CAST IRON CHICKEN BREAST RECIPES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 500 F, or as high as it will go. Preheat cast-iron skillet over high heat. (Note: Chef Gillespie uses an 8-inch skillet to cook 2 servings; use two 8-inch skillets or one 14-inch skillet to cook 4 servings.) Butcher the chicken: First, make a cut along one side of the backbone, as close to the bone as possible. Carefully cut down until the breast and tenderloin can be pulled away from the carcass in one piece; pop the thigh bone out of the joint, and continue cutting from thigh to wing joint to detach the entire half from the carcass. Repeat procedure with the other side of the chicken. (Reserve the carcass for stock.)
• Extend the wing and cut through joint between the flat and the drumette. (Reserve the wing for stock.) Make a cut to separate the breast from the thigh, so you have a leg-and-thigh piece and a breast-and-drumette piece. When the skillet is smoking hot, add the grapeseed oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Pat the chicken pieces completely dry with paper towels; then generously season on all sides with salt.
• Very gently lay the leg-thigh in the skillet, skin side down, and cook until the skin is nicely browned, about 2 minutes. No need to peek or move the chicken—just let it cook undisturbed. When the skin is browned, it will release easily from the pan; flip it over so it's skin side up. Add the breast to the skillet, skin side down. Place skillet in the oven and cook, 15 minutes.
• After 15 minutes, remove skillet from the oven and check to see if chicken is done: the juices bubbling at the bone should be clear, and the meat should be retracting at the thigh bone. Serve.

Steps:

• If deep-frying, in a deep fryer or cast iron pot, heat 6-8 cups of oil to 375 degrees. If pan-frying, heat 1 1/2 - 2 cups oil (about 1/2 inch in the pan) in a large, heavy-bottomed frying pan.
• In a large bowl or pie pan, whisk together hot sauce, water, and egg. In a shallow bowl or pie pan, combine flour, salt, cayenne pepper, black pepper, onion powder, paprika, and garlic powder.
• Pound each chicken breast with a mallet/tenderizer until about 3/8 inch thick. The chicken may be much larger than the bun when it’s pounded thin. If so, you may want to cut the breast in half before breading to make the chicken fit better on the bun.
• Coat each fillet in the flour.
• Then in the hot sauce/water/egg mixture.
• Then in the flour again. Repeat the dredge if you would like a thicker coating.
• After all of the chicken is coated, deep fry for 8 to 12 minutes, or pan fry for 4 to 6 minutes on each side.
• After frying, drain excess oil from the chicken by placing it on a cooling rack or on a plate covered with paper towels.
• Grill the faces of the hamburger buns on a griddle or in a dry skillet (optional). Prepare sandwiches with chicken, mayonnaise, lettuce, and tomato.