How to Make Better Chicken Breast? Put in one of these 7 Veggie Packed Chicken Salads!

How to Make Chicken Breast Taste Great

If you’re trying to make chicken breast taste like a juicy ribeye, you’re going to be disappointed. Here’s how I think about it instead: chicken breast is a meal component. It’s no different than rice, pasta, or a can of tuna. You wouldn’t eat any of those plain and expect them to be exciting, right? Of course not. They’re building blocks. The same is true for chicken breast.

As a chef, I don’t try to turn chicken breast into something it isn’t. I focus on keeping it moist, gently seasoned, and ready to absorb the flavors around it.

Start with Properly Cooked Chicken

The only thing chicken breast needs to do is stay tender. I always brine my chicken first. To do that, I combine 1 quart (960ml) of water and 2 tablespoons of kosher salt (17 g) in a medium bowl and submerge the chicken in. Refrigerate the chicken for 30 minutes to an hour then remove from the brine and pat dry with a paper towel. 

Then I either:

• Grill it on my grill pan.
• Gently poach it.

For juicy grilled chicken, I use a trick I learned during my catering days. I start by cooking the chicken on a hot grill pan just long enough to develop grill marks on both sides. Then I transfer the chicken to a Pyrex baking dish, cover it tightly with foil, and finish cooking it in a 350°F oven until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. This gentle finish helps keep the chicken moist while still giving it that grilled flavor and appearance.

For poached chicken, I sear the breasts in a little oil, add enough water to cover them by about ½ inch, toss in a few peeled garlic cloves, and cook at a bare simmer until the chicken reaches 165°F. Then I let it cool completely. That’s it.

Let the Salad Do the Heavy Lifting

Once the chicken is cooked, I finely dice it instead of shredding it. I know shredding using a KitchenAid is popular on Instagram, but I’m not pulling out my stand mixer just to shred chicken. I’d rather spend my energy building a great salad. The vegetables, herbs, and dressing are what make the chicken exciting, not the other way around.

Stop Expecting Chicken Breast to Be the Star

Too much time and effort is spent trying to make chicken breast into something it will never be. Without frying or heavy seasoning, it’s hard to make chicken breast intensely flavorful. Instead, make it moist enough to carry pair effortlessly and harmoniously with veggies and dressing.

Every chicken salad recipe I create is designed to make you excited to get your protein in, and these 7 veggie-packed chicken breast salads prove just how good chicken breast can be when you stop asking it to be something it isn’t.