Spiced Citrus Chicken Breasts:
By: M Usama
Tags: Food, SEO, Chicken, Recipe, Recipes For Cooking

CHICKEN BREAST PROS: It’s readily available, relatively inexpensive, tender, quick cooking, and takes well to lots of different seasonings. Chicken breast cons: It’s not exactly packed with flavor, and it can be dry.

My goal was to create a fast, easy dish that elevated chicken breasts from “just OK” to “fantastic.” If you’ve ever had a salad topped with sliced chicken breast, you know that the salad dressing does a great job of adding flavor and moisture to this mild cut. I decided to steer my recipe down a similar path by topping simply seared chicken breasts with a vibrant vinaigrette.

I started by seasoning four boneless, skinless chicken breasts with salt and pepper and sear them in a little oil in a skillet. I let the cooked chicken rest while I stirred together with a simple vinaigrette of olive oil, wine vinegar, minced shallot, and salt and pepper. I then sliced the breasts and poured the dressing over them.

It tasted pretty good, but the thinner, tapered ends of the chicken breasts dried out a little, and the dressing needed a bit more oomph. For my next test, I pounded the fatter ends of the breasts so that the pieces were all of an even thickness. This would help them cook at the same rate and stay juicy throughout. Next, I dredged the chicken breasts in flour before searing them to protect their exteriors from becoming tough; the seared flour also created a textured surface for the vinaigrette to cling to.

For an intense hit of citrus flavor in the dressing, I swapped out the vinegar for lemon juice enhanced with both lemon and orange zest. A little cinnamon and cumin rubbed onto the chicken before flouring contributed deep flavor and fragrance to the dish. A sprinkling of cilantro added a fresh herbal counterpoint to finish it off.

■ SPICED CITRUS CHICKEN

Serves 4 to 6 Total Time: 50 minutes

We recommend using a rasp-style grater to grate the citrus zest.

DRESSING

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons minced shallot

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon grated orange zest

½ teaspoon grated lemon zest plus 2 tablespoons juice

¼ teaspoon table salt

CHICKEN

1½ teaspoons table salt

1½ teaspoons ground cumin

¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon pepper

⅓ cup all-purpose flour

4 (6- to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves

1. FOR THE DRESSING: Combine all ingredients in a bowl; set aside.

2. FOR THE CHICKEN: Combine salt, cumin, cinnamon, and pepper in a small bowl. Spread flour in a shallow dish. Place chicken between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Using a meat pounder, gently pound thick part of breasts to ¾-inch thickness.

3. Sprinkle spice mixture all over the chicken. Working with 1 breast at a time, dredge in flour, shaking off excess, and transfer to a large plate.

4. Heat oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add chicken to skillet and cook until well browned and registering 160 degrees, about 8 minutes per side. Transfer to a carving board and let rest for 5 minutes.

5. Slice chicken crosswise on bias and transfer to a serving platter. Stir dressing to recombine and spoon over chicken. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

Rasp-Style Graters

The rasp-style grater shown here looks like a woodworking file, and there’s a good reason for that: The company that invented it, Grace Manufacturing, also makes woodworking tools. We use this tool, the Microplane Premium Classic Zester/Grater ($15), to grate all sorts of foods, from citrus zest, garlic, and ginger to chocolate, nutmeg, and cheese.

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