I’ve gotten a bunch of emails from readers lately asking why New York Times Cooking chicken recipes don’t often call for boneless, skinless breasts. “Why is it always chicken thighs? I don’t know anyone, except my sister, who prefers dark meat,” someone wrote, in a truly excellent email with a subject line that simply said “Again?”

We do tend to prefer chicken thighs here at NYT Cooking HQ, and we’ve been pushing our agenda in recipe after recipe. Boneless thighs are fattier, which makes them far juicier, more tender and more flavorful than breasts, and more difficult to overcook.

But chicken breasts have their selling points, and their fans. Use them right and they can feel generous and satisfying, even succulent. Their mildness can be an asset: Think of white meat as a plush mattress you can blanket with interesting flavors and textures.

So this week I’m paying tribute to the boneless, skinless chicken breast, with five recipes that use the cut to excellent effect.

1. Honey Garlic Chicken

These sweet and salty honey-garlic chicken breasts are perfect for when you want big flavor, but you’re short on time. To ensure golden-brown chicken breasts that stay plump and moist, start with a hot pan and pat the chicken dry to avoid adding extra moisture, then allow the chicken to sear properly. Once your chicken has taken on color, set it aside and create a simple pan sauce of honey, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic and butter. When the sauce is glossy, return the chicken to the pan and turn it until coated in the satiny honey-garlic sauce. Serve with roasted potatoes, rice or bread to soak it all up.

By Yasmin Fahr

Yield: 4 servings

Total time: 25 minutes

INGREDIENTS

2 chicken breasts, halved lengthwise, or 4 chicken cutlets (about 1 pound)
Salt and black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons apple cider, rice wine or white wine vinegar
3 to 4 large garlic cloves, minced or grated
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Pat the chicken dry. Season all over with salt and pepper.
Heat the oil in a large (12-inch) skillet over medium-high for 1 to 2 minutes until hot and shimmering. Add the chicken and cook without moving until it’s golden brown on the bottom, about 5 minutes.
Use tongs to flip the chicken and cook until just cooked through, about 4 minutes.
While the chicken cooks on the second side, mix together 3 tablespoons of water, the honey and soy sauce in a measuring cup.
Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate and set aside.
Pour in the soy sauce mixture and let cook until the liquid reduces, about 1 minute. Add the vinegar, garlic and butter, stirring to melt and incorporate until thick and glossy, about 2 minutes more.
Return the chicken to the pan, leaving behind any accumulated juices on the plate, and turn to coat in the sauce. If the sauce is too thick, add the accumulated juices, then serve immediately, garnishing with the parsley, if desired.

2. Chicken and Rice With Scallion-Ginger Sauce

Chicken and rice with scallion-ginger sauce. Reminiscent of Hainanese chicken rice, this streamlined dish from Sue Li delivers tender breast meat and a pleasingly prickly sauce made with lots of ginger, scallion and jalapeño. Food styled by Barrett Washburne. (Andrew Purcell/The New York Times)

Chicken and rice is a favorite combination around the world. This version, an Asian-inspired one-pot meal, coaxes a lot of flavor out of a limited ingredient list. Rinsing rice until the water runs clear helps remove extra starch on the outside of the grains and will make rice less gummy when cooked. The most essential step when cooking rice on the stovetop is to resist the urge to peek under the lid; the telltale sign that the rice is done is when the steam rising from under the lid has subsided. (In the early stages of cooking rice, there may be visible steam escaping the saucepan, but as the moisture is absorbed by the rice, you may notice less steam.)

