Free Range Chicken Breasts.

Chicken is a very popular Meat in almost all its different cuts. My Partner loves Chicken Breasts in particular for when we have a whole Roast Chicken this is the cut he will have for himself, I do not mind for I do prefer the thighs, the entire legs. However I must say that I do find the Chicken Breasts very convenient to cook in multiple different ways.

Chichen Skewers with Courgettes seasoned with Espelette Chilli and Parsley. Diced Chicken Breasts can be part of so many enjoyable dishes.

When we speak about Chicken Breast there is a little consideration to have which is simply the one to have the Breast with Skin or without Skin. In our consummering world it is easier to find Chicken Breasts in Supermarkets without Skin. Most of the time when you find Chicken Breasts with Skin on is to highlight a particularity of the Chicken, for example that it was corn fed during its life hence that the Skin will have a certain yellow tinge.

The Skin on a Chicken Breast gives it an air of being rustic. Another way to get a Chicken Breast with Skin on is to butcher oneself a whole Chicken of your choice in different parts.

A whole Chicken. The advantage of buying a whole Chicken to divide in different parts is that you do get the most out of one Bird: Breasts, Thighs, Drumsticks, Wings, the Carcass to be kept to do a Chicken Stock. Another aspect is that it is economical.

But of course you can also remove the Skin of the Chicken Breast but to keep it to do that delight which is a crisp Chicken Skin Crisp or Tuile for deco and taste. This is rather a trendy fashion nowadays in culinary circles because this add texture to a Dish, simply but surely.

Coming back to the Chicken Breasts which is more commonly found, the ones without Skin in most Supermarkets, Shops and Butchers, you can use it easily in its entireity. My preferance is grilled Chicken Breasts or Griddled but being careful to not dry out the Meat but also to ensure that it is cook throughout. No one wants raw Chicken on a plate.

Then cooked like that you can use the Chicken Breast for a little summery Dinner accompanied with provencale roasted Tomatoes and a little Bistro Salad. 

 Provencale Tomatoes marry well as a side to grilled/griddled/BBQ Chicken.

Now if you slice or shred your grilled Chicken you can go the Salad way very easily and be creative, or the Mexican way with Tacos and enchadillas (por Favor, Si Signor!). Grilled Chicken Breast for me represent a little bit of the Meat to eat during the summertime.

Chicken Tacos, ready for a nice leisure session of relaxing for a Summer evening.

Speaking of Summer, Grilled and BBQ times, Chicken Breast, Diced, lands itself as a very good Meat to use for Skewers. The combination are there almost endless because Chicken goes almost with anything: Sweet Pepper, Sweetcorn, Aubergine, Courgette, Tomatoes... You can keep it simple and colourful but to the delight of many.

Chicken Skewers, marinated and served with a light Satay Sauce. A dip of Soy Sauce with Ginger and sliced Chilli was served on the side as well which was sprinkled with Sesame Seeds. The Side was Baby Corn and MangeTout with Lime wedges.

To stay with an Asian theme it will be hard to not mention the part that Chicken does play in many dishes of East Asia which maybe have been twicked a bit in the West but are nonetheless delicious and flavouresome. Of course we associated them as take away meals or Chinese or Indian Restaurant dishes. But what a treat for a night. Home Made from scratch is also understanding all the ingredients going into those dishes which are so multiple that I would not dare to attempt to count them ( Dishes and Ingredients).

Home Made Sweet and Sour Chicken. Sprinkle with Sesame Seeds for taste, decoration but also texture.

Chicken either diced, shredded or blitzed makes excellent Chicken Soups, a huge array of them. Everyone knows, I hope, the term 'Chicken Soup for the Soul'. If the Carcass of a Chicken can provide an excellent base to do a perfect Chicken Stock full of flavours, Chicken Breasts are tender enough to also take a crucial part within a Soup or Broth. When I am unwell I do turn to a very simple Chicken Broth with added chopped Carrots, sliced Leeks and Vermicelli. Of course the Chicken Breast bits are the best bits in my mind for that simple Broth. It is my Cold or Flu Broth but the stock, a good home made Chicken Stock is also crucial.

A Soup I enjoy a lot is a Chicken Ramen, I do a lot of them. Funny enough I associate the Ramen with late Summer and Autumn and I do not know why because the Chicken Ramen is a year all rounder. It is maybe because as we do grow Chillies and I like a spicy Ramen, I wait for the harvest of our Chillies to do them, that is maybe my only explaination but it is a bit of a spurious one because we do preserve our Chillies therefore we have them all year round. So at the end of the day I can't figure that one out...

Home Made Chicken and Mushroom Miso Soup. It is very tasty comfort food.

Speaking of comfort Food, Chicken Breasts, diced or shredded are perfect to make Pies with them. I have two firm favourites, which are simple, which are either a Chicken and Mushroom Pie or a Chicken and Leek Pie.Of course you can enhance them with what you want, Cream, or Wine or both, Herbs and Seasonings. But either for Lunch or Dinner I love them. 

 Home Made Chicken and Creamy Leek Pie with a dash of White Wine in the Creamy Sauce within.

Chicken Breast is very versatile and you will find many recipes out there for it: Chicken Schnitzel, Chicken Kiev, Chicken Cordon Bleu, Stuffed Chicken, Chicken Goujons... It feels like the world is your oyster with Chicken Breasts because of the possibilities of what to do with them.

Chicken Kiev ready to go in the oven along with Runner Beans and Part boiled Baby Potatoes and Button Mushrooms.

Cut into strips, Chicken Breast can also give you a lot of possibilities. I remember a Chicken, Spinach, Potato Slices and Swiss Cheese Bake which I did that was not a good looking Dish but taste wise, it was most fulfilling and very nice. It was a Winter Food dish to say the least. A dash of Nutmeg also did make the Bake sing.

Chicken and Spinach Bake on plates. It is not good looking but it was nice.

Swiss Chicken, Spinach and Mushroom Bake out of the oven. As I said it is not a looker dish but nonetheless a very satisfying one.

There is an aspect of course which is not to be dismissed which is that you can marinate the Chicken to give it more flavour. If it is within Milk or Buttermilk it is callled Silking. It tenderises the Chicken Breast and imparts to it flavours before you deal with it. So I would say that marinating in some way Chicken Breasts is a good thing to do.

Silking Chicken Breast in Buttermilk. 

It is very much a preparing the Meat before dealing with it and imparting another texture to it as well as more flavour. The result is usually very enjoyable. Do not forget to taste your marinade before using it with your Chicken Breast. It is to ensure that the result will be very good. 

Silked Chicken Breast Strips with chopped Red Chilli, Coriander and Basmati Rice served with Lime. Simple yet effective taste buds wise in my opinion.

Preparation of Chicken Breasts avoid them to be blend, let it be seasoned Breadcrumbs,  a Marinade, or a nice Sauce creamy or not. One important point is to have a nice moist tender cooked Breast at the end of the day and not something too dry.

One way to keep the Chicken Breast tender is to wrap it up or cover it with batter or crumbs.