5 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast Recipes That Aren't Marry Me Chicken
No offense to Marry Me Chicken, that shit is good.
The ironic thing about working on a cookbook (while also trying to maintain a competitive career as a professional Disney adult) is that I’ve had less and less time to actually film my recipes, which is one of my greatest joys. Thankfully I have plenty in my arsenal, so in the meantime I’ve been categorizing my existing recipes to put some of my favorites in one place that you can easily come back to and reference.
Here are just a few of my favorite recipes using boneless, skinless chicken breasts—which I find is the most common yet most confounding protein for most people. As a general rule, if you follow my instructions in the first step of this barbecue chicken sandwich recipe below you’ll have perfectly cooked chicken breast every time.
I will be getting back in the kitchen filming this week, so let me know in the comments what you’d love to see—both on my social channels and in my cookbook! Love y’all.
Barbecue Ranch Chicken Sandwiches
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tsp. Cajun seasoning
3/4 cup barbecue sauce (or to taste)
4 burger buns
4 slices cheddar cheese
3 Tbsp. butter, melted
2 cups coleslaw mix
1/3 cup ranch dressing (or to taste)
Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Pat chicken dry and coat with Cajun seasoning. Cook for about 5 minutes per side, until lightly browned, then turn off the heat and cover the pan for about 7 minutes. Transfer to cutting board and let rest for 5 more minutes before shredding.
Preheat the broiler to low. In a large bowl, mix chicken with barbecue sauce and stir to combine. Place burger buns on a sheet tray lined with foil and divide chicken among the bottom buns. Brush top buns with butter and broil until cheese is melted and bread is toasted, 3-4 minutes. Mix together slaw and ranch dressing and pile on sandwiches.
Chicken Francese
1/3 cup neutral oil
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced horizontally into 4 even pieces
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs, beaten
3 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup white wine
1 garlic clove, minced or grated
1 lemon
2/3 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup fresh basil, sliced
Red pepper flakes (optional)
In a large skillet over medium heat, add oil and heat until just shimmering. Season chicken breasts on each side with salt and black pepper.
In one dish, add flour; in another, add eggs. Dip chicken in flour, then egg, shaking off excess after each. Fry in the oil until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side, then transfer to a plate (you may fave to fry in batches to not overcrowd the pan.)
Remove excess oil into a small bowl and wipe out the skillet, or get a new skillet set over medium heat. Add butter, then whisk in one tablespoon of flour (there should excess from the dredging that you can use.) Pour in wine, whisking constantly, then add garlic and the zest of your lemon. Whisk in chickenbroth plus the juice of half your lemon, then return chicken to the pan and let it simmer for another 5 minutes to finish cooking through. Slice the remaining half of your lemon and add it to the skillet along with basil and red pepper flakes, if desired.
Honey-Garlic Chicken Pita
4 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 tsp. seasoned salt
1/4 cup honey
1 Tbsp. sriracha
4 garlic cloves, minced and divided
2 Tbsp. chicken broth or water
8 oz. feta cheese
1/3 cup milk
Zest and juice of half a lemon
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh oregano
1 bell pepper, finely chopped
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
1/2 cucumber, finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped cherry tomatoes
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
Mini naan or pita, for serving
In a medium skillet over medium heat, add half of the olive oil. Add chicken and seasoned salt and cook for two minutes. In a small bowl, whisk together honey, sriracha, 3 minced garlic cloves and chicken broth. Add to the skillet and turn heat up to medium high, cooking until chicken is glazed with sauce, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
In a food processor, add feta, milk, lemon zest and juice, remaining garlic clove and oregano. Pulse until combined and stream in remaining two tablespoons olive oil.
In a medium bowl, add bell pepper, onion, cucumber, tomatoes and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.
Char naan or pita on the stove top then top with whipped feta, chicken and salad. Serve immediately.
Pistachio Pesto Chicken Bowties
1/3 cup shelled roasted pistachios
2/3 cup parmesan cheese
2 garlic cloves
3 cups fresh basil leaves
1 fresno pepper, roughy chopped
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
8 oz. Farfalle (or any other short pasta)
3 Tbsp. butter
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced
2 tsp. all-purpose flour
1/2 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
4 oz. garlic and herb goat cheese
In a food processor, add pistachios, parmesan and garlic and pulse until combined. Add basil and fresno pepper and stream in olive oil while the blade is running. Season to taste with salt and pepper; set aside
In a large pot of boiling salted water, add pasta and cook until al dente, reserving at least one cup of the pasta cooking water before draining.
In a separate pot over medium-high heat, melt butter and add chicken; season with salt and pepper. Cook until slightly browned, about 5-7 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and add flour and cook for an additional minute. Stir in the cream until simmering, then melt in the goat cheese. Add pasta and enough reserved pasta water to achieve the consistency you want. Remove from heat and stir in the pesto before serving.
Buffalo Ranch Chicken Salad
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
3 Tbsp. buffalo sauce
2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. mayo
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. black pepper
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Your favorite salad ingredients (for this I love a mix of romaine and kale, blue cheese, shredded carrots, chopped red onion and chopped tomatoes)
Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes per side, until lightly browned, then turn off the heat and cover the pan for about 7 minutes. Transfer to cutting board and let rest for 5 more minutes before chopping into bite-size pieces.
In a bowl, whisk together all ingredients except olive oil until well combined. Slowly stream in the olive oil while whisking constantly. Add salt to taste, if desired.
Toss half of the vinaigrette with the chicken. In a large bowl, add salad ingredients and toss with remaining vinaigrette.
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Marry me.