I bring my lunch to work every day, and it’s nothing fancy, just the usual fanfare of sautéed diced chicken breast, brown rice, and a side of broccoli.  Since I only have enough time to make breakfast in the morning, lunch is prepared the night before.

The problem that I face has plagued me for many years.  After a good three-minute bath in the microwave, the rice still remains soft and the broccoli stays crunchy, but the chicken is one step away from turning into jerky.  I even substituted white meat with dark meat for a while, but I really wanted a lunch that was lighter on cholesterol and saturated fat.

Long story short, I was watching a cooking show where this Japanese guy was coating chicken in flour before he put it into boiling water to cook.  He didn’t explain why he did it, but it did strike my curiosity.

Some days ago, I decided to give it a try.  After a few days of doing so, I can tell you that not only does coating the meat in flour produce a more tender cooked cut of chicken breast, but it also helps seal in the moisture, especially if you plan on reheating it in the microwave the next day.  Update: whole wheat white flour works better than all purpose flour.

So here’s what I did:

I marinated 2 pieces of chicken breast (cut into cubes) with salt, pepper, garlic powder, a splash of sake, chopped garlic, and extra virgin olive oil.  I marinated the meat for about an hour in the refrigerator.

Next I boiled a pot of water.  You don’t need too much water, just enough to cover the meat.  Lightly coat the chicken in flour.  I used whole wheat flour because it’s healthier than white flour.  The pieces on the left side are coated just right, the pieces on the right had a little too much flour.  You want to lightly coat the meat because when it is used in sautés, it prevents loose flour bits from caking up.   Just use less flour next time if you notice too much flour runoff. When the water boils, reduce the heat to medium high and slowly place the floured chicken into the water.  Cook for 4 minutes.

Remove the chicken  and set aside.  Now the chicken is ready to be added to sautés.

I like to sauté chicken with chopped garlic and onions, with a bit of black pepper and salt, and kissed with a touch of fresh lemon juice.  Simple is best sometimes.

Set on a bed of basmati rice and garnished with a few baby greens.  Well, there’s lunch!