[0 - 2] - We are going to dig straight into the science on this one,
[2 - 4] because you saw the title to this episode.
[4 - 5] It's a bold statement.
[5 - 7] This is serious business.
[7 - 9] I'm about to change your chicken life.
[9 - 11] So sit down, buckle up,
[11 - 13] grab a snack, maybe a drink.
[13 - 14] Or actually, you should probably grab the snack
[14 - 19] and the drink before you sit down and buckle up. "Buckle up... Buckle up."
[19 - 21] Wait a minute. Are you watching this in the car?
[21 - 25] That's kind of weird. (bright music)
[25 - 29] We are starting with an explainer on white versus dark meat.
[29 - 30] The color difference between a chicken breast
[30 - 31] and a chicken thigh
[31 - 35] is largely due to the amount of myoglobin found in each.
[35 - 38] Myoglobin is a dark red oxygen-binding protein
[38 - 39] that provides a rich source of oxygen
[39 - 42] to muscles that do strenuous and continuous activity.
[42 - 44] Chicken thighs contain more myoglobin
[44 - 47] and therefore appear darker than chicken breasts,
[47 - 48] which do short bursts of work
[48 - 51] with plenty of time in between to refuel on oxygen.
[51 - 53] Now, that color difference can tell us a ton.
[54 - 55] More myoglobin tells me
[55 - 57] that this muscle does continuous work.
[57 - 58] In order to do that work,
[58 - 60] those muscles need fat for fuel.
[60 - 62] That means it has a richer flavor
[62 - 63] because fat is flavorful.
[63 - 64] That continuous work
[64 - 67] also demands supportive connective tissue, particularly collagen.
[67 - 69] Collagen is a triple helix protein
[69 - 71] that unwinds into strands
[71 - 72] of moisture-binding gelatin
[72 - 73] through extended cooking.
[73 - 76] All we need to see is the color of the meat
[76 - 78] and we now know we want to cook it long enough
[78 - 80] that the collagen dissolves into gelatin
[80 - 82] and the meat turns tender and juicy.
[82 - 83] Please welcome our chicken thigh.
[83 - 85] And the opposite is true for white meat.
[85 - 86] Less myoglobin tells me
[87 - 89] that this muscle does short burst of activity,
[89 - 90] doesn't contain much flavorful fat,
[90 - 93] and lacks collagen that can dissolve into gelatin
[93 - 94] over a long cook time.
[94 - 95] It needs to be cooked
[95 - 97] to as low of a temperature as possible
[97 - 99] to retain all natural moisture
[99 - 101] and keep muscle fibers from toughening up.
[101 - 102] And this, my friends,
[102 - 104] is our boneless skinless chicken breast.
[104 - 107] If you've ever had a dried out, stringy,
[107 - 108] flavorless chicken breast,
[108 - 110] which I know every single one of you has,
[110 - 113] it's because the breast needed to be treated like white meat
[113 - 114] but was, in fact, handled like dark meat.
[114 - 116] I'm talking cooked over high heat
[116 - 118] for an extended period of time,
[118 - 120] braised, cooked to a high internal temperature.
[120 - 122] The list of crimes is long
[122 - 124] and the chicken breast criminals even longer.
[124 - 126] But now we know better.
[126 - 127] No more turning a blind eye
[127 - 128] to the color of chicken breast.
[128 - 130] Embrace it and then use science
[130 - 131] to make perfect, flavorful,
[131 - 135] tender, juicy, delicious breasts every damn time. Here's how.
[135 - 136] We can increase juiciness
[136 - 138] and tenderness in chicken breasts
[138 - 139] in two primary ways.
[139 - 141] We'll call them chemical and physical.
[141 - 142] First up is chemical.
[142 - 144] Applying salt to muscle proteins
[144 - 145] changes their structure,
[145 - 147] allowing them to hold onto more moisture.
[147 - 149] We use this technique all the time
[149 - 150] for things like turkeys,
[150 - 151] steaks, roasts, you name it.
[151 - 153] Salt obviously seasons the chicken,
[153 - 154] but the magic it performs
[154 - 156] in terms of juiciness
[156 - 157] is just as important.
[157 - 160] Salting is as simple as sprinkling kosher salt
[160 - 160] on a chicken breast
[160 - 161] and letting it sit.
[161 - 163] Salt diffuses into the meat
[163 - 165] and changes the structure of the muscle proteins,
[165 - 168] allowing them to hold onto more of their own natural juices.
