Butterflying a chicken breast means cutting the thick part of the breast so that the chicken cooks evenly. This simple, delicious chicken can be served over a grain or a salad. It is pictured here, sliced over pesto pasta and asparagus.
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 breast
Salt
- ¼ teaspoon
Pepper
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Oil
- 1-2 teaspoon canola, avocado, peanut, sesame or light olive oil
Lemon
- juice of ½ lemon
Instructions
Step 1
Preheat oven to 400F.
Step 2
Trim the chicken bread and carefully butterfly.
Step 3
Heat a flat-bottomed pan over medium high heat. Wait for the pan to be extremely hot. A good test to see if your pan has finished preheating is to splash a drop of water in the pan. If it evaporates instantly, you are ready to go.
Step 4
While your pan is heating, season your chicken.Season the butterflied chicken breast with salt, pepper, and whatever other seasonings your recipe calls for. Be sure the seasoning is evenly dispersed around the chicken.
Step 5
With your pan hot and chicken properly seasoned, put the vegetable oil in the pan. If 1 tsp of oil is not enough to coat the pan, use more.
Step 6
Place the chicken breast in the pan with the oil. Let cook for approximately 3-5 minutes (until the chicken releases from the pan. If it is still sticking, let it cook longer), it should be golden brown in color.
Step 7
Flip the chicken and continue to cook on the other side for another 3-5 minutes until golden.
Step 8
Check the chicken to see if it is fully cooked through (165F or cut into it). If it is not, you can continue to cook it in the 400F oven.