Chick's Got Some Big Breasts!

Thank goodness tonight was a leftover night! Today I woke up sick. I am all stuffed up and have massive pressure going on in my head. On top of that I had promised my sister I would babysit my three nephews so she could go on a date night with her husband. I had no extra energy to put towards a meal, so tonight was leftover sausage, autumn pasta carbonara, and mixed veggies in creamed corn. If you cook great early in the week, leftover night is not so bad! Tomorrow I plan to make Mustard-Pretzel Chicken using the homemade pretzel breadcrumbs that I mentioned yesterday. The only work I had tonight was to prep my chicken breasts.

I do not refer to most of my cooking and prepping as "work" often, but I really do hate getting up close and personal with raw chicken. I don't have much of a choice though, since I eat chicken more than I do any other meat. It is healthy, quick, and very versatile. I will usually look for a large family pack of skinless boneless breasts. When buying the larger packs the price per pound is usually a bit cheaper. Once I get home, I will break the pack down into small portions and freeze them. This has to be one of my least favorite kitchen activities, but it is so worth it once it is done.

I think the chicken breasts are too thick. The only time I like using breasts as thick as they come is when I plan on stuffing it. For the most part, I prefer thin slices of chicken. Thinly sliced chicken breasts are available at most supermarkets, but they are usually more expensive. I also feel they use a lower quality of meat for these thin slices. So I cut them into thin slices myself. It is nice to have my perfect portions in my own freezer ready to use once thawed. I will cut one thick breast into 2-3 slices, a quarter inch thick each. These smaller slices of breast also help myself with portion control. If food is front of me, I will eat it, whether I am still hungry or not. Having smaller slices portioned out before I even cook them makes it easier to eat less. I portion out 3 slices into a Ziploc bag. Sophia will usually only eat half a slice and I will eat one and a half. Between the two of us, we are only eating one thick breast. I can turn a pack of 8 breasts into 8 meals.

The technique I use is simple. I hold a breast down flat with my left palm while slicing horizontaly with my right hand. Imagine how a delicatessen would slice a hoagie roll.

This tip may seem obvious for some, but it wasn't to me! I only started doing this to my chicken 6 months ago. It sure did make my packs of chicken last longer!