[168 - 170] Doing this early is best
[170 - 171] as it takes time for salt to move.
[171 - 173] You want at least 45 minutes,
[173 - 174] but four hours to overnight
[174 - 176] is gonna give you serious impact.
[176 - 177] You can also brine.
[177 - 179] The salt in the brine seasons the chicken
[179 - 182] and promotes a change in its protein structure,
[182 - 183] reducing its overall toughness
[183 - 185] and creating gaps that fill up with water
[185 - 187] and keep the meat juicy and flavorful.
[187 - 189] Brining can work faster than salting
[189 - 191] and can also result in juicier lean cuts
[191 - 192] since it adds moisture
[192 - 194] versus merely retaining it.
[194 - 196] Combine one and a half quarts of water
[196 - 198] and three tablespoons of salt.
[198 - 200] I'm also going to add an equal amount of sugar
[200 - 201] 'cause I like that balance of flavor,
[201 - 203] but it's totally cook's choice.
[203 - 205] Now whisk until the salt and sugar are dissolved.
[205 - 206] We add the breasts
[206 - 207] and let them sit for 30 minutes
[207 - 208] or up to an hour.
[208 - 211] You can also use salty ingredients in a marinade.
[211 - 213] Something like fish sauce provides plenty of salt
[213 - 214] as well as glutamates,
[214 - 216] which provide meaty intensity.
[216 - 217] For really great grilled chicken breasts,
[217 - 219] combine chicken breasts that have been pounded
[219 - 221] to an even half-inch thickness
[221 - 222] with water, fish sauce,
[222 - 224] honey, salt, and pepper
[224 - 225] in a sealable bag.
[225 - 226] Press out the air,
[226 - 228] seal, and fridge for 30 minutes.
[228 - 230] I love to grill up a big batch of these breasts
[230 - 232] and then use them on salads and sandwiches
[232 - 233] throughout the week.
[233 - 236] The last chemical option is a really cool one. Baking soda.
[236 - 237] Adding baking soda to meat
[237 - 239] is a common technique in Chinese cooking.
[239 - 240] It raises the pH of the chicken
[240 - 242] where it touches the surface.
[242 - 244] That prevents the proteins from squeezing together
[244 - 245] as tightly during cooking,
[245 - 247] leading to really tender moist chicken.
[247 - 248] It is particularly effective
[248 - 250] on ground and thinly sliced meats
[250 - 252] with lots of surface area
[252 - 254] for the baking soda to come in contact with.
[254 - 255] It works wonders
[255 - 257] in one of my favorite Vietnamese techniques.
[257 - 258] For this caramel chicken,
[258 - 260] I combine one tablespoon baking soda
[260 - 262] and one and a quarter cups cold water
[262 - 264] and I add my chicken pieces.
[264 - 266] Now, chicken thighs would be the normal go-to here
[266 - 267] because this is a braise,
[267 - 268] but I'm using chicken breast
[268 - 271] to show you just how powerful baking soda is.
[271 - 273] We'll let it stand at room temperature for 15 minutes,
[273 - 274] then drain and rinse.
[274 - 275] Next, we season our caramel
[275 - 277] with plenty of fish sauce and ginger
[277 - 278] and then cook the chicken in it.
[278 - 281] After thickening the sauce with a little cornstarch,
[281 - 283] we serve it up with plenty of jasmine rice.
[283 - 285] So juicy, so flavorful.
[285 - 287] It's just so juicy and so flavorful.
[287 - 290] So juicy, so flavorful.
[290 - 290] It's so juicy.
[290 - 294] Whoa, got kind of stuck in a "juicy, flavorful" loop there.
[294 - 295] Okay, so we did it.
[295 - 296] We covered chemical.
[296 - 298] Let's go to the kitchen and get physical.
[298 - 301] Internal temperature has a massive impact
[301 - 303] on how tender and juicy a chicken breast is.
[303 - 305] So if we pay careful attention
[305 - 306] when cooking chicken breasts,
[306 - 309] we can keep them juicy simply by not overcooking them.
[309 - 310] But of course, chicken in this country
[310 - 312] throws an extra curveball
[312 - 313] when it comes to internal temperature.
[313 - 316] The CDC estimates that one in 25 packages
[316 - 318] of chicken at the supermarket contains salmonella,
[318 - 320] a bacteria that can make us pretty sick.
