Most people remove chicken from the grocery store packaging, wrap it up, and toss it into the freezer. That’s a big mistake. If you want a tender, juicy chicken breast when you cook it, you need to beat it senseless. Pounding a chicken breast is quite easy, and it has many advantages. A piece of meat with a uniform thickness is going to cook much more evenly, and a thinner piece of meat is going to cook more quickly. You’re also tenderizing the meat, which means you’re going to get a juicier, tastier chicken on the table faster. Of course, pounding a frozen chicken breast is impossible. That’s why you’ll want to pound out your chicken breasts BEFORE you put them in the freezer. After trimming the meat of any white stringy bits and excess fat, place your lopsided chicken breast in a gallon-size freezer bag. Grab a heavy object and whack it, starting from the thickest part of the breast and working your way outward, flipping it as needed to get it as even and thin as you can without tearing the meat. Aim for ¾-inch thickness. Place your finished chicken breasts in plastic wrap first and then into a freezer bag. When you’re ready to cook it, transfer it to the refrigerator to thaw, and you’ll be ready to go.
