Hell Week Tip #1

Cook a few boneless skinless chicken breasts at the beginning of the week. Slice it, chop it, or shred it - then store in airtight food container and you have a delicious source of protien to add to any meal.
Choose the spices according to the types of meals you might put together later in the week..

-  Using Mexican or Southwestern spices (Cumin, Coriander, Chile Powder, Oregano, Paprika etc) on your chicken you can easily create taco salad or southwestern salad, enchiladas, tacos, burritos or even add the chicken to a soup.

- You can also season the chicken to be more palette neutral (olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, etc). This chicken can be used in a caesar salad, a BBQ chicken salad, in pasta, or just alongside some delicious veggies.

When making chicken, you never want to overcook it (or undercook it), and you want to retain as much moisture in the meat as possible. The best way I have found to do this is to sear the chicken in an oven proof skillet then transfer to the oven to finish cooking.

- Pre-heat the over to 350
- Season your chicken on a clean plate, cover with a paper towel or saran wrap and allow to sit for a little bit **This allows the chicken to come closer to room temperature before you throw it into a hot pan, which is helpful when you want juicy chicken - and it also gives the meat time to soak up the flavors of the spices you chose.
- Heat a medium sized oven proof skillet or saute pan over a medium-high flame and add a little olive oil. Once the pan is hot (you do not want the pan to be smoking) add the breasts and without moving them allow to cook for about 2 minutes.
- Flip the breasts, and transfer the pan to the oven.
- Cook for about 8-10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the chicken.