hands down, the hardest thing to learn in the kitchen, was how to cook a chicken breast perfectly. recipes involving chicken breasts would always say something vague, leaving me with way to much room for error. so here is a breakdown of how to get that perfectly cooked, well seasoned chicken breast every time.

to execute your perfect cookery, start with a few simple ingredients. a 4-6 oz chicken breast (no thicker than .75 inch thick and as even as possible). 1 tbs olive or vegetable oil. .25 tsp kosher salt. couple pinches of fresh ground pepper. large nonstick or cast iron pan. aluminum foil. paper towel. start by trimming any extra membranes or unwanted skin from the chicken breast. using a paper towel, pat your chicken dry. this is very important to ensure that you get a nice browned, flavorful outside. once you have patted your chicken dry. 

season both sides of your chicken with salt and pepper. then, place your oil in your pan and heat over medium high heat. 

when your oil is nice and hot (it will look a little shiny) gently place your chicken into the pan, being careful to lay it in the direction going away from you, ensuring you do not splatter oil on yourself. 

allow the chicken to cook, undisturbed until you can start to see the edges cooking through. about 3 to 4 minutes. 

once you see your chicken edges cooking through, gently flip your chicken breast. 

let it complete cooking,, undisturbed for and additional 3-4 minutes. the chicken is cooked through when the internal temp reaches 165 f, HOWEVER here are the important details they fail to tell you! foods continue to cook after they are removed from heat, so you don't want to cook your chicken all the way to 165 in the pan. if you do so, when you remove it and allow it to rest, the chicken will actually over cook. so, if you are not used to gauging the doneness of chicken by look or feel (the chicken should feel like the muscle at the base of your thumb when it is cooked through) and you are using a meat thermometer, you want to cook it between 155-160 degrees f. 

so once you have determined your chicken is done (it is cooked to temp and golden brown on both sides) remove it from the pan and allow it to rest. resting is very important in ensuring a moist piece of chicken. moisture absorbs back into proteins as they cool down, so give your chicken about 5-7 minutes to rest before slicing into it. 

once it is removed from the pan, loosely tent the chicken breast with foil. 

once the chicken has rested, slice and enjoy.

xo, a

it may be early in the season, but spring in california is in full bloom. the heavy (and rare) rain we had this winter created a "super bloom." which in my little secret garden means my marjoram has grown out of control. and i have the perfect solution for extra herbs. 

whether you can't possibly use all you are growing in your own garden, or you just purchased an overpriced pack of thyme at the market and you only used three sprigs for your recipe, drying herbs is simple. 

start by trimming and washing your herbs well. if you are cutting the herbs fresh from your garden, it is best to do it in the morning before the bright sun has a chance to wilt them. 

after washing the herbs well, pat them dry. 

remove as many of the leaves as you can from the stems. this could be a quick process for herbs like basil or parsley that are larger. for smaller herbs like thyme, oregano and marjoram it may take you a bit longer. if you have kids, this is a great task for little hands to help with. while you are removing the leaves from the stems, preheat your oven to 200 degrees f. 

once all your leaves are removed from the stems, once again pat them dry. 

place your leaves on a parchment or silicone mat lined baking sheet. 

place your baking sheet in the oven and use a rolled up dish towel an oven mitt to tent the oven (keeping it slightly ajar so air circulates). dry the herbs for 1 hour (might take a bit longer for larger herbs like basil). 

when the herbs have dried, allow them to cool. remove any remaining large stems. 

using your hands, a food processor or spice grinder, grind the herbs up into almost a powder. 

pour your freshly dried herbs into an airtight container. label and keep on hand for up to six months. 

xo, a