How Japanese Cook Incredibly Juicy and Tender CHICKEN BREAST(Soy-based Garlic Butter Sauce)

Hi everyone, it's Kunihiro. Thank you for coming back to my kitchen. Today I'm going to show you how to make incredibly juicy and tender pan-seared chicken breast. This recipe is not only easy and delicious but also foolproof, ensuring perfectly cooked chicken breast every time. So say goodbye to dry and chewy chicken and let's get started. So first I'll show you the ingredients needed for chicken preparation. So here I have 300 grams of skinless chicken breast, 4 pinches of salt, 1 tablespoon of sake, and 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour. And for the sauce ingredients, I have 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of sake, 2 tablespoons of mirin, 2 cloves of garlic, and 20 grams of butter. Alright, let's start with preparing the chicken breast. As you can see, chicken breasts are typically thicker on one side and thinner on the other. So if you cook them as they are, the chicken won't cook evenly. By the time the thick part is fully cooked, the thin part will be way overcooked and become dry and stringy. So first, we must butterfly the chicken breast to ensure it has a uniform thickness. So first, please insert the knife straight down on this line. Then when you reach the middle, change the angle of the blade horizontally and cut outward. Once you get close to the end, open it up like opening a book. Then rotate it halfway around and we'll open up the other side. This time, please insert the knife horizontally, cut outward, and when you get close to the end, open it up just like before. After butterflying the chicken, the thickness of the meat is still not perfectly even. So we'll gently pound it with the back of the knife to achieve a complete uniform thickness. Be careful not to pound too hard, otherwise the meat might tear. Alright, this should be enough. The chicken breast has been nicely flattened to an even thickness. By the way, the ideal thickness at this point is about one centimeter. Next, transfer the chicken breast onto a tray and pour one tablespoon of sake over it. Then flip the chicken several times to ensure the sake spreads evenly throughout. And once done, please cover the chicken with plastic wrap and let it rest outside the fridge for 20 to 30 minutes. During this time, the sake will penetrate the meat, tenderizing it, and adding moisture. Additionally, sake helps to reduce unwanted meat smell. Also, this 20-minute rest period allows the chicken to come to room temperature. Cold meat tends to cook unevenly and can sometimes cause undercooking. So bringing the chicken to room temperature before cooking is crucial. While waiting for the chicken, let's combine the sauce ingredients in advance so you won't rush later. So, into a bowl, add two tablespoons of soy sauce. Soy sauce adds a nice soy sauce aroma and subtle saltiness to the sauce, enhancing its overall flavor profile. Next, add two tablespoons of sake. Sake adds depth to the sauce. Then, please add two tablespoons of mirin. Mirin adds a mild sweetness, balancing the flavors of the sauce. Finally, grate two cloves of garlic directly into the bowl. Garlic flavor pairs perfectly with the chicken breast. But be careful not to add too much garlic, as it can overpower the sauce. So one or two garlic cloves are sufficient. Once the garlic is grated, give it a mix to ensure all the flavors are well combined. And it's good to go. By the way, we'll add the butter to the sauce at a different time, so please keep it separate. All right, it's been 20 minutes, so now remove the chicken from the tray and dry it with paper towels. If the chicken's surface is wet, it won't brown nicely. So please wipe off the excess moisture well at this point. Next, we'll season the chicken. So sprinkle two pinches of salt on both sides of the chicken and rub it in. If you season the chicken with too little salt at this stage, the flavor of the chicken will not come out clearly when cooking. So please season the chicken well at this stage. Next, please spread two tablespoons of all-purpose flour on a dry tray and coat the chicken while turning it over several times. This flour coating will prevent chicken juice from escaping during cooking. And once you've coated all sides of the chicken, please dust off the excess flour. Then your chicken breast will look like this. It looks like it's wearing a little bit of makeup and it's ready to go. So let's move to the stove. Please get a large frying pan, add a tablespoon of cooking oil, and turn on the heat to medium low. And once the pan is heated well and the oil has reached a runny consistency like this, place the chicken breast in the pan. Then cook the bottom side of the chicken for three minutes until it turns golden brown. Please press the chicken against the pan with a turner to ensure even browning. And after a minute and a half, please turn the chicken around so it will cook evenly. Press it again to ensure that the entire bottom surface of the chicken is touching the pan. And three minutes later, please turn the chicken over. If your chicken hasn't achieved a beautiful browning like mine at this point, continue cooking the same side for an additional 30 seconds to one minute. Once the bottom side of your chicken has achieved a beautiful browning, we'll move on to cooking the other side of the chicken breast for three more minutes. From this point on, you don't need to press the chicken against the pan. The side that's currently facing down doesn't need to achieve the same beautiful browning as the first side, since we'll be serving the chicken with the beautifully browned side facing up. So all you need to do is rotate the chicken halfway around at the minute and a half mark to cook it evenly. And three minutes later, your chicken breast is done. So let me show you how it's cooked on the other side. It's browned, but not as evenly as the first side. As I mentioned earlier, we won't be showing this side when serving, so this level of browning is more than enough. Now, please transfer the chicken breast to a tray, then let it rest for about five minutes. This step is crucial because at this moment, the juices inside are still hot and active, and they want to get out badly. So if you slice the chicken now, lots of juice will escape as soon as you cut it, and your chicken will dry out quickly. However, by allowing it to rest, the juices will come down and redistribute throughout the meat, so they will stay inside even after slicing, resulting in a juicier and more tender final dish. So now, while the chicken's resting, let's make a sauce using the same frying pan. First, please use a paper towel to wipe off any excess oil. If you leave excess oil on the pan, the flavor of the sauce won't come out clearly. Okay, this much is enough. Now, add the sauce mixture you prepared earlier, and turn the heat back on to medium low. Then, use a spatula or turner to scrape off any flavorful bits stuck to the bottom. This step will incorporate them into the sauce, enhancing its flavor. And once the sauce starts boiling like this, it's time to add the butter. Melt the butter and add richness to the sauce. Today, I'm using salted butter, so if you are using unsalted butter, please add a pinch of salt at this point, so that the flavor of the sauce will come out more clearly. Then, please add any juices from the cooked chicken to the pan. This will add extra flavor to the sauce. Please keep stirring until the sauce thickens a little, and when the sauce reaches a consistency like this, it's ready. So, turn off the heat. Keep the sauce on one side of the pan, so it's not gonna dry out quickly. And let's move on to cutting the chicken. Place the chicken on the cutting board, with the beautifully browned side facing up. Since it's a large piece, please cut it in half first. Then, slice it into bite-sized pieces at an angle, by tilting the knife slightly. Please take a look. Lots of juices are staying within the meat, and the meat is very tender. This is perfect. Let's cut the remaining half. It's fine to trim this uneven part, and shape it neatly before slicing. Then, slice the rest in the same way as the first half. And please arrange the chicken pieces neatly on a serving plate. Finally, spoon the sauce over the chicken pieces. Clean the plate, and there you have it. Your tasty pan-seared chicken breast is done. It's beautifully golden brown on the outside, with juicy tender meat inside. The aroma of the soy-based garlic butter sauce is irresistible, enticing your taste buds before you even take a bite. Please enjoy. Alright, that's it for today. I hope you enjoyed watching today's video. So, if you did, please hit the like button, leave a comment below, and remember to try my recipe at home. Thank you so much for watching, and I'll see you soon in my next video. Bye-bye.