Geo -- I usually skin the breasts and thighs, but not the wings and legs -- it's just too much trouble. I toss the parts in buttermilk with whatever herbies sound good, and a fair amount of red pepper or hot sauce (the heat will dissipate in the milk). I use a little s&p, but I've never brined with the buttermilk, although it sounds great. Let us know how it turns out!

We just made 3 wks of cat food with skin on chicken breast (amongst other things)...

chgoeditor wrote:I'll throw in my 2 cents in defense of chicken breasts. In an effort to lose a few lbs. I've been making an effort to eat lean protein. When I need a quick meal (usually several times a week) I'll end up poaching a chicken breast. It's a neutral flavor that serves as a great foil for whatever seasonings I'm using. Plus, by poaching (frozen breasts into simmering water for 15 minutes + a couple more minutes sitting in the hot water off of the heat) you retain the moisture and avoid the dry, stringy texture that turns most people off of breasts. Yesterday's lunch was freshly poached (still hot) chicken breast over baby spinach and avocado tossed with a French vinaigrette (made with a fairly heavy does of Dijon and an aged balsamic, lighter on the olive oil). The hot breast absorbed the dressing easily and also slightly wilted the spinach. Other days I'll just top the breast with Trader Joe's Tomato Chutney, which packs a nice dose of ginger.

I love a poached chicken breast (usually in a combination of water and white wine with some fresh tarragon) served over some thinly sliced ripe summer fruit (grapes, melons and figs) with a nice drizzle of an emulsified champagne dressing.

I don't really go for breast meat myself, but I've been buying whole organic chickens recently since it's so much cheaper than buying just the hind quarters and it gives me a carcass to make stock from. This process, however, has left me with breasts (the thighs, legs, wings all being my prime cuts) and a need to do something with them.

Since I've been trying to make more use of my immersion circulator, sous vide seemed like the way to go. Lob of butter or bit of olive oil, whatever seasonings I feel like that night, vac seal, and drop in the water.

I'm not about to switch to breasts, but man does it work well - the seasonings in the vac bag permeate the meat, due to the controlled temperature the meat stays perfectly moist and juicy, and I pull them out of the bag, sear the outside in a raging hot pan, and then make a sauce out of the liquid from the bag. Best chicken breasts I've ever made.

-Dan

My favorite chicken dishes tend to be whole chickens or chicken legs smoked or braised, but I do eat chicken breast about 1/3 of the time I eat chicken. I agree that it is basically non-vegetarian tofu, so I flavor it pretty heavily when I cook it. Usually I pound it flat and then grill at high temps. Some typical things that I do are:

Chicken paillards - pounded flat and marinaded in mustard, tarragon, garlic, balsamic, lemon juice, and olive oil - served on a mesclun salad.

Coriander Chicken - pounded flat and marinaded in coriander, cumin, pepper, ginger, garlic, lemon juice, cayenne, lemon juice, and cilantro - chopped and served on corn tortillas with a basic salsa.

I also do kebabs, marinade in 1/2 tamari, 1/4 red wine vinegar, 1/4 EVOO, and then add a lot of garlic, fresh ginger, and pepper.

eatchicago wrote:

seebee wrote:Longtime huge proponent of the thigh, am I. I have started to notice that boneless skinless thighs are sometimes more expensive than boneless skinless breast these days.

Really? Where? I always keep a stock of boneless skinless thighs on hand and no matter where I shop, they're considerably cheaper. I'd like to know where you see them priced higher so I know what shop to avoid.

Since this has been bumped recently, I remembered this, and a current example has popped up. Tony's Finer Foods has boneless skinless chicken breast on sale this week for 1.49/lb. Since boneless skinless thighs are not on sale, they will probably either be 1.69/lb, or 1.99 /lb.