© PHOTO COURTESY of CHEF JOHN Check out his ‘Food Wishes’ YouTube Channel, read his BLOG, and get all his recipes at allrecipes
Airliner Chicken Breasts: Not just for chefs anymore!
This may be a new cut to you, but it’s a longtime favorite of chefs and foodies.
They say it’s the best of two worlds – boneless + skin on breasts!
PLUS you get a dab of rich, dark meat because the wing drumette is included!
There’s a bit of a backstory leading up to this fancy-pants cut of chicken showing up in our shop. For a couple of years, a friend has been beating around the bush that maybe Bauman’s Mobile Meat Market might want to offer Airliner Chicken.
At first it was subtle . . . “Have you ever heard of Airliner Chicken?” she’d ask. I gave her question a bit of a brush-off. I wasn’t looking to add any more work to our already busy days processing chicken.
Then she got a bit more insistent . . . “I really think people would love to have pasture-raised Airliner Chicken as an option!”
I figured I should at least ask her why she wanted it so badly.
Turns out that she and her husband have chicken breasts with a pan sauce regularly for dinner. And because we didn’t offer Airliner Chicken Breasts, they were pan searing Boneless Chicken Breasts AND a Chicken Thigh, as the skin on the thigh added the fat and fond they needed for a tasty sauce.
She went on to explain that cooking the Boneless Chicken Breasts just right could get a bit dicey – requiring repeated temp checks to make sure they didn’t overcook the chicken.
“Everything would be so much easier if you’d just sell us Airliner Chicken Breasts! Some of the fat from the skin would melt out, making the sauce nice and rich! And the skin would protect the breast keeping it nice and juicy! And the skin itself would get so crispy and brown. YUM!”
She was making a pretty good case, but I still couldn’t get past the time our chicken crew would need to put into adding Airliner Chicken Breasts to our poultry product line.
But I told her I’d think about it.
Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago . . . we were cutting-up chickens processed the day before and I thought, “Why not?” I’d give it a try so I could tell her that it was just too much trouble and maybe SHE should bone-up on HER deboning skills.
My first effort confirmed my suspicion. Things weren’t looking good for my friend’s Airliner Chicken Breasts with pan sauce dinners.
The second try wasn’t much quicker.
The third time was the charm! It just clicked. I found my rhythm. I began thinking that this might just work.
I demonstrated my method to Cecelia, a JCCC sustainable ag and culinary arts student working with us this summer, and she was off and running. Before we knew it, we had 20 deboned, skin-on chicken breasts with wing drumettes.
Do YOU love the convenience of boneless breast, but miss the chicken skin’s moisture-protecting property?
Do YOU just miss the fabulous flavor (and appearance) of crispy chicken skin?
Yes?!? Then be sure to add a few Bauman’s AIRLINER CHICKEN BREASTS to your pre-order. They’re perfect for pan searing and finishing in the oven. Limited availability!
But you better act quick . . . I have a friend who has been waiting a loooong time to get her hands on some Bauman’s pasture-raised Airliner Chicken Breasts!
Being able to adapt to our friends special requests is one of the best things about being your own butcher!
. . . Check out our SPATCHCOCK CHICKEN – another specialty cut you don’t find in the grocery!
Plus, it’s that delicious pastured chicken!
Airliner Chicken Breasts: Not just for chefs anymore!
This may be a new cut to you, but it’s a longtime favorite of chefs and foodies.
They say it’s the best of two worlds – boneless + skin on breasts!
PLUS you get a dab of rich, dark meat because the wing drumette is included!
There’s a bit of a backstory leading up to this fancy-pants cut of chicken showing up in our shop. For a couple of years, a friend has been beating around the bush that maybe Bauman’s Mobile Meat Market might want to offer Airliner Chicken.
At first it was subtle . . . “Have you ever heard of Airliner Chicken?” she’d ask. I gave her question a bit of a brush-off. I wasn’t looking to add any more work to our already busy days processing chicken.
Then she got a bit more insistent . . . “I really think people would love to have pasture-raised Airliner Chicken as an option!”
I figured I should at least ask her why she wanted it so badly.
Turns out that she and her husband have chicken breasts with a pan sauce regularly for dinner. And because we didn’t offer Airliner Chicken Breasts, they were pan searing Boneless Chicken Breasts AND a Chicken Thigh, as the skin on the thigh added the fat and fond they needed for a tasty sauce.
She went on to explain that cooking the Boneless Chicken Breasts just right could get a bit dicey – requiring repeated temp checks to make sure they didn’t overcook the chicken.
“Everything would be so much easier if you’d just sell us Airliner Chicken Breasts! Some of the fat from the skin would melt out, making the sauce nice and rich! And the skin would protect the breast keeping it nice and juicy! And the skin itself would get so crispy and brown. YUM!”
