Versatile chicken

I have just read your article about how to cook chicken and I want to add my two cents for what it's worth. Boneless chicken breast feature weekly in my home. You have mentioned about cooking them in the skillet and making different sauces using the same skillet but baking is almost as good, and you can do something else while chicken is in the oven. Take four pieces of boneless chicken breasts and you can cook them any way.

Mango curry chicken

Get a jar of mango sauce, 2 tsp curry powder, 1/2 cup seedless raisins, 1/2 cup slivered almonds, probably about 1 tsp salt and ground pepper to taste. Preheat oven to 375° F. Place chicken in a baking dish, season with salt, pour mango sauce over and then sprinkle raisins and slivered almonds. Bake for 45 minutes, or until chicken is done. Serve with steamed rice.

Italian chicken

Get a jar of tomato and basil sauce, 1 cup frozen grilled Mediterranean vegetables, 1/2 cup grated cheese, and 1 tablespoon dried oregano. Preheat oven to 375° F. Place chicken in a baking dish with grilled vegetables around. Pour tomato sauce over chicken and vegetables and sprinkle grated cheese. Bake for 45 minutes, or until chicken is done. Serve with boiled pasta - mix in 1 tsp salted butter once pasta is cooked to keep it loose.

If chicken breasts are frozen just rinse under cold water for a few minutes to thaw before placing them into the baking dish. It should not take more than 5-6 minutes.