A recipe for Rosemary-Scented Chicken Breasts

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Dear Lynne: Why are boned chicken breasts dry and tough? Lately, I cooked them covered with water in the pan so they'd stay moist and the cat wouldn't eat them. --Frustrated and Going Broke in St. LouisDear Frustrated: Even though this defies logic, water doesn't moisten extremely lean meats like chicken breasts. Slow, gentle cooking keeps much of the natural moisture in the cells of the chicken.The key is to do a quick sear over high heat and then gently cook them over medium-low heat.One other trick to keeping chicken breasts moist is to brine them. Figure 45 minutes to two hours in the refrigerator in a brine of 1/4 cup kosher salt to 1 quart very cold water (sugar, chilie and other flavorings could be added to the brine).Here is a basic recipe to illustrate the chicken-breast-cooking technique.ROSEMARY-SCENTED CHICKEN BREASTS WITH CARAMELIZED ORANGE SAUCEServes 4Good-tasting extra-virgin olive oil4 boneless and skinless chicken breasts (organic if possible)Salt and freshly ground black pepper2-inch branch of fresh rosemary10 to 12 olives (oil-cured, Sicilian or kalamatas)1 large blood orange, or navel orange, peeled and the flesh cut into small chunks2 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced1/4 to 3/4 cup orange juice1 tablespoon butterLightly film a 12-inch straight-sided saute pan with the olive oil. Heat it over high heat. Slip the chicken breasts into the pan, sprinkling them with salt and pepper. Lightly brown them on both sides (take only about 30 seconds per side).Immediately lower the heat to medium-low, add the olives, rosemary, orange pulp, garlic and 1/4 cup of the orange juice. Make sure the liquid is barely bubbling.Cover the pan and cook 3 minutes, turn chicken, check sauce for burning (add a few tablespoons of orange juice if needed) and cook another 4 minutes or until the chicken's firm, but not springy, when pressed. Remove the chicken to a serving platter and keep it warm.Make the pan sauce by adding another 1/4 to 1/3 cup orange juice to the pan and boiling it down to a syrup while you scrape up any brown bits and glaze from the bottom of the pan. A flat-sided wooden spatula is invaluable for this. Swirl the butter in the pan just to blend it in. Scrape the caramelized syrup over the chicken and serve hot.Dear Lynne: In a trivia game, a friend claimed that different-sized chicken eggs come from what the chicken eats or its breed. Somehow that didn't sit right with the crowd, so we voted to ask you. Where do different sized eggs come from? -- The Crew in BrooklynDear Brooklyn Crew: Believe it or not, but the main influence on egg size is the hen's age. Youngsters (10 or so months old) lay peewees, then as the hen grows, so does the egg size, until you get to the grand dames at 20 to 24 months old who lay jumbo eggs. Extreme heat, crowding and poor nutrition diminish egg size, too.If you have any doubt, check out the American Egg Board site, www.aeb.org, and be sure to look at the item about eggshell and earlobe color. Who know hens have earlobes!?(Lynne Rossetto Kasper hosts "The Splendid Table," American Public Media's national food show and co-author of "The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper: Recipes, Stories and Opinions." Ask questions and find Lynne, recipes and station listings at splendidtable.org, or 800-537-5252.)(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.scrippsnews.com)