Flat-Out Good Chicken
Serves 4 | Prep Time 20 min, plus 30 min for marinating | Cook Time 5 min
Anyone who thinks that cooking isn’t physical should see the tennis forearms I’ve developed from years of lifting, chopping, stirring, and so forth. It’s actually a great stress release, which brings me to Flat-Out Good Chicken. As the name suggest, the recipe involves pounding chicken breasts until they’re flat. I could tell you that whenever you begin to break some of the structural proteins in meat in this way, it reduces the time required for the marinade to soak in. And that’s true. And I could tell you that chicken prepared in this way really holds on to any herbs in the marinade, such as the Simon and Garfunkel blend in this recipe (for those of you born after 1970, that’s parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme). This is also true. But the real reason to make this is best summed up by a friend who asked for the recipe. When I told her that she could get the butcher to do the pounding if she didn’t want to do it herself, she laughed and said, “No, this is the perfect job for my perpetually annoyed teenager.” Think of it as kitchen therapy.
Instructions
Working with one chicken breast at a time, put it between several layers of parchment paper and pound with a meat pounder until about 1/4 inch thick. Put the pieces in a pan in which they fit without overlapping. Put the olive oil, garlic, lemon zest, thyme, sage, rosemary, salt, and pepper in small bowl and whisk until well blended. Spread the mixture evenly over the chicken.
Cover and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes. Heat a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Grill until firm to the touch and the juices run clear, 1 to 2 minutes on each side. Serve garnished with the parsley and the Parsley Mint Drizzle. Variations: There are many ways to infuse flavor into chicken. Using this recipe as a template, try marinating the pounded chicken in the yogurt mixture used in Mediterranean Kebabs and serving it topped it with Yogurt Sauce with Citrus and Mint . Another option is to marinate in Lime Vinaigrette with Toasted Cumin Seeds and serve it topped with Papaya and Avocado Salsa. It’s also great when marinated in My Go-To Marinade or topped with Basil Pistachio Pesto or Kale- Basil Pesto. Or, for a hit of umami, drizzle with Pomegranate Glaze or pomegranate molasses, homemade or store-bought.
COOK'S NOTE: No two pieces of chicken are alike. Some will be thicker and require a little extra pounding. Don’t get carried away with your mallet though, as the thinner parts of the chicken will tear if they’re pounded too much. This recipe is a great candidate for doubling. Leftovers can be used to add protein to salads, such as Greek Chicken Salad, soups, such as Chicken Tortilla Soup, or other dishes, such as Hot-and-Sour Sesame Soba Noodles.
WHO KNEW? How we prepare food can sometimes be just as important as the foods we choose to eat. Joseph Pizzorno, one of the world’s foremost researchers into natural and integrative medicine and an advisor to presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, estimates that “about 60 percent of the aging in our bodies comes from how we prepare foods.” A key culprit, says Pizzorno, is how long and how directly meat is exposed to high heat, as prolonged high-heat cooking can create glycated proteins, which can build up in the body and cause oxidative stress. One way to limit the development of these proteins is to marinate any meat or fish you intend to grill. Not only does this reduce cooking time by tenderizing the food in advance, it also provides a protective barrier between the food and the flame. Marinades also happen to make food taste great. That’s what I call a win-win-win.
STORAGE: Store tightly wrapped in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
PER SERVING: Calories: 180; Total Fat: 7 g (1.5 g saturated, 4 g monounsaturated); Carbohydrates: 1.5 g; Protein: 27 g; Fiber: 0.5 g; Sodium: 165 mg
Ingredients
4 organic skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 teaspoon sea sal