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Never Overcook Chicken Breast Again

Never Overcook Chicken Breast Again

with these 3 principles...+ cleaning frying oil, browned, and more

Jess McIntosh, Keith McBrayer & Ethan Chlebowski
August 31, 2025

Good morning. Have you ever wondered how to cook a chicken breast properly without making it too dry? This week we are revisiting the best practices to avoid overcooking once and for all.

RECIPE BREAKDOWN🤯

How to not overcook chicken breast

Here are the three steps we go through every time we make chicken, which greatly reduces chances of overcooking:

1 — Thin out or butterfly the breast

Chicken breasts are bulbous, so if you cook them as is, half of it will dry out before the thick end cooks through.
The only way to get an even cook (unless you sous-vide) is to thin out the breast into an even thickness. Simply slice it into two thinner pieces, butterfly the breast, or pound it out into an even thickness.

2 — Use a thermometer to nail the final temperature.

Because chicken breast is so lean, overcooking by just a few degrees will dry out the muscle.
We pull our chicken breast at 155°F/68°C — so long as it rests at that temperature for at least 45 seconds, it has the same bacteria-killing power as (over) cooking the meat to 165°F.

3 — Add salt at some point

Many people claim that dry brining is the secret to juicy chicken breast...but that's really not the case. Thinning out the breast so it cooks uniformly and pulling it at the right temperature has a far greater impact on the juiciness.

But if you have time, dry brining is still helpful: it evenly seasons the meat and dries off the surface of the chicken, leading to extra browning for a more appealing final product.

RECIPE RECOMMENDATIONS ✅

Chicken breast meals

Try out the chicken breast thinning method with some of our favorite chicken breast recipes here:

FOOD TRENDS 🚀

Is browned butter always in style?

Has browned butter had its moment, or is it here to stay?

When butter is browned, it undergoes both caramelization (thanks to the lactose sugars in milk) and the Maillard reaction (thanks to the proteins in milk), which develops complex aromas.

Browned butter is universally loved for a few reasons:

1 — Flavor: The nutty aromas create a deeper, richer, and more intense flavor.

2 — Color: It’s darker, golden-brown hue can bring an appealing visual element, especially when you can see flecks of browned milk solids like in sauces or ice cream.

3 — Versatility: It works in sweet and savory applications, whether it’s in baked goods, pasta sauces (think browned butter sage gnocchi), or drizzled over vegetables and fish (like in sauce meuniere)

A beginner mistake is to not brown the butter enough. Like caramel, you can take it pretty dark before the milk solids burn. More color = deeper flavor.

We think browned butter isn’t really a trend but more of a staple flavor that will always be around, but what do you think?

Will browned butter always be relevant?

READER Q&A 🧠

Cleaning frying oil

Check out Ethan’s video on deep frying out home for all the details.

Question: “Is there a way to clean frying oil?” - Dixon P.

Answer: Last week, we went over how many times and in what cases you can re-use frying oil. Tldr: it depends, but usually at least more than once.

Regardless, a requirement for reusing frying oil a few times is to clean it. Here’s how we do it:

Skim off any debris during frying & after
Let the oil cool completely
Strain through fine mesh sieve with a paper towel or cheese cloth on top
Store in a dark, cool place in a tightly sealed container (don’t store next to the oven or stove, heat & light can accelerate oxidation)

Those steps will extend the life of your oil and allow you to get more uses out of it.

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