# Roast split bone-in chicken breasts



## JustJoel (Feb 1, 2018)

Smith’s (Kroger’s) had a sale on bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts (where do they _get_ these gigantic chickens, anyway?). I’ve got plenty of ways to prepare them. But I seem to recall, sometime in my wicked youth, a recipe where two split chicken breasts are tied together tip to top, wit the cavity stuffed with aromatics and compound butter rubbed under the skin. It sounds like a thing, but I can’t figure out how to position it in the pan!

Have any of you ever heard of this method? If yes, could you shed some light? And if this technique is a product of my fevered dreams, please don’t hesitate to say it!


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## caseydog (Feb 1, 2018)

No replies?

I gotta' say, I've never heard of that style of cooking chicken breasts that you described. If you are going to roast them, I'd set them up so that the skins are both exposed to the dry heat, so they brown up nicely. That should also keep the lean meat moist. 

That's all I got. 

CD


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## dragnlaw (Feb 1, 2018)

I found this: 

stuffed baked split

the 'stuffed' part is a pocket cut in the breast. 

but they are not tied together


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## JustJoel (Feb 1, 2018)

*Guess I was dreaming!*

I was researching all night, and can’t find anything that resembles two chicken breasts trussed together then roasted. It certainly _sounds_ interesting, but I think I’ll just go with traditional roast breast for two of them, and oven fry the other two. Still, if someone runs across something, I’d love to hear about it!


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## Aunt Bea (Feb 1, 2018)

I have never heard of that method but I think that you would get the same results if you put the compound butter under the skin and put the breasts bone side down on a bed of aromatics in the roasting pan.


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## jennyema (Feb 1, 2018)

It doesnt make a lot of sense to me to truss them.

I would brine them and roast in a cast iron skillet with butter under the skin.


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## Kayelle (Feb 1, 2018)

Like Jenny said, without a doubt I would brine them first! I often roast thighs on top of a bed of doctored up cornbread stuffing mix. You sure could do that with the breasts.


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## tenspeed (Feb 1, 2018)

According to Kenji, you are further ahead with a rack over a rimmed baking sheet than you are with a roasting pan with higher sides.  Not sure what the benefits of a CI skillet are, especially in view of the fact that CI is a lousy heat conductor.  My best roast chicken to date was a spatchcocked chicken on a cooling rack over a baking sheet.

Why You Don't Need an Expensive Roasting Pan | Serious Eats

I've cooked bone-in split breasts in a pressure cooker and they came out quite moist.  Doesn't have the visual appeal of the browned skin you get from roasting, though.


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## dragnlaw (Feb 1, 2018)

tenspeed said:


> the fact that CI is a lousy heat conductor. .



tenspeed...  not sure I understand that statement.  Could you explain please?


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## TATTRAT (Feb 1, 2018)

Sounds like you're trying to recreate a crown, but the keel bone is not there to hold the 2 breast together.

I'd treat them like basically any roast bird, just don't overcook as they will dry out fast.


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## RPCookin (Feb 1, 2018)

dragnlaw said:


> tenspeed...  not sure I understand that statement.  Could you explain please?



I think that it's just as stated.  Cast iron takes more time to get up to temp, and then holds that temp.  It takes a while to cool back down from searing heat to gentle cooking.  A cast iron pan will retain it's heat for a while after you turn down the burner, so timing is important.  Cast iron can often cook more evenly than a more conductive pan.

A clad frying pan cools more quickly as you change the temperature of the burner.  This can actually lead to less even cooking, depending on the quality of the pan and of the heat source.  The typical electric range element cycles on and off to achieve a "constant" temperature.  That effect will be more noticeable with aluminum or clad than with cast iron.


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## GotGarlic (Feb 1, 2018)

RPCookin said:


> I think that it's just as stated.  Cast iron takes more time to get up to temp, and then holds that temp.  It takes a while to cool back down from searing heat to gentle cooking.  A cast iron pan will retain it's heat for a while after you turn down the burner, so timing is important.  Cast iron can often cook more evenly than a more conductive pan.
> 
> A clad frying pan cools more quickly as you change the temperature of the burner.  This can actually lead to less even cooking, depending on the quality of the pan and of the heat source.  The typical electric range element cycles on and off to achieve a "constant" temperature.  That effect will be more noticeable with aluminum or clad than with cast iron.


jennyema suggested roasting in cast iron in the oven, though. If you preheat the pan with the oven and then put the chicken in, it will roast beautifully. Since the heat is coming from all around rather than just from underneath, like on the stovetop, it will be pretty even.

I would start it skin-side down, to get a good sear going, then turn them over and cook till the breasts reach 155F. Remove to a plate, cover with foil and let rest 10 minutes to allow them to cook through. Yummy, juicy tender meat


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## caseydog (Feb 1, 2018)

RPCookin said:


> I think that it's just as stated.  Cast iron takes more time to get up to temp, and then holds that temp.  It takes a while to cool back down from searing heat to gentle cooking.  A cast iron pan will retain it's heat for a while after you turn down the burner, so timing is important.  Cast iron can often cook more evenly than a more conductive pan.
> 
> A clad frying pan cools more quickly as you change the temperature of the burner.  This can actually lead to less even cooking, depending on the quality of the pan and of the heat source.  The typical electric range element cycles on and off to achieve a "constant" temperature.  That effect will be more noticeable with aluminum or clad than with cast iron.



If you are roasting in an oven, it seems to me that the temperature stability of CI makes it a perfect vessel. 

CD


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## tenspeed (Feb 2, 2018)

dragnlaw said:


> tenspeed...  not sure I understand that statement.  Could you explain please?


  Thermal conductivity of aluminum is about 3 - 4 times that of cast iron, and copper is about twice that of aluminum.

https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/thermal-conductivity-metals-d_858.html

  One of the benefits of a heavy CI pan is its high thermal mass, meaning that it absorbs and stores a lot of heat energy.  It's also relatively cheap.  However, it does not conduct heat across the pan very well, at least not as well as aluminum or copper.  A heavy CI pan is slow to respond to changes in the heat source.

  Interesting fact - Diamond is one of the best thermal conductors, about five times that of copper.  Cubic zirconia is a thermal insulator.  The company that originally developed cubic zirconia for gemstone use (Ceres Corp.)also sold instruments to differentiate zirconia from diamond due to the difference in thermal conductivity, as the gemstone dealers couldn't tell the difference.


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## jennyema (Feb 2, 2018)

I only roast chicken in a cast iron skillet.  Parts or whole.  I've tried various methods but the CI is the best performer, IMO.  Been doing it for 30 years now.

Like others say, it holds heat and heats evenly.  Its sides aren't too high.  And its super simple to make a tasty pan sauce afterward.


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## Aunt Bea (Feb 2, 2018)

This discussion reminded me of the old chicken under a brick recipe.  If you don't have a brick use a second CI pan.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/241500/chef-johns-chicken-under-a-brick/


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