The Foolproof Method For Incredibly Juicy Chicken Breasts

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Chicken breasts have an unfortunate reputation for being rather dry and stringy when cooked. This happens for a variety of reasons but the most significant one is that they inherently contain less fat than other parts of the chicken. This is good news for the health-conscious, but it can lead to bland meals, as fat helps break down and carry flavor and aroma compounds. The trick then is to add a controlled amount of fat back to the chicken breast to suit nutrition and flavor needs. But if all that is available at the grocery store are boneless, skinless chicken breasts, fear not. The easy way to get both fat and flavor back in that bird is to wrap chicken breasts in some kind of bacon before cooking.

Wrapping vegetables and lean meats in bacon is popular for good reason — it tastes great and keeps what's inside juicy and tender, and you can wrap pretty much anything in bacon for a savory bite. With chicken breasts, simply wrap a cut of chicken breast with a slice or two of bacon, proscuitto, or even ham, secure it into place with toothpicks, then roast them in the oven or pan-fry until cooked through. What happens is that the bacon helps retain the moisture in the chicken, while the rendered bacon fat also seeps into the chicken meat, resulting in incredibly juicy chicken breasts that are jam-packed with flavor. 

Once you have mastered this simple pork-wrapped cooking hack, spread your wings and try more adventurous projects like this ultimate bacon-wrapped chicken bomb recipe (think jalapeño poppers but chicken), or make a batch of sweet and spicy bacon-wrapped chicken tenders in bulk for your next party.

Aside from bacon, there are a few other tips that can help you achieve juicy chicken breasts every time. Ina Garten's favorite tip is to undercook chicken by just a few minutes, then remove it from the oven or stove, cover it with aluminum foil, and let it rest for about 10 minutes. This allows the chicken to continue cooking with the carryover heat, and it will come to perfectly safe, perfectly cooked temperature — this is where a meat thermometer like the ThermoWorks Thermapen ONE comes in handy. Just be sure to not make any of these mistakes with a meat thermometer – always poke it into the thickest part of the chicken and look for a temp of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

Other relatively straightforward methods for juicy chicken breasts include brining or marinating. These techniques help infuse as much flavor and moisture as possible into the chicken, and when done in combination with bacon-wrapping, result in possibly the most deliciously juice chicken breasts you will have ever cooked and eaten in your life.