She was making a pretty good case, but I still couldn’t get past the time our chicken crew would need to put into adding Airliner Chicken Breasts to our poultry product line.
But I told her I’d think about it.
Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago . . . we were cutting-up chickens processed the day before and I thought, “Why not?” I’d give it a try so I could tell her that it was just too much trouble and maybe SHE should bone-up on HER deboning skills.
My first effort confirmed my suspicion. Things weren’t looking good for my friend’s Airliner Chicken Breasts with pan sauce dinners.
The second try wasn’t much quicker.
The third time was the charm! It just clicked. I found my rhythm. I began thinking that this might just work.
I demonstrated my method to Cecelia, a JCCC sustainable ag and culinary arts student working with us this summer, and she was off and running. Before we knew it, we had 20 deboned, skin-on chicken breasts with wing drumettes.
Do YOU love the convenience of boneless breast, but miss the chicken skin’s moisture-protecting property?
Do YOU just miss the fabulous flavor (and appearance) of crispy chicken skin?
Yes?!? Then be sure to add a few Bauman’s AIRLINER CHICKEN BREASTS to your pre-order. They’re perfect for pan searing and finishing in the oven. Limited availability!
But you better act quick . . . I have a friend who has been waiting a loooong time to get her hands on some Bauman’s pasture-raised Airliner Chicken Breasts!
Being able to adapt to our friends special requests is one of the best things about being your own butcher!
. . . Check out our SPATCHCOCK CHICKEN – another specialty cut you don’t find in the grocery!
Plus, it’s that delicious pastured chicken!
Airliner Chicken Breast Tips
We recommend thawing your Bauman’s Airliner Chicken Breasts in the refrigerator overnight. Alternatively, you can thaw in a bowl with cold running water in about 30 minutes.
You can season a Airliner Chicken Breasts any way you’d season a regular chicken. Do this at least an hour or so in advance if you can, so the flesh can absorb the salt. Even better, season it the day before and let it rest overnight, uncovered, in the refrigerator so the skin can dry out and then crisp up even more.
While you can completely cook Bauman’s Airliner Chicken Breasts in a pan on the top of the stove, we highly recommend the stovetop sear and oven roast method describe in the recipe below. You’re odds of achieving juicy chicken nirvana are almost guaranteed that way!
Airliner Chicken Breast Tips
We recommend thawing your Bauman’s Airliner Chicken Breasts in the refrigerator overnight. Alternatively, you can thaw in a bowl with cold running water in about 30 minutes.
You can season a Airliner Chicken Breasts any way you’d season a regular chicken. Do this at least an hour or so in advance if you can, so the flesh can absorb the salt. Even better, season it the day before and let it rest overnight, uncovered, in the refrigerator so the skin can dry out and then crisp up even more.
While you can completely cook Bauman’s Airliner Chicken Breasts in a pan on the top of the stove, we highly recommend the stovetop sear and oven roast method describe in the recipe below. You’re odds of achieving juicy chicken nirvana are almost guaranteed that way!
Airliner Chicken Breast Recipes
Airliner Chicken Breasts with Herb Pan Sauce
Ready to create a white tablecloth restaurant worthy meal at home? Look no farther that this Airliner Chicken Breasts with Herb Pan Sauce recipe. Your meal prep will be off to a speedy start when you begin with BAUMAN’S AIRLINER CHICKEN BREASTS! If we’re sold out, you can order Bone-In Chicken Breasts or a Whole Chicken and practice your deboning skills. HERE is a link to a great chicken butchery playlist on YouTube.
Here’s your shopping list:
2 BAUMAN’S AIRLINER CHICKEN BREASTS (6 to 8 ounces each)
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock
1 small shallot, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
1 medium clove garlic, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon corn starch
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves
Adjust oven rack to center position and preheat oven to 450°F. Pat chicken breasts dry and season generously with salt and pepper. Heat oil in an oven-safe medium stainless steel skillet over high heat until just starting to smoke. Carefully lay chicken breasts into hot skillet skin side down. Cook without moving until skin is deep golden brown and very crisp, about 6 minutes. Carefully flip chicken breasts and transfer skillet to the oven.
In a ramekin, add corn starch and cubed butter. Stir/toss until butter is well coated.
Cook chicken until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken breasts registers 150°F, about 7 to 12 minutes. Remove skillet from oven and transfer chicken to a cutting board. Set aside to rest while you make the pan sauce.
Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the skillet and place over high heat. Add shallots and garlic and cook, stirring, until softened and fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add wine and chicken stock and cook, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.
Continue cooking on high heat until sauce is reduced by about two-thirds, 5 to 8 minutes. Stir inborn starch-covered butter (but not the excess corn starch) and soy sauce and cook at a hard boil until emulsified, about 45 seconds. Remove from heat and set aside.
Stir herbs into the pan sauce. Taste sauce and season with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce over the chicken and serve immediately.
