4 Tips For Cooking A Juicy And Flavorful Chicken Breast

One of the inherent problems with  breast is that one end is much thicker than the other. The amount of time needed to fully cook the thickest part of the chicken is much longer than what's needed for the thinner section, leaving it overcooked and dried out. An easy fix? Use a heavy object, like a rolling pin, to pound and flatten each piece of chicken to make it one, uniform thickness.

Marinades add flavor to otherwise bland chicken breast, and many of the common ingredients in your  can help break down the fibers in the chicken. That means your cooked chicken breast will be more tender as well as tastier.

Slice Against the Grain
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If you're going to slice your chicken before cooking it, make sure you're slicing against the grain, or across the chicken breast in the direction that will produce shorter strips. All meat — including poultry — is made up of bundles of tough muscle fibers, and cutting those fibers apart will produce a more tender piece of cooked chicken.

Though we often remember to rest a roast or whole bird before carving it, most of us don't allow smaller cuts of meat or poultry to  into them. It's important to let the cooked chicken breast sit for 5—10 minutes before serving; this allows the juices to redistribute themselves throughout the meat, making it juicier.

Kristie Collado is The Daily Meal's Cook Editor. Follow her on Twitter @KColladoCook.