What to Cook With Chicken Breast: 15 Easy Dinners

Chicken breast is the most common thing in the fridge and the most commonly ruined. Cooked carelessly it goes dry and bland. Cooked with a little attention it is tender, fast, and works in almost any cuisine. If you have one breast and not much else, you have dinner.

Two things decide whether it is good: how thick the piece is when it cooks, and when you take it off the heat. Get those right and the flavour is the easy part. Here is how to nail both, then 15 ways to use it.

The Two Rules That Keep It Juicy

1. Make it an even thickness. Either slice the breast in half through the middle into two thin cutlets, or flatten it under a pan. Even thickness means it cooks through without the outside drying out.
2. Cook hot and fast, then rest. A thin cutlet needs only 3 to 4 minutes a side over medium-high heat. Pull it off when it is just cooked through and let it rest 5 minutes before slicing.
3. Salt it before cooking, even just 10 minutes ahead. Salt helps it hold on to moisture.
4. If you are unsure it is done, cut into the thickest part. The juices should run clear with no pink.

1. Garlic Butter Chicken

The one to learn first. A glossy garlic butter pan sauce makes a plain cutlet taste like a restaurant plate.

1. Season two thin cutlets with salt and pepper.
2. Sear in a little oil over medium-high for 3 to 4 minutes a side until golden.
3. Turn the heat down, add a knob of butter and a sliced clove of garlic, and spoon the foaming butter over the chicken for a minute.
4. Rest for 5 minutes, then pour the pan butter over the top. A squeeze of lemon lifts it if you have one.

2. 10-Minute Chicken Stir-Fry

Cut the breast into strips and it cooks in minutes. This is the fastest way to turn one breast and a vegetable into a full plate.

1. Slice the chicken into thin strips and toss with a spoon of soy sauce.
2. Get a wide pan very hot with a little oil and stir-fry the chicken until just cooked, then lift it out.
3. Stir-fry any chopped vegetable in the same pan until crisp-tender.
4. Return the chicken, add soy, a little garlic, and a splash of water, and toss for 30 seconds. Serve over rice or noodles.

3. Salads, Wraps, and Bowls

Cook the chicken once and it becomes three different lunches and dinners. This is how to stretch one breast across the week.

1. Cook the cutlets as above, then slice them across the grain into strips.
2. For a bowl, lay them over grains or salad with anything crunchy and a spoon of dressing or yoghurt.
3. For a wrap, pile them into a tortilla with salad and a sauce, then fold and toast in a dry pan.
4. For a salad, keep it simple with leaves, a sharp dressing, and something with crunch.

4. Poached and Shredded

When you want soft, shreddable chicken for soups, sandwiches, or a quick curry, gentle poaching beats frying.

1. Sit the whole breast in a small pot and just cover it with water or stock.
2. Bring it to a bare simmer, then turn off the heat, cover, and leave for 15 minutes.
3. Lift it out and shred with two forks.
4. Use it in a soup, fold it into a wrap, or toss it with a quick sauce.

8 More Easy Dinners

• Creamy mustard chicken: after searing, add a splash of cream or yoghurt and a spoon of mustard to the pan.
• Honey soy chicken: glaze the strips with soy and a little honey until sticky.
• Chicken fajitas: strips with peppers and onions, charred hot and wrapped in a tortilla.
• Breaded cutlets: dip thin cutlets in egg then breadcrumbs and shallow fry until crisp.
• Chicken and rice one-pan: brown the chicken, then cook rice in the same pan with stock.
• Curry in a hurry: simmer strips in a tin of coconut milk with curry paste.
• Caesar-style bowl: sliced chicken, crunchy leaves, hard cheese, and a sharp dressing.
• Soup: shredded poached chicken in stock with noodles and whatever greens you have.