Juicy Chicken Breasts with Lemongrass & Thyme
How do you get your chicken to be perfectly juicy?
2 bone-in chicken breasts, skin on
salt/pepper
1 Tbsp coconut oil
1.5 Tbsp lemongrass, finely chopped (Here’s a how-to video)
1 tsp ginger
7 springs fresh thyme
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Start by patting your chicken breasts dry. Season both sides, very generously, with salt and pepper.
Get your cast iron skillet nice and hot and add in coconut oil. Swirl the oil around so it fully coats the pan. Gently place your chicken breasts into the skillet, skin-side down. Let the breasts sizzle until the skin is golden brown and crispy. Don’t fuss around with it at first, just let it be. After about 7 minutes or so, check to see how crisp the skin is. Once it’s golden, flip the breasts over. Add the ginger, lemongrass, and thyme to the pan and let that cook for a minute or so. Make sure there’s enough oil left in the pan to coat your seasonings.
Hold the handle of the skillet with a potholder, tilt the pan so the oil falls towards you, and with a spoon, ladle the ginger/lemongrass/thyme oil over the top of the chicken. Repeat this a few times. This helps to make a flavorful sauce in the pan.
Transfer the cast iron to the oven and bake at 350 degrees for 13 minutes. Remove the chicken from the skillet and let it rest for 5 - 10 minutes. Slice it and serve!
I know chicken skin can be a little controversial, but I’m here to say it’s delicious and life is way too short to eat boneless, skinless chicken breasts. That being said, chicken skin is also an awesome safety net to guarantee you won’t overcook your chicken. It acts as a protective shield in between your skillet and the meat. Plus, if you’re buying pasture-raised chicken or chicken from a farmers market, or a humane butcher shop, the whole chicken is packed with nutrients!
After two summers of working one-on-one with chef Lynn McNeely, the opening chef at Barbuto — a West Village institution credited with bringing California cuisine to New York and a legacy of perfectly roasted chicken — I learned my way around a chicken breast.
