Juicy, tender and moist—this chicken wins an award. There are so many ways to cook a chicken breast and a lot of the time it becomes too dry. I was at a stand still when trying to find the perfect way to achieve moisture. Then I found ‘The Kitchn’ version. This version includes a quick brine with any aromatics you happen to have. Foolproof. I applaud them. I will never make chicken breast any other way again. It is also just becoming spring where I live, in New England. The minute it hit 60 degrees I was dreaming of farmer’s markets and ice cream cones. I want to see color in everything I eat when the weather is warm. However, no such luck on the farmer’s market front just yet. That is not stopping me. I will still add color to my day. I chose to do that with a quick salsa verde. There are two salsa verdes that are the most common. One being the mexican version, usually a milder version of its red counterpart. Frequently used as a topper for many entrees, or just as a dip. I am making the other version; the Italian one. I used what I had in my fridge here. Which means I sadly am omitting the anchovy filets. So please feel free to add them to yours. I didn’t miss them, but you might.

A Classic Chicken Breast Dressed up with Salsa Verde

Serves 2

Brine

• 3 cups of water
• 3 tbsp salt (any type you have)
• A few aromatics (i.e. thyme, rosemary, peppercorns, bay leaf, garlic)

Salsa Verde

• 1 1/4 cups flat leaf parsley
• 1/2 of a large garlic clove
• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
• 2 tsp capers (rinsed and drained)
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Chicken

• 2 chicken breasts
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• pinch of salt and pepper

1. We are going to start with the brine. Place the chicken breasts in a shallow dish. Dissolve the salt into the water. Then pour the mixture over the chicken just until it’s fully covered. Add any aromatics you’d like. Then I covered it and put it in the fridge to sit for about 25 minutes.
2. During that time I made the verde sauce. In a food processor, add the parsley, garlic, breadcrumbs and capers. Zap it a few times until well combined. Then, add lemon juice, zap. Finally, while it is running, slowly pour in the olive oil. Should form a loose paste. Stop when it looks like photo above.
3. Now here comes the magic.  Take your chicken out of the brine and pat very dry. Use something heavy to flatten the chicken to a unified desired thickness. Salt and pepper both sides. In a medium saute pan (with a lid!) heat the olive oil over a medium high heat for about a minute, until hot. Reduce heat to medium. Place both pieces of chicken in, let them sit for about a minute to give it some color. Flip over the chicken and reduce the heat to low. Cover the pan with a secure lid for 10 minutes, do not peak. Then after 10 minutes remove from the heat and let sit for another 10 minutes, still do not peak. (Confession: I did peak, but it was really fast!) It should be perfectly done. The magic of steam. It doesn’t hurt to check with a meat thermometer, should not be below 165 F) or just cut into it.
4. Serve your chicken anyway you’d like. I sliced it and then spooned the lovely Salsa Verde on top. Juicy, savory, and a little tart.

Go enjoy this. Eat it outside. Happy Spring 🙂

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