How to Sauté Chicken 101

        There was a request for an early 101 lesson, so just pretend it's Thursday (plus I was having a hard time restraining myself from sharing this).  2 of my coworkers (D & L... you know who you are) confided that they either don't cook chicken for themselves or they'd only just cooked their first piece of chicken in their new apartment (new... since January).  It's not that they don't like chicken, they just weren't sure how to cook it quickly and easily.  So when they learned of my blog, they requested a chicken 101 lesson and I promised I would.  So here you go ladies, a step-by-step 101 lesson on how to prepare and cook your chicken in a super easy manner.  As long as you have a large (preferably non-stick) skillet and a flipper thingymabobber (it's called a spatula FYI), I promise you can do this!  

Sautéing Chicken: Easy as 1, 2, 3

1. Trim
        I like to use a boneless, skinless free range chicken breast when I can, but regardless of what kind of chicken breast you get, you have to wash it and trim it.  If it's frozen, make sure it's thawed completely.  Trim any excess fat on the chicken (the white parts).  You can use a knife, but kitchen scissors are my personal fave.  After you've trimmed it, run the chicken under cold water to clean it and wash away any of the trimmings.

Use kitchen scissors to trim any
excess fat of off the chicken breast.

2. Tenderize
        To make sure the chicken will cook easily, quickly, and evenly you must tenderize the meat.  It sounds like an intense process reserved for a butcher, but have no fear - it's simple.  Place the chicken breast between two sheets of plastic wrap (since you've just cleaned it).  Using a meat mallet, a rolling pin, or the easier K&A way using your hands, you want to pound the chicken breast to about 1/2 in thickness.  For a basic seasoning, sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.

Tenderize the chicken using a
meat mallet (above), a rolling pin,
or your hands.

3. Sauté
        Drizzle about 1.5 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil to coat the bottom of the skillet; cook over medium-high (never cook on high) to heat the oil.  Here's a little trick my dad taught me: to check if the oil is hot enough, run your fingertips under the faucet and then shake a few droplets of water into the pan; if it's hot enough, it will begin to sizzle!  If you got sizzlin', then add your chicken breast to the pan and you should get a lot more sizzlin'; cook on each side for about 6 minutes until done (for thicker pieces of chicken, you'll have to cook it longer).  To tell if the chicken is done (the trickiest part for me to do without cutting it in the middle), pierce it with a fork.  If the juices that run out are clear, it's done.  Remove the chicken from the pan and keep warm while you cook the rest of the chicken.

When you think the chicken is done,
pierce it with a fork; if the juices run
clear, it's done.

Chicken is easy to cook and goes with just about any side; A and I do the Near East couscous often and sometimes we slice the chicken and serve over a salad.  Sautéing chicken is one of the easier options for chicken, and it's fast!  It's easily seasoned with just salt and pepper or you can try sautéing it in olive oil and sliced garlic or add some herb seasonings like rosemary, marjoram, thyme, parsley, oregano, basil.
And I'll leave you with the boys who said "easy & simple" best... the Jackson 5.

ABC, it's easy as 123, as simple as do ray me, ABC, 123 baby you and me girl!

...and for A, L, & B: This is how you sauté some _________  chicken!