Eric makes a full disclosure in this great recipe “Full disclosure: I used to despise breast meat because of its dry, stringy texture, its terrible flavorless monotony, its unforgiving tendency to go from raw to overcooked in the blink of an eye. But when I started working in food, I learned what a demand there was for it (Google “chicken breast” and you’ll get back more than 200 million search results).”
We believe there may be a few people feeling this way about Chicken Breasts.
Eric found that if you poach the chicken breasts low and slow in some milk with lemon and sage—à la Jamie Oliver’s Chicken in Milk—then the meat will come out unutterably tender and moist. Even better if you add garlic here, or maybe swap out the sage for thyme or rosemary.
Ingredients
- 1kg boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 lemon, zest peeled in thin strips
- 3 sprigs fresh sage
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk, plus more (depending on the size of your slow cooker)
Directions
- In a slow cooker, place the chicken breasts down in a single layer. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Add the lemon zest, sage, and milk (enough to cover the chicken).
- Cook on low for 1 hour, then flip the chicken and cook for an additional 30 minutes to 1 hour, or until the internal temperature reaches 80 degrees. (Times will vary depending on the thickness of your breasts and the model of your slow cooker.)
- Congrats! You have a week’s worth of healthy protein. Chop the chicken up for salads, shred for soups or enchiladas, or eat on its own with a little olive oil and lemon, or your favourite condiment (I like spicy chile crisp or English mustard).
