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that the browned one gained in frying). The results were clear. The browned chicken had sharper,
more pronounced and deeper flavor, was juicier and looked a lot more attractive even with sauce
covering it. The unbrowned chicken looked and tasted like plain cooked chicken. Consider
browning a must, not an option, in all moist cooking methods, whether the recipe calls for it or
not.
Cooks divide their opinion whether to brown after dredging the poultry meat with flour or
to brown without flour. The role of the flour is to absorb surface moisture and to add flavor
through the browning of the flour itself. I tested both methods and found the flavor was not
enhanced with flour. But flour does absorb surface moisture. Instead of dredging them with
flour, just make sure that you pat the poultry pieces completely dry with paper or kitchen towel.
Also make sure the pan is hot and not too crowded. If you put too many pieces in it at a time, the
temperature of the oil in the pan drops too quickly, the meat lets out liquid too fast, and it steams
before it properly browns.
Moist cooking demands less of your attention than dry cooking, though initially it takes
more work. Browning the poultry takes extra effort and is messy, but it is essential to do before
you add the flavorful cooking liquid. As you cook it beyond the ideal temperature, the poultry
toughens when the fibers contract. But slowly, with longer simmer, the contracted muscle fibers
relax, absorb moisture and become tender.
Most of the tough connective tissues also soften and turn into gelatin. Recipes call for at
least half an hour of slow cooking, and that is about the minimum time the poultry needs before
the shrunken fibers relax and turn as soft as a well-aged brie. Continued slow cooking also helps
the meat to soak up flavors to the fullest. But take care not to overcook it. Eventually the poultry
becomes so soft that it falls apart as the fibers are no longer able to hold together. Then you are
approaching the realm of baby food.
Braising and stewing are two familiar ways to cook poultry with moist heat. Many cooks
confuse the two not knowing the difference, which is in the amount of liquid you use. In stewing
the meat simmers in flavorful liquid that just barely covers it, while in braising only a tiny
amount of liquid in the bottom of the pan steams the meat slowly, just enough to keep it from
sticking.
Chicken breasts in sweet paprika sauce
There are scores of superb chicken dishes from all corners of the world and they are as
varied as the nations that produce them. Chicken is perhaps the most adaptable of all our meats.
It is like reeds that bend whichever way the wind blows—chicken picks up the characteristics
and flavor combinations of any cuisine, making them its own. Once you taste this irresistible
chicken dish from Hungary, you convince yourself that humans domesticated chickens for the
only reason to eat them in a sweet paprika sauce.
Surprisingly, this is one of the quickest ways to prepare a chicken dish. There are few
ingredients and the flavor is marvelous. It is critical that you use of good quality, fresh
(preferably genuine) Hungarian paprika, a key ingredient for true flavor. Don’t use a paprika
from your shelf that has been there for years.
Ingredients
4
boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 6 ounces (170 g) each
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