Coconut miso chicken breasts with toasted sesame seeds

To be honest, I used to hate chicken breast. I just could not understand why anyone would ever eat that tasteless dry meat. I am a huge fan of fatty and flavorful cuts of meat like pork belly, rib eye and duck breast (with skin on of course), so the idea of having chicken breast as main protein in my meal seemed too boring. It was only last year when I started to care more about eating healthy that I decided to give a go with chicken breast. I had tried as many cooking techniques as I could find for months, but perfectly cooked juicy chicken breast I wanted seemed almost unachievable. But things completely changed when I found the instruction and video on ‘How To Cook Moist & Tender Chicken Breasts Every Time’ by Faith Durand on ‘the Kitchnn’. Trust me on this and watch the video, this lady really knows what she’s doing and she will not disappoint you. With this method of cooking I was also able to add my own sauce in the process to make the chicken more flavorful and versatile. Coconut-miso sauce recipe that I am sharing today is one of my recent favorites. The flavor of this healthy fusion goes so well with the clean and delicate chicken breast. It is delicious, simple to make and good for you. Enjoy!

• Prep time: 1hr
• Cooking time: less than 25mins
• Serves: 2

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breast fillets (400g)
• 1/2 cup. unsweetened low-fat coconut milk
• 2 tbsp. mild miso paste
• 2 1/2 tsp. honey
• 2 tsp. coconut oil
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/2 tbsp. sesame seeds

Lay a sheet of cling film on a chopping board. Place chicken breast fillets and cover with another sheet of film. Flatten the fillets until they are in even thickness and set them aside. You can use meat mallet, rolling pin or any other heavy implement. Mix coconut milk, miso, honey, coconut oil and black pepper. Place the chicken in a plastic zipper bag, pour the sauce mixture in and marinate for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

When the chicken breasts are ready, prepare a non-stick pan with a lid (lightly oil the pan if necessary). Place the pan on a stove with medium heat and add the chicken breasts in. Sear both breasts for 1 minute on one side, flip them over, and pour in rest of the coconut-miso sauce from the bag. Turn the heat down to low, cover the pan with a lid and leave to cook for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, turn the heat off completely, leave to sit for another 10 minutes. In any stage do not lift the lid. Meanwhile, toast sesame seeds in a dry pan over medium-high heat. This only takes a minute or two, so watch closely and make sure they don’t burn. Set them aside to cool.

After chicken breasts have been sit for 10 minutes, plate them with some of the coconut-miso and meat juice from the pan and toasted sesame seeds. Save rest of the juice, you will want it as you slice and eat your chicken breasts to keep them moist and tasty. These delicate breast fillets are great with crunch green vegetables and wild rice.