Disclaimer, I am not a professional chef nor a nutritionist, I am just an amateur home chef. This is personal my opinion and advice, it is not based on legal facts.
Chicken in the last twenty years has been one of the most frequently bought proteins in the meat department. It could be because it is low in fat and high in protein, or that it is cheap compared to most meats. Personally, I like it because it is cheap and you can make infinite meals with it. However, people are divided on the topic between chicken breasts or thighs. Therefore, this article is to convince you that in practicality, chicken breasts are better than chicken thighs.
Normally, whenever a butcher puts more work into carving, deboning, or trimming a piece of meat, the price per pound starts to increase. That’s why bone-in pieces of chicken are likely to be lower in price, less work for the butcher, but more work for you. Overall, the bone-in chicken breast is one of my favorite pieces of poultry as it gives you the best of both worlds. It gives you the flavor from the bone, but the taste of the chicken breast.
Now, if you compare the two, on the grill, a boneless chicken though would edge out against a boneless chicken breast. However, I think a boneless chicken breast has more versatility and practicality than a chicken thigh. The chicken breast is also easier to trim and has a better texture compared to the chicken thigh. You can pan-sear a chicken breast to perfection, and then make a pan sauce to drizzle on top. You can pound the chicken breast thinly and make endless creations. Poach in water or chicken stock, bake in the oven, fry it, or pan fry for chicken alfredo. Although, if you question why I would say chicken breasts are better, I believe overall, America has ruined the reputation of the chicken breast.
If you have ever had chicken for dinner and it was dry, bland, and chewy; it was likely due to the chef overcooking the chicken or it being underseasoned. The fear of getting a foodborne illness, like salmonella, scares a home cook to nuke the chicken breast until it is about as dry as Death Valley. That fear needs to be put aside and can do so if the cook does a few simple things. Which we will discuss later on. Like potatoes or other white foods, chicken is not full of flavor by itself.
Although there is a world of flavor possibilities, it seems that home cooks have disregarded and degraded the value of the chicken breast. For instance, if you are pan-frying a chicken breast, instead of cooking the breast whole, try to butterfly or pound it into a thinner piece. This will not only speed up cooking but limit the possibility of overcooking parts of the chicken. In addition to pan-frying, add a clove of garlic or sage with butter to make a sauce and add more flavor to the chicken. A few other herbs and spices that go well with chicken are garlic/onion powder, rosemary, oregano, ginger, nutmeg, tarragon, and of course black pepper.
So, the question I bet you now have, is how do I avoid eating sand? Simply put, get a damn meat thermometer! They cost at most $15 for a cheapo, and one of the best meat thermometers is around $100. The meat thermometer takes all of the guessing work out during the cook. Another alternative is to brine chicken breasts in a salt, water, sugar, and pickle brine solution. It even takes one step closer to the taste of Chick-fil-A, I know you want that experience.
Lastly, do not cook your chicken breast to an internal temperature of 165°F. I cannot stress this enough, if you cook it to 165 °F it will be overcooked by the time you eat it. Once it reaches a certain temperature and time threshold, bacteria will die off. Therefore, do not be afraid to stop cooking once the chicken reaches an internal temperature between 155–160 °F. If you do this, your experience of the dry, tasteless, boring chicken breast will transform into a beautiful juicy experience.