Meat is a major part of many meals we enjoy, but perfecting the cook without undercooking or drying it out can be tricky to master. Nicky from Kitchen Sanctuary in Brixham, Devon, recently shared the simplest way to cook a chicken breast that retains moisture and all of its flavour.
Chicken breasts are some of the cheapest cuts of a chicken, and can be used in a variety of ways. To prevent any cooking woes and drying out chicken, Nicky shared a really simple recipe that will result in moist chicken every time. In a recent TikTok video, Nicky said: “This might be the easiest, juiciest and tastiest way to cook a chicken breast.”
What gives Nicky’s chicken breast a burst of flavour is a simple seasoning. Her seasoning includes salt, black pepper, paprika, garlic powder or salt, dried oregano, and light brown sugar.
To ensure the chicken breasts are juicy and tender, you want to make sure they’re not too big. This could lead them to becoming dry on the outside.
Add the seasoning first, before covering the chicken in oil. This will help retain all of the flavour when cooking.
Nicky recommended using an air fryer to cook the chicken, making sure to space the breasts apart from each other so the air can circulate around them. You’ll only need 11 to 12 minutes to cook the chicken.
However, remember to turn the breasts half way through. Nicky said: “You want to ensure that the chicken is nice and hot throughout and no longer pink in the middle.”
Kitchen Sanctuary’s video has already been viewed over a massive 333,400 times, receiving 4,629 likes and 67 comments. One person said: “Sooo MOIST!!!”
To ensure that all of your chicken breasts are juicy and moist, this is what you’ll need to do.
Ingredients
- Two chicken breasts (about 180g/6.3oz each)
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- One tsp paprika
- ½ tsp garlic powder or use garlic salt, but omit the regular salt
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- One tsp light brown sugar optional, but adds a tiny bit of caramelization
- One tbsp neutral oil
Method
Place the chicken breasts in a plastic sandwich bag or between a large folded piece of baking parchment.
Bash the thickest part of the chicken breast a few times with a rolling pin. Don’t want to flatten the chicken a lot, just enough to even out the thickness. It should still look like a chicken breast after a few light bashes.
Mix together the salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, oregano, and sugar in a small bowl.
Sprinkle the seasoning on both sides of the two chicken breasts and press the mixture in with your hands, so they’re thoroughly coated and so the mixture sticks to the chicken.
Drizzle over the oil and toss to fully coat.
Place in the air fryer basket (no liner), in a single layer, with a bit of space in between the chicken breasts for good airflow. Air fry for 11-12 minutes (no need to pre-heat) at 200C/400F, turning once, halfway through cooking. Once cooked, the chicken should no longer be pink in the middle (internal temperature should be 75C/167F).
Serve however you like, either with soup, pizzas, salads or sandwiches.