By Sue Li

Yield: 4 servings

Total time: 45 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups sushi rice (or other short-grain white rice)
2 cups chicken broth
1 (3-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated (about 3 tablespoons)
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 pounds)
Kosher salt and pepper
1/4 cup vegetable oil
6 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
1 jalapeño, halved, seeded, then thinly sliced
2 teaspoons toasted white sesame seeds
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon sugar

DIRECTIONS

Place rice in a fine-mesh sieve and rinse under cold water, shaking gently, until the water runs clear. In a medium saucepan, combine rice, broth and 1 tablespoon grated ginger. Season chicken all over with salt and pepper and place on top of rice mixture. Cover and bring mixture to a boil over high. Once mixture comes to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until rice is plump, broth is absorbed and chicken is cooked through, 20 to 22 minutes. Turn off heat and let rest, covered, 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the vegetable oil, scallions, vinegar, jalapeño, sesame seeds, sesame oil, sugar and remaining ginger; season with salt and pepper.
Remove chicken from saucepan and slice 1/2-inch thick crosswise. Fluff rice with a fork and divide among bowls. Top with chicken and scallion-ginger sauce.

3. Chicken Piccata

Chicken piccata. Lemony, buttery and deeply loved, this is Italian American restaurant food you can handily make at home. Food styled by Simon Andrews. (David Malosh/The New York Times)

Chicken piccata is an Italian-American staple beloved for its piquant flavors cradled in a silky, butter-rich pan sauce. It also doesn’t hurt that it cooks up very quickly. This version is mostly traditional except that it uses lemon two ways, calling for lemon slices to be caramelized (to soften their tang) and for a hit of fresh juice at the end (to brighten the whole dish). This ensures a sauce that’s neither too rich, nor too puckery. Serve with a starch — pasta, polenta, rice or white beans — for sopping up the sauce, and a green vegetable, such as a kale salad, broccoli or green beans.

By Ali Slagle

Yield: 4 servings

Total time: 25 minutes

INGREDIENTS

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds), halved horizontally (see tip)
Kosher salt and black pepper
All-purpose flour, for dredging
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
1 shallot, peeled and sliced lengthwise
1 lemon, halved (half thinly sliced and seeds removed; half juiced, about 2 tablespoons)
3/4 cup chicken stock
4 teaspoons drained capers
Coarsely chopped fresh parsley, for garnish (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken in flour and shake off any excess.
In a large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons butter and the olive oil over medium-high heat until the butter has melted. Working in batches to avoid crowding the pan, add the chicken and sauté until golden brown and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side.
Remove the chicken, place on a plate and repeat with the remaining pieces, adding more olive oil if needed.
Once the chicken is cooked, add the shallot and lemon slices to the pan and sauté, stirring occasionally, until lightly caramelized and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the stock and simmer until reduced by half, about 3 minutes.
Reduce the heat to low, then stir in the remaining 3 tablespoons butter, capers and lemon juice, to taste. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve the chicken with the sauce poured over the top. Garnish with parsley if desired.

TIP: Freezing the chicken breasts for 15 minutes will make slicing them through the middle easier.

4. Ritzy Cheddar Chicken Breasts

Ritzy cheddar chicken breasts. Eric Kim’s recipe combines grated Cheddar cheese, crushed Ritz crackers and a base of sour cream and Dijon mustard to make a chicken dinner that kids go wild for. Food styled by Rebecca Jurkevich. (Armando Rafael/The New York Times)

They’re as good as they sound: cheesy chicken cutlets coated with buttery Ritz crackers. Skipping the usual flour-egg-bread crumb dredge, this recipe relies instead on a flavorful base layer of tangy sour cream, which has lactic acid that tenderizes boneless, skinless chicken breasts beautifully. When it comes to breaded white meat, thin cutlets are ideal, which you can buy from the store or achieve by slicing thick breasts in half horizontally (no pounding necessary). They cook more evenly this way, staying tender throughout as they’re quickly baked in a hot oven. Serve with something fresh — a big green salad, perhaps — to balance the wonderful richness of this nostalgic number.

