The time I realized I was crowding my pan every single time I cooked chicken

I used to throw 4 chicken breasts in a cast iron skillet (you know, to save time) and wondered why they always came out steamed instead of browned. Last week my buddy came over to cook, and he only did 2 pieces at a time with big gaps between them. The difference was night and day - he got this beautiful golden crust in like 6 minutes while mine always took 15 and still looked pale. He basically told me straight up that my pan was too cold and too full, and the meat was just boiling in its own juice. Now I split my chicken into batches and actually wait for the oil to shimmer before dropping it in. Has anyone else had that moment where you realize you've been making the same mistake for years without noticing?

2 comments

2 Comments

garcia.tyler16d ago

Hold up, is it really that big of a deal? I mean yeah, crowding the pan isn't ideal but "boiling in its own juice" sounds dramatic. It's just chicken, not some science experiment.

david56216d ago

My buddy had the exact same thing happen with burgers. He was cramming six patties into a grill pan and wondering why they tasted like boiled meat. I watched him do two at a time with space between them and it was like a totally different food came off that pan.