INGREDIENTS
6 cups water
1/2 cup plus 2 tsp salt
6 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 lbs ice, or 3 cups cold water
4 boneless skin-on chicken breasts
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
3 tbsp butter
DIRECTIONS
Remove the bone. Lay the breast, skin side up, on a cutting board and look for the layer of bone under the meat. Insert a small, sharp knife between the bone and the meat and, running the knife along the edge of the bone, slice off the meat. Flip the now boneless breast over and remove the loose flap of meat, aka the tender, and reserve for another use. In a small saucepan over high heat, bring the water to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and add a half a cup of the salt and the sugar and stir until dissolved. Add the ice to cool the brine to room temperature. Put the chicken breasts in a resealable plastic bag, pour the brine over them, and seal closed. Place the bag in a container that allows the meat to be fully submerged in the liquid, and refrigerate for at least one hour and no more than one and a half hours (the meat will be too salty). Remove the chicken from the brine, discard the brine, and dry the chicken very well on a kitchen towel. Allow to come to room temperature, about one hour. Season each breast on both sides with half a teaspoon of the remaining salt and a quarter teaspoon of the pepper. Place a baking sheet in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Heat a black steel pan over high heat until very hot. Add one tablespoon of the oil and heat until the surface is rippling but not smoking. Working in batches to avoid crowding the pan, add two chicken breasts, skin side down. Weight them down with a heavy heatproof plate to create an even sear across the surface of the skin and cook for two to two and a half minutes, until crisp and golden brown. Transfer the breasts to a plate, then rinse the pan and dry it well. Repeat the process with one tablespoon of the oil and the remaining two breasts. Rinse and dry the pan well. Return the pan to medium-high heat. Add the remaining one tablespoon of oil and two of the seared breasts, skin side up, to the pan. Add one and a half tablespoons of the butter to the pan. Once the butter has melted, repeatedly spoon it over the chicken to baste the meat. Place the two basted chicken breasts, with all of their juices and butter, aside on a clean plate. Add the other two chicken breasts to the pan, skin side up, and baste using the remaining one and a half tablespoons of butter. Place the breasts, with all of their juices and butter, on the plate. Carefully remove the hot baking sheet from the oven. Place all of the chicken breasts on the baking sheet, and pout the juices and butter over the meat. Return the baking sheet to the oven and roast until the thickest part of the breasts reaches 140 degrees, six to nine minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, transfer the breasts to a platter, and pour any juices over the meat. Loosely tent the chicken with aluminum foil, and let rest for four to five minutes. Slice each breast on the bias (across the grain, with your knife at a 45 degree angle) into seven or eight slices.
