What is it?

When a recipe calls for a chicken breast, chances are it’s actually referring to a chicken breast half. A full chicken breast, rarely seen at the grocery store, would include the two halves connected by a breast bone.

You’ll usually find chicken breast halves packaged either bone-in and skin-on or boneless and skinless. Bone-in chicken breast is best suited for longer cooking methods, such as roasting, braising, and barbecuing. Skinless, boneless breasts takes well to the sauté pan and the grill.

Don’t have it?

Chicken thighs can make a good substitute for chicken breasts, though they may take a little longer to cook.

How to choose:

If your preparation includes the skin, such as a stuffing that will go beneath it, look for pieces with the skin well intact with no rips or tears. For boneless chicken, look for pieces about the same size so they will cook evenly. Buy the best quality chicken you can afford.

How to prep:

Trim away any visible fat and excess skin, if the breast is skin-on.

How to store:

Keep chicken refrigerated or freeze for longer storage.

Cross Reference

chicken cutlets

Recipes

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  Recipe

  Grilled Chicken, Pear, Almond, and Manchego Salad

  Simply seasoned chicken balances sweet juicy pears, buttery cheese, and a bold vinaigrette in this main-course salad.

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  Recipe

  Chicken and Corn Chowder

  Here’s a perfect soup for cold fall nights. Adding the corn cobs to the pot along with the kernels amps up the sweet corn flavor.

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  Recipe

  Grilled Peri-Peri Chicken

  Peri-peri sauce is a hot, spicy chile–pepper–based condiment that originated in the Portuguese colonies of Africa. Available at most supermarkets, it gives the chicken a tangy not-too-hot flavor. Look for…

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  Recipe

  Chicken Posole Verde

  The green (as opposed to red) version of this classic Mexican stew features tomatillos and jalapeño in place of tomatoes and dried red chiles. Serve the posole with tortilla chips…

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  Recipe

  Leek, Chicken, and Rice Soup

  The mellow sweetness of leeks mingles with smoky paprika to make this chicken soup perfect for a rainy spring afternoon.

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  Recipe

  Farro, Chicken, and Grape Salad

  Nutty and pleasantly chewy, farro is an ancient variety of wheat usually associated with Mediterranean cooking, especially Italian. In this one-bowl meal, a dressing of mirin and sesame oil gives…

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  Recipe

  Tuscan Grain Bowl with Grilled Chicken and Broccolini

  A quick pesto-like sauce brings this bowl together and adds summery flavor. Crisp garlic slivers are a fun crunchy element.

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  Recipe

  Chicken Horiataki Salad with Tzatziki

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  Grilled Chipotle Chicken Breasts with Black Bean Salsa

  Two kinds of chiles—jalapeños and canned chipotles—contribute different styles of heat (fresh and grassy and intensely smoky, respectively) to a mayonnaise coating for grilled chicken. If you have leftover chicken…

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  Recipe

  Sweet-Tea Brined Chicken

  You could mistake this brine for a lemony iced tea—hello, Arnold Palmer—and indeed, it imparts a similar subtle yet tart flavor. Grilled okra and cornbread make great accompaniments.