Season 17, Episode 3 Recap: Crispy Chicken Breasts and Fluffy Baked Potatoes

Julia opens the episode with a joke: “So there’s a guy sitting in a movie theater, and he looks next to him and he sees a chicken. And he looks at the chicken, and he says, ‘Are you a chicken?’ And the chicken says, ‘Why yes, yes I am.’ And then he says, ‘What are you doing here?’ And the chicken says, ‘Well, I liked the book.’” Bridget laughs, but responds with, “OK, that is one of the worst chicken jokes I have ever heard.” The two move on from the bad poultry humor and make a delicious recipe for Roasted Bone-In Chicken Breasts. Later, Adam reviews trash cans, and Elle demonstrates how to cook the best baked potatoes.

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1. Think Again Before Buying Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts: For one thing, they’re more expensive than bone-in, skin on chicken breasts—and they’re also far less flavorful.

2. When Cooking Skin-On Chicken, You’ll Want the Fat Beneath the Skin to Render in Order to Get Shatteringly Crispy Skin: The best way to do this is to give the chicken skin a few pokes with a skewer. “Five or six—even seven if you’re feeling jaunty,” says Bridget.

3. Gone Are the Days of the Simple Trash Can: Nowadays, you can spend up to $200 on a trash can. But are more expensive models really worth their price tag? Adam thinks so. Our winning trash can [Buy Now on Amazon] from Simplehuman has a foot pedal that flips the lid open completely and allows it to close slowly. Adam also liked its sleek and spacious frame. We admit that at $180, it’s a bit of an investment for a trash can. But we assure you: It’s the absolute Cadillac of trash cans.

4. Using a Microwave to Shortcut a Baked Potato is a No-No: Elle says, “Bridget, some crazy things are happening in the world with baked potatoes . . . and it has to stop.” One of those crazy things is that people are using microwaves to mimic the effect of a properly baked potato. While Elle and Bridget both admit to having committed this foul, they both agree that it’s not the best way to cook a potato. “It cooks unevenly, it cooks from the inside out,” says Elle. (Avoid wrapping your potatoes in foil before baking: The foil locks in all the moisture, and you wind up with a soggy potato. Yuck.)

5. Brine Your Potatoes Before You Bake Them: You read that correctly. Brining your potatoes—which in this instance consists of coating the skin in salty water before baking—will result in a flavorful interior and a crispy exterior. Poke holes in your potatoes before you brine them. “Flavor’s gonna seep in, steam’s gonna seep out,” says Elle.

Quote of the Week: “Oscar the Grouch and Adam have one thing in common, and that is they both have strong opinions about trash cans.” -Julia Collin Davison

Can't wait for next week's episode? Get your fill with our past episode recaps: 

• Season 17, Episode 2 Recap: "Two Stews for Yous"
• Season 17, Episode 1 Recap: Cast Iron is Back!

What was your favorite part of this episode of America’s Test Kitchen? Let us know in the comments!