Three-Speed Dinners: Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

We feel boneless skinless chicken breasts are the tilapia of the meat case. They’re a go-to ingredient, perhaps the most popular one in home-cooked meals across North America. Yet they get no respect and often end up uninspiring, if not dull.

Too bad, because boneless skinless breasts can bring together a wide range of flavors, and make a fine meal. They’re versatile enough either to work in quick, weeknight fare like our Asian-inspired lettuce wraps, or to become more sophisticated in these grilled skewers, or our slow cooker barley stew, a comforting meal for any evening.

If you’re concerned about sodium, read the labels. Many boneless skinless breasts come with “added liquid.” The package will announce the meat “may contain up to 10% of a solution. . . .” or words to that affect. What’s added is mostly sodium and some sugars. The injected brine will indeed keep the meat tender, particularly in our slow cooker dish; but we always feel it’s best to skip the chemical extras and add the amount of salt we prefer at the table.

Bring out hearty, full-flavored comfort food with one of America’s most popular (and versatile) ingredients.

Here’s our rendition of the chicken lettuce wraps served at a popular Chinese restaurant chain. They offer it as an appetizer; we’ve bulked it up for an easy, weeknight main course. Yes, there are many Asian condiments here. Don’t worry: you’ll be making this one time and again. Ready to start cooking?

Click here for the recipe.

These tasty, spicy skewers are best made with larger boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 8 ounces each. The smaller, thinner breasts won’t make nicely-sized cubes that match the pineapple chunks and shallots. In fact, try to match the size of the chicken cubes to the pineapple chunks. Fold the thinner ends of even the larger breasts over onto themselves to make larger chunks for more even cooking. Ready to start cooking?

Click here for the recipe.