have a little time before cooking dinner, lightly salt and pepper the chicken breasts. It's great if you can do this the night before, but it's not necessary.

Mix about a half teaspoon of salt in with the flour along with a little pepper. Chop the herbs finely, if using, and mix in as well.

Dredge both sides of the chicken lightly in the flour.

Heat a large heavy skillet (with a lid) over medium high heat, with a little olive oil and about half a tablespoon of butter. Quickly sear both sides of the chicken breast until just faintly golden; you don't want the insides to cook much at all.

Cover tightly and turn the heat down very low. Cook for 10 minutes without lifting the lid. Remove from the heat and let sit for another 10 minutes, still tightly covered.