Utter fail (need help)

[LordKrok]

I have 0 (zero) experience in cooking, and that has come out tonight in my massive fail at cooking chicken (Brest; almost 1" thick at thickest; boneless)
I'm not sure what I did wrong but I ruined the outside - I used mid heat with a thin layer of oil then dropped in the Marinated breast. Thing burnt uber fast - What did I do wrong, I feel so lost at cooking.

- Sugar is a possiability (ty bw2082) how would I avoid this? [Aside from using a different marinade]

[bw2082]

my guess would be that hte marinade contained some form of sugar which burned. Make sure it is completely dry (dab with paper towel) before you put it in the pan.

[LordKrok]

Alright, I didn't do that - so that makes sense.

[jaykayen]

I don't even think it's sugar. Sugar takes a while, and high heat to burn. But maybe it's your idea of medium heat? Medium on some ranges is more than my crapola range can even produce.

[babette feasts]

If you don't cook much, you are probably less likely to have proper cookware. Thin-bottomed pans will burn things very quickly and don't heat evenly - have a hot spot where the fire/burner is but the heat doesn't spread. So if you have cheap/thin pans, it could be an equipment failure, unfortunately more expensive to buy new pans than change the marinade.

[greygarious]

I agree that your heat is too high or pan too thin, or both. Try half as hot and let it take its time. Another way around the problem is to pound the boneless breasts first - put in a baggie and whack away. You don't have to buy a kitchen mallet or pounder. If you have a hardware-store mallet, use that. Otherwise, a brick, block of wood, a heavy frying pan, or anything else sturdy and flat. Pound the thick part till it's the same thickness as the thinnest end. The meat will cook more evenly over lower heat, in less time.

[Vetter]

The bottom of a pint glass works well too. I think this is a very good tip. You're already dealing with a piece of meat prone to being dry, so you might as well set yourself up to succeed.

[todao]

Good quality pan
Butterfly or pound breast to even thickness overall
Reduce the heat
Use a little more oil
Pat the chicken pieces dry (or almost dry) with a paper towel before introducing to the pan
Watch it closely - chicken (especially thinner pieces) cooks faster than most folks realize

[aryqalyn]

You might find it easier to cook your chicken without burning in the oven.

If you put it in the pan and it seems like the outside is cooking too fast for the inside to get done, I typically lower the heat and put on the lid for a little while. Better to loose the crispy sear than to have an inedible dinner.

Cooking takes practice. Don't get discouraged.

[todao]

Take a look at this:

http://www.kqed.org/w/morefastfoodmyway/

Click on the episode title "Earth to Table"
He speaks to the issue of how chicken cooks and important features of the pan it's cooked in.