Have you ever been advised, or encountered a recipe that called for pounding chicken breasts? Just hit them with something heavy until they're a bit flat. They may look a little funny, but when you are finished cooking them, your guests will have something special. Chef J. Kenji López-Alt received a question from a reader who made a dish of pounded boneless chicken breasts with sun dried tomatoes, basil, cheese, and panko crumbs and found it delicious. Of course it was, with those ingredients! But she wanted to know the reasoning behind pounding the chicken and what pounding added to the finished dish.
Pounding makes chicken breasts better in four ways. It makes them thinner so you don't have to cook them as long. It makes the shape more even, so the center gets done before the edges become overcooked. It leaves you with moister chicken. And pounded chicken breasts are more tender. López-Alt explains the science behind all those benefits at Serious Eats.
(Image credit: Kim)