[320 - 322] Salmonella can be killed by being heated
[322 - 324] to 165 degrees Fahrenheit -
[324 - 326] that's at the center of the breast -
[326 - 328] and then held at that temperature for less than a second.
[328 - 330] That is a guaranteed way
[330 - 331] to make sure your chicken is safe to eat.
[331 - 333] But what a lot of people don't realize
[333 - 335] is that salmonella can also be killed
[335 - 338] when held for 10 seconds at 161 degrees
[338 - 341] and 45 seconds at 155 degrees.
[341 - 342] In fact, it's all just a matter
[342 - 343] of time and temperature
[343 - 344] that you can see on this chart.
[344 - 345] Now, keep in mind
[345 - 346] that the time required
[346 - 348] goes up with the fat percentage.
[348 - 350] The good news is that using the chemical options
[350 - 351] we just covered,
[351 - 354] breast meat will still be juicy at 165 degrees.
[354 - 356] But it doesn't mean you always have to go that high.
[356 - 358] I cook chicken breasts to 160
[358 - 359] or even 155 all the time,
[359 - 362] and I just ensure that they remain at that temp
[362 - 363] for up to a minute, which is easy peasy.
[363 - 366] But if that's playing a little too fast and loose for you,
[366 - 368] there is a foolproof way to cook your breasts
[368 - 369] to a lower temperature
[369 - 370] and guarantee their safety,
[370 - 371] and that is with sous vide.
[371 - 373] You simply match up a time and temperature
[373 - 374] on that curve.
[374 - 375] I personally like the texture
[375 - 378] of chicken breast that is sous vide at 155 degrees.
[378 - 381] So I simply drop the chicken in for a swim
[381 - 382] at 155 degrees
[382 - 384] and leave it in there for at least an hour.
[384 - 385] Now, it won't overcook
[385 - 387] because the bath is set at 155,
[387 - 389] and that hour is plenty of time
[389 - 392] for the entire chicken breast to reach 155
[392 - 394] and then stay there long enough to be safe.
[394 - 396] Just look at how juicy and tender
[396 - 398] the sous vide chicken breast is.
[398 - 400] That is destined for tomorrow's chicken salad.
[400 - 404] But my favorite method for well-browned, super-juicy breasts
[404 - 405] is the low oven reverse sear.
[405 - 406] Check it out.
[406 - 408] After using a fork to open some channels
[408 - 409] in the thicker part of these breasts,
[409 - 411] I season them all over with kosher salt.
[411 - 413] This salting step can be done ahead of time,
[413 - 414] as we talked about before.
[414 - 416] Then we place the chicken skin side down
[417 - 417] in a baking dish
[417 - 419] and cover it tightly with foil.
[419 - 420] Now here's the key bit.
[420 - 422] We wanna slowly bring the entire breast
[422 - 423] up to temperature
[423 - 424] so that no part gets overcooked.
[424 - 427] The low 275 degree oven is great for that.
[427 - 428] By wrapping the dish in foil,
[429 - 430] we trap moisture,
[430 - 431] which keeps the exterior portions
[431 - 432] from drying out
[432 - 433] and actually speeds up cooking
[433 - 435] by limiting evaporative cooling.
[435 - 438] Think how warm it feels on humid day versus a dry day.
[438 - 441] We'll take these to 145 to 150 degrees
[441 - 442] on an instant read thermometer,
[442 - 444] which takes about 30 minutes.
[444 - 445] One huge benefit of this setup
[445 - 447] is that we set the shape of the chicken breast
[447 - 449] to have a totally flat side.
[449 - 451] That flat side will make excellent contact with the skillet.
[451 - 453] Now it is time to sear.
[453 - 454] After patting them thoroughly dry,
[454 - 456] we'll paint on a mixture of butter,
[456 - 458] flour, cornstarch, and pepper
[458 - 460] and sear them in our skillet
[460 - 461] that just started to smoke.
[461 - 463] For those of you who have tried to get a good sear
[463 - 465] on boneless skinless chicken breasts in the past,
[465 - 468] you know that you get weak results at best.
[468 - 469] So we designed a formulation
[469 - 471] that leads to deep flavorful browning.
[471 - 473] The butter and flour both provide protein,
[473 - 475] which undergo the Maillard reactions
[475 - 477] in the presence of intense heat.
