Dani García, cook: "Cold pan, no oil, and a plate on top to press it well: that's how I want the chicken to be much crispier"

Getting the chicken to be crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside does not always require breading it, frying it in plenty of oil, or using an air fryer. Dani García has shown a technique to achieve precisely that contrast in textures, using a pan, some baking paper, and a plate that acts as weight. The cook shared a recipe for honey and mustard chicken fillet on his YouTube channel Como Dani, in which he combines three fundamental gestures: "Cold pan, no oil, and a plate on top to press it well, that's how I aim for the chicken to be much crisper." The key is to properly prepare the meat before cooking it and keep it in contact with the hot surface to achieve even browning. The first step: making the wing as thin as possible García uses chicken wing, a piece that is usually juicier than the breast due to its composition and fat content. First, he removes the bone, makes small incisions, and places the meat between two sheets of baking paper to pound it until it achieves a very thin and uniform thickness. "I stretch it and make it this thin precisely to get much more crispy," he explains during the video. It is the basis of the paillard, a preparation of French origin that consists of flattening the meat to facilitate quick cooking. This is because by reducing its thickness, the heat reaches the inside sooner and it avoids having to keep the piece in the pan for too long. Once spread out, the cook seasons both sides with salt and pepper. He does not use flour, breadcrumbs, or egg: the crispy surface comes from the chicken itself, especially from the skin, which browns during cooking. Cold and oil-free pan: why it works Here comes one of the particularities of the recipe. Instead of preheating the pan, García places the chicken when it is still cold and turns on the heat to maximum power. He does not add any oil, only salt, pepper, and the wing. The explanation lies, in large part, in the fat of the skin. As it heats up from a low temperature, it begins to melt and can act as a cooking medium, favoring the browning of the surface without needing to incorporate other fat. This technique of starting with a cold pan is also used in other preparations of skin-on chicken to facilitate the progressive release of fat. However, cooking without oil does not mean cooking without fat. The method utilizes the fat already contained in the food and works best with pieces that retain their skin. In a skinless and much leaner breast, the result could be different and might require some oil. CHICKEN WITH HONEY AND MUSTARD crispy and oil-free 🍗🔥 | Dani García's Recipe A plate on top to achieve even browning The other striking detail is the pressure. García places baking paper over the chicken and, on top of it, a plate that keeps the meat pressed against the bottom of the pan. This prevents certain areas from lifting during cooking and achieves that a larger surface is in contact with the heat. It is a principle similar to that of pollo al mattone, an Italian preparation in which the chicken is cooked open under a weight. The pressure improves contact with the pan and favors more homogeneous browning. That toasted color is largely due to the Maillard reaction, a set of chemical transformations between amino acids and sugars that generate the characteristic aromas and flavors of browned foods. A scientific review published in Annual Review of Food Science and Technology explains how these reactions modify the color, flavor, and structure of foods. It is advisable, however, to use a heat-resistant weight and check the instructions on the baking paper, avoiding contact with flames. One should also not confuse a very browned surface with a safe cooking. In this regard, the United States Department of Agriculture recommends that the chicken reach 74 °C in its interior, checked with a food thermometer. The sauce is prepared without cleaning the pan After cooking the chicken, García utilizes the juices and browned remnants that have adhered to the bottom. On them, he adds honey and lets it take on some color before incorporating sherry vinegar, which slightly reduces, and old-fashioned mustard. The chef calls this preparation a gástrico, a sweet and sour sauce based on the balance between caramelized sugar and an acidic ingredient. In this case, the honey provides the sweetness, the vinegar introduces acidity, and the mustard adds texture and a more intense flavor. Finally, he spreads the sauce over the chicken and around the plate, adding a little lemon juice and zest to add freshness. The result he seeks is meat that is juicy inside, with a well-toasted surface and a sauce that utilizes all the flavor it has left in the pan. Dani García's lesson is simple: crispiness does not always depend on adding ingredients, but also on how the meat is prepared, its contact with heat, and utilizing the fat it already contains. Arnau Ruiz, La Vanguardia