10 easy and quick recipes for chicken fillet breast, perfect for a weeknight.
We’re in the realm of Extremely Bland with chicken breast. Whole roast chicken is very good, thighs can be tasty but the miserable old chicken boobies have nothing going for them, flavourwise. Plus, chicken breast is more expensive and not even as nutritionally valuable as brown meat.
And yet it is the most popular cut of meat on top of chicken being the overwhelmingly favoured animal protein in the UK. Since that is the case, rather than trying to persuade everyone to swap breast for legs, I’ll try to show how to make the breast taste less boring. How about that?
Here are 10 excellent propositions to make chicken breast tasty, flavoursome and more interesting.
Chicken Florentine, pollo alla fiorentina in Italian, is chicken with spinach sauce. It was traditionally a stew of whole chicken with a side dish of spinach but has migrated out of Italy in a simplified version. My recipe is quick and simple and it requires the use of just one pan so not only exquisitely delicious but sparing with washing up too!
Chicken alla fiorentina
RECIPE
This is a flattened and breaded chicken breast, typically served with simple green salad of lettuce or rocket leaves. It is a close cousin of Austrian schnitzel and, like in Vienna, they sometimes replace chicken with veal. My recipe is zinged with tarragon, which perfectly pairs with chicken.
This recipe is similar to chicken milanese, but instead of mild tarragon, chicken breast is seasoned with a spicy rub. Oregano, chilli powder and garlic make the meat super tasty and a cornmeal layer – super crispy.
Crispy fried chicken fillet
RECIPE
And now for my favourite, most indulgent chicken fillet recipe, inspired by Welsh rarebit. Flattened chicken breast is fried, then topped with a layer of minced mushrooms and a pile of cheese. It’s simply irresistible.
Saltimbocca means ‘jump in the mouth’, because it is a dish so tasty, it literally jumps into your mouth. It is classically made with veal escalopes and served with marsala or vin santo sauce. My version is sauceless so the lovely, crisp ham does not turn soggy.
Another approach to chicken breast is to chop it into chunks and cook in interesting ways. In this tray bake – which is one of the easiest ways of handling your dinner preparations – it mingles with mixed vegetables, all flavoured in a mild Asian style.
Another tray bake and a perfect autumnal dish: chunks of chicken breast, whole grapes, whole chestnut mushrooms and pitted olives. How easy is that? About as easy as it is delicious.
Chicken with grapes and olives
RECIPE
This is one of my oldest recipes, also one of the most popular ever! A one pan dish which is great with pasta, it features tender chicken pieces cooked in creamy sauce, with caramelised leeks and mushrooms. Also, it can be varied in multiple ways.
Creamy chicken with leeks and mushrooms
RECIPE
Can’t have a chicken collection without a stir fry, and this is one of the nicest. Not too hot, smoky and fruity from Korean gochujang paste which even Nigella is plugging, and vibrant with red and yellow peppers. If you haven’t got a wok, use a sturdy frying pan. Also, get a wok.
Teriyaki is Japanese marinade or dipping sauce which is Umami Central. Thanks to it, chicken breast cooked in the most boring way, which is roasted whole, becomes amazingly tasty. Incidentally, teriyaki chicken is very inauthentic as in Japan, teriyaki sauce is used mainly on fish, burgers and steak.
Bonus recipe: how to roast a really juicy and succulent chicken breast fillet, even skinless? Discover my secret.
Juicy roasted chicken breast
RECIPE