I feel a bit sad for the chicken breast. More often than not it finds itself overcooked, sliced, and set under a heat lamp atop of a pile of soggy croutons and wilting romaine. Those of us who rag on trending diet food that holds ‘health’ above flavor tend to cast a disapproving glance towards phrases like “skinless, boneless” and “low-fat air-fried.” These trending diet culture tag lines often precede the hopeless chicken breast, who never asked for any these labels in the first place. While I can think of few things that excite me more than a perfectly crispy chicken leg served with a lemon wedge, the precisely cooked skinless breast is a beauty not to me missed. And so, today I made a sandwich.
ingredients
- sliced california style wheat bread
- boneless skinless chicken breast
- cabbage
- parsley
- scallions
- garlic
- mustard
- mayo
- lemon
- bread and butter pickles
(note: I brine all my chicken for two to three days in a 1.5% salt brine with onions and herbs. It tastes amazing and keeps everything nice and moist and also allows room for error if you accidentally overcook the breast)
I heat a good sized, heavy bottom cast iron pan over medium-high heat until it seems a bit threatening and then add enough neutral oil to cover the bottom. I turn the fan on and gently lay the breast in the pan to sear.
Next I slice the cabbage thin enough that it is both soft and crunchy. The garlic gets finely minced and I quickly run my knife over the scallions and parsley at the same time. It seems silly to pick the parsley from the stem so I leave it on. All of this gets tossed together in a bowl and seasoned with lemon zest and juice, a bit of yellow mustard, and a healthy amount of sir kensington’s mayo.
I resist the urge to flip the chicken breast until there’s a small possibility it has burned. I tilt the pan so as not to splash oil and roll the breast over with a spoon to reveal a pleasing dark caramelized crust. When it’s almost cooked through I turn the heat down, toss in a big dollop of butter and baste the chicken until the act loses it’s intrigue. I transfer the breast to a paper towel lined plate and allow it to rest white I toast my bread in the same pan.
I slice the breast while it’s still a little too hot and assemble the sandwich. Slaw on the bottom, sliced chicken, pickles on top. I eat it quick over the trash can.
