Baked Chicken Fillet

Practically all of them: classic Caesar, Olivier, layered salads with mushrooms, salad with pineapple and chicken, mimosa, salad with Korean-style carrot, the «Obzhorka» salad. It also works for cold appetisers, sandwiches, canapés and lavash rolls. Baked fillet gives a more pronounced meaty flavour than boiled – the salads taste better. In a Caesar you can slice it into thin strips, in an Olivier into small cubes. A versatile ingredient.

Yes, use foil or a roasting bag – they work great too. Foil holds its shape better than parchment and is easier to wrap. A roasting bag gives maximum juiciness thanks to its complete sealing. You can also bake it in a dish under a lid, or in a ceramic roaster. What matters is the principle of being «sealed» – the fillet should bake in its own steam, with no access to the oven's dry air. Otherwise it will dry out.

In the fridge in a tightly sealed container – up to 3 days without losing quality. It's convenient to store it in one whole piece and slice as needed – sliced meat dries out faster. In the freezer in an airtight bag – up to 2 months with no noticeable change. Before using, thaw it in the fridge overnight. Frozen fillet is ideal for quickly putting salads together on weekdays – prepare several chicken fillets in advance.

170 °C is the gentlest temperature for chicken fillet and retains the most juiciness. At 180 °C the time is reduced by 5 minutes, but the meat can turn out tougher. At 200 °C the fillet will dry out in 20 minutes – I don't recommend it. For large pieces (500 g+) you can raise it to 180 °C for more even heating inside. Using a cooking thermometer helps to be precise: the internal temperature of cooked chicken is 71 °C. Undercooked chicken carries a risk of salmonella.