By Eric Kim

Yield: 4 servings

Total time: 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for greasing wire rack
1/4 cup sour cream
1 large egg white
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds total)
1 sleeve Ritz crackers (about 100 grams)
2 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, coarsely grated (about 1 cup)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder

DIRECTIONS

Position rack in the bottom third of the oven and heat oven to 450 degrees. Place an ovenproof wire rack over a sheet pan. Dab a folded-up paper towel with olive oil and rub it over the wire rack to grease it.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the sour cream, egg white and Dijon mustard until smooth. Season with salt. Lay the chicken flat on a cutting board and carve each breast in half horizontally so you end up with four thin cutlets. Add the chicken to the sour cream mixture, and using your hands, smear the sour cream all over the chicken.
In a large bowl, crush the Ritz crackers into coarse pieces with your fingers. Some crackers will turn to rubble while others turn to dust. Add the cheese, garlic powder, onion powder and olive oil. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and toss until evenly distributed. Holding one of the chicken cutlets by its thinner end, add to the bowl with the crumbs, and using your hands, pack the crumbs onto the chicken, pressing them in to create a thick coating. Transfer the breaded chicken to the rack in the sheet pan. Repeat with the remaining three cutlets.
Bake the cutlets until the outsides are crispy and the insides are no longer pink, 10 to 15 minutes. Let the chicken cool slightly so the coating can set, about 5 minutes, before transferring to plates and serving.

5. Hara Masala Murgh (Green Masala Chicken)

Hara masala murgh (green masala chicken). Zainab Shah’s shortcut version of this South Asian staple gets its green hue from three cups of herbs (a combination of cilantro and mint). Food styled by Simon Andrews. (David Malosh/The New York Times)

As is the case with every South Asian dish, variations of hara masala murgh abound. In the south of India, fresh desiccated coconut is used in place of yogurt, which is a common ingredient in the northern parts of Pakistan and India. The stalwarts of the dish across regions are copious amounts of fresh cilantro and mint — hence its name hara masala, which means green masala. In Lahore, it is commonly found on restaurant menus, and its peppery herbaceousness is a welcome reprieve from the tomato-onion gravies typical in Punjabi cooking. This version uses thinly sliced chicken breast. It also skips over the tedium of grinding almonds in favor of using almond butter. These two shortcuts mean a quicker cooking time and a creamy texture.

By Zainab Shah

Yield: 2 to 4 servings

Total time: 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS

3 tablespoons ghee or neutral oil
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
12 whole black peppercorns
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 pound chicken breasts, thinly sliced (about 1/4-inch thick)
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger or ginger paste
1 teaspoon freshly grated garlic or garlic paste
1/2 teaspoon kashmiri red chile powder or other red chile powder
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 1/2 cups finely chopped cilantro leaves and tender stems
1 1/2 cups finely chopped fresh mint leaves
4 Thai green chiles, chopped
1/4 cup full-fat Greek yogurt or coconut milk
2 tablespoons almond butter or other nut butter, stirred to combine
2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from about 1/2 lemon)
1/2 teaspoon garam masala (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Heat ghee or oil in a medium pot or wok for about 30 seconds over medium. Add the onion, peppercorns and cumin seeds. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion becomes translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken, ginger and garlic, and cook on medium-high, stirring frequently until the chicken is no longer pink or fleshy and the onions have softened, about 7 to 10 minutes.
Lower the heat to medium and stir in the chile powder and salt. Continue cooking for about 30 seconds. Add 1 cup cilantro, 1 cup mint and the Thai green chiles, and stir until all the ingredients are incorporated.
Stir in the yogurt and almond butter. Turn off the heat and stir in the remaining 1/2 cup cilantro and 1/2 cup mint. Sprinkle with lemon juice and garam masala, if you like.

Related Articles

The coolest iced tea trends that will impress you with every sip

Rinsing raw chicken? 7 food debates guaranteed to start an argument

Retro drinks are making a cool comeback this summer

St. Paul: Little Mekong Night Market returns to University Avenue after four-year hiatus

Quick Fix: Summer Berry Salad