[477 - 478] The flour and cornstarch wick
[478 - 480] and trap moisture coming from the chicken
[480 - 482] to prevent it from flooding the skillet
[482 - 483] and impeding browning.
[483 - 485] Using all flour led to a bread-y coating,
[485 - 488] but a mix of flour and cornstarch was great.
[488 - 490] Pepper adds lovely warmth and complexity,
[490 - 492] but this is a great stage to add other spices as well.
[492 - 494] They will bloom in the hot skillet.
[494 - 495] After searing for a couple of minutes
[495 - 496] on the first side,
[496 - 498] we'll paint the side facing up
[498 - 499] with more magic browning spread
[499 - 500] and then flip.
[500 - 502] These breasts temp out at 160 degrees
[502 - 505] and will easily climb to 165
[505 - 506] thanks to carryover cooking.
[506 - 508] Are they browned? Check.
[508 - 510] Are they juicy? Check.
[510 - 511] Are they seasoned? Check.
[511 - 512] Are they exciting and never boring?
[514 - 517] Here's where we're gonna let science get some bench time
[517 - 518] and just get creative.
[518 - 520] There are so many ways to dress up chicken breasts
[520 - 522] so that they really impress.
[522 - 523] For our grilled breasts,
[523 - 524] I love to grill some lemon halves
[524 - 526] and scallions alongside them
[526 - 528] and then make a quick lemon scallion dressing
[528 - 529] to douse them with.
[529 - 531] Just thinly slice the scallion,
[531 - 532] juice the charred lemon over the top,
[532 - 535] add a big glug of olive oil and some coarse salt.
[535 - 537] Wow, that looks so good.
[537 - 538] And for our seared breasts,
[538 - 539] I got an idea.
[539 - 541] Let's make a shallow swoosh
[541 - 543] of a warm herby Greek yogurt sauce.
[543 - 544] We'll pop the chicken on top
[544 - 546] and then spoon on this rich, tart,
[546 - 549] super quick tomato ginger sauce. Yum.
[549 - 551] And of course, our caramel chicken.
[551 - 553] It is so juicy and flavorful.
[553 - 555] It needs nothing more than jasmine rice
[555 - 557] to help us soak up every last drop of sauce.
[557 - 560] All of this chicken in front of me is incredibly juicy.
[560 - 563] It is tender and it is well seasoned. Most importantly,
[564 - 565] there isn't a boring bite in sight.
[565 - 567] By using your eyes
[567 - 568] and then applying some smart science,
[568 - 570] you can do yourself a big favor.
[570 - 573] Never again eat a dry or boring chicken breast,
[573 - 580] because this is definitely how to eat chicken breasts. (orchestral music)
[582 - 584] Thank you all so much for watching.
[584 - 586] Now, we're into season six of "What's Eating Dan?"
[586 - 588] and I recently realized I've never thanked my parents
[588 - 589] in the credits.
[589 - 590] That's just crazy.
[590 - 593] Anyway, there are links to all of the recipes
[593 - 594] from this episode below,
[594 - 595] and they're really nicely located
[595 - 597] near the "subscribe" and "like" button,
[597 - 598] so you should check those out.
[598 - 600] But the really big question for today,
[600 - 602] and this is what I want to hear about in the comments,
[602 - 606] is, "Would you rather fight one horse-sized chicken
[606 - 608] or 100 chicken-sized horses?"
[609 - 611] Let me know and I'll see you next time. (high-pitched tone)
[611 - 612] - [Speaker] Kinda like that.
[612 - 614] - And you would just kick all the little guys.
[615 - 617] - [Speaker] Yeah. What's a little horse gonna do? Kick you?
[617 - 619] - [Speaker 2] Yeah, I mean, horses don't really,
[619 - 620] I mean, they can bite,
[620 - 621] but they don't have like super sharp teeth.
[621 - 622] - Well, they can kick.
[622 - 623] They kick from behind.
[623 - 624] - [Speaker 2] Yeah, but it'd be
[624 - 625] like getting hit with a twig.
[625 - 627] - A horse-sized chicken,
[627 - 629] I mean, that's gonna be terrifying.
[629 - 630] - [Speaker] But also the chicken's not,
[630 - 634] they're not usually violent by nature, so...
[634 - 635] - [Speaker 2] Yeah, but you're fighting it.
[636 - 638] clearly, something has gone down
[638 - 639] because you're fighting it, right?
[639 - 643] Like something... (high-pitched tone)