The Cajun Cheesehead Shows You the BEST Way to Cook Chicken, by Jack Caldwell

Greetings, everyone. Jack Caldwell here.

There is one thing a Cajun Cheesehead knows all about.

Food.

A staple in the American diet is the Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast Half. Yes, it is only half of the breast of a chicken, but most of my countrymen (countrymen is a perfectly good word, so live with it) drop the “half.” It is exactly what its name indicates: a chicken breast half with the bones and skin removed. It has less fat, so the flavor is less pronounced.

In other words, it doesn’t taste like much, and without the skin, it can dry out in cooking.

I don’t know if my friends outside of the US even get boneless skinless chicken breasts. Don’t worry—if all you have are normal chicken breast halves (with bones and skin), you’re not forgotten. Just a little patience, please.

A few months ago, my younger brother called me from Dallas. He had discovered best way to cook a boneless skinless chicken breast. Like me, he cooks a lot in his household—the man can fry a mean turkey! So I tried it, and darn it if he wasn’t right!

Since I’m a nice guy, I’m going to give the secret to you.

We are going to start with the cooking vessel first. You need a heavy-duty roasting pan or skillet, one that can take high heat. I have this lovely stainless steel pan, but you can use a cast iron skillet or a heavy aluminum pan.

DO NOT FOR ANY REASON USE A NONSTICK PAN. No matter what the manufacturer says, nonstick and high heat do not go together. Don’t worry, your food will not stick if you follow my directions.

Preheat your oven to 450°F (230°C). Yep, you need it that hot. The idea is to sear the meat so that the moisture inside does not seep out.

Now to prepare the chicken. Coat both sides with a little bit of oil, about a teaspoon. You want one with a high smoke point. I use regular Olive Oil for everything, not Extra Virgin. (I save the EVOO for the salad.) Trust me, a teaspoon of oil will not wreak your diet. Add salt and pepper to your taste. I also added a pinch of freeze-dried parsley for taste and color.

Once the oven comes up to temperature, pop the pan in there and set the timer for 20 minutes. That is not a mistype — 20 minutes. Go on and prepare the side dishes.

Once the timer goes off, remove the chicken from the oven. The pan is SUPER HOT. Pour ¼ cup (2 oz or 60ml) of wine around the cooked chicken. I used red wine because it was on hand. Why wine? It’s to deglaze the pan, adding a bit of flavor. This is why you must use a heavy-duty metal pan. If you try this with a glass pan, IT WILL BREAK due to the temperature difference.

You could use chicken stock, but alcohol adds something to food that nothing else does. Let it sit for a couple of minutes while you begin to plate the dish.

Americans eat too much food because our farmers are so good at making it. A boneless skinless chicken breast can be as much a 10 oz (280 grams) or more. That’s way too much! A breast half can easily feed two people, so I cut it in half lengthwise.

I plate it here with a nice green salad and a brown rice-wild rice mixture. Forgive the plates, but the beautiful Barbara is in a Sunflower mood this Fall. Spoon a little of the pan juices on the chicken and serve. If some of it gets on the rice, so much the better.

You’re welcome.

The greatness of this method is that it’s fast, flavorful, and flexible. If you wish to feed four people, just add another breast half. Want an Asian bowl? Just cook up some rice noodles and steam some broccoli. Cut up the hot cooked chicken, seasoned with ginger and garlic, and toss with the noodles, vegetables, and Teriyaki sauce. For a Mexican hit, use Mexican seasoning and deglaze with lime juice and Tequila. How about boneless wings? The choices are endless.

Okay, back to those of you who don’t have boneless skinless chicken breasts. No big deal. Just up the cooking time to 30-40 minutes, depending on the size of your chicken breast half, and get on with your bad self. This also works with thick pork chops.

Chicken thighs? Just experiment with the cooking time to find the sweet spot.

Once you try this, you may never cook chicken the same way again.

The method for the BEST chicken ever is:

• Heavy-duty baking pan – stainless steel, cast iron, or aluminum*
• 1 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast half (about 8-10 oz)
• 1 tablespoon regular Olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste (and any other seasonings)
  
• 1 teaspoon freeze-dried parsley (if desired)
  
• ¼ cup red wine or chicken stock (or any other wine or sauce)
  
• Bake for 20 minutes at 450°F (230°C).

Serves two.

* Note – DO NOT use a glass or ceramic pan if you plan to deglaze. IT WILL CRACK. Trust me, I know.

The purpose of my existence is to improve your lives. My work here is done. Now, back to writing…

By the way, my next novel, BROTHER OF THE BRIDE, is coming out soon!!

Be on the lookout!

Until next time, this has been the Cajun Cheesehead Chronicles.

It takes a real man to write historical romance, so let me tell you a story…