I have a friend who leads a boneless, skinless, boring existence.

She hasn’t let herself have the pleasure of eating a bone-in, skin-on chicken breast in years because she thinks they’re full of fat, hard to cook and, well, boney.

Oh… what she’s missing.

Making bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts is one of the easiest and most flavorful weeknight meals you can prepare. While the chicken cooks, you can put on your comfy pants, go through your mail and play a couple of rounds of Quiz Up.

You can season bone-in, skin-on breasts with whatever you have on hand… a shake of barbecue spice (like mine) or even a simple rub of olive oil, salt and black pepper. The bone gives the chicken added flavor and keeps it moist and juicy. I strongly recommend using an instant-read thermometer so you don’t overcook the meat!

Oh, one other thing… bone-in breasts are also less expensive, so you may want to buy few extra and cook them at the same time. Later in the week you can pull the skin off, shred the meat off the bone and have another great dinner!

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Cold. Cold. Cold. Outside of my house.

Warm. Warm. Warm. Inside of my kitchen.

Turn up the oven and let the intoxicating smell of these Easy Oven-Roasted Chicken Breasts bring the family to the table. Make sure you rub the garlicky paste under the chicken’s skin so it will crisp up and brown beautifully. Watch the time and temperature… you don’t want them dry!

It may be winter outside, but this dish will warm everyone up on the inside!

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Angela asks: Can’t grill outside anymore, so how do I cook a perfect pan-seared steak indoors?

A perfectly cooked pan-seared steak is beautiful to behold, and even better to eat! But you’ll need patience to get it right.

Chef John Reed shared some great tips for cooking the perfect steak indoors on Chicago’s Buedel Fine Meats’ blog, “Meat Up.”

NY Strips Steaks from Buedel Fine Meats

His first tip: start with a good cut of meat, like a true strip steak. The bone-in Kansas City strip or the boneless New York strip are good choices. Make sure of the following:
• At least 1-inch thick.
• Weigh about 12 ounces for boneless, 16 ounces for bone-in.
• Look for good marbling (the amount of intramuscular fat).
• Let the meat rest at room temperature for 30 minutes BEFORE cooking. This is where patience comes in!

To bring out the deliciously deep flavors in a good cut of meat, you’ll need to rub the steak with salt and fresh cracked black pepper. You’ll also need oil (not olive oil) and butter. Yes, butter. Remember: fat is flavor.

You can also add fresh herbs, like rosemary and thyme, and aromatics, like shallots and garlic, while the steak cooks.

And one more thing: you’re essentially grilling indoors, so don’t forget to turn on the fan or open a window!

Perfect Pan-Seared Steaks

prep: 10 minutes
cook: 15 minutes

you’ll need…
2 12-ounce boneless strip steaks
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons fresh ground pepper
2 tablespoons oil (not olive oil)
½ stick butter (or more to taste)
fresh thyme, shallots or garlic to taste

let’s get to it…
Rub the steaks with salt and fresh ground pepper; rub with oil.
Heat a cast iron pan or heavy skiller on medium high heat for 3 minutes (or until really hot). Place the steaks in the pan; reduce heat to medium.
Cook the steaks for 2 to 3 minutes or until you see tiny dots of blood coming through (visual cooking is often better than timed). Turn steaks and cook 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the butter and herbs and aromatics, if using. Baste the steaks with the melted butter (this will add flavor AND color to the steaks). Turn the steaks again and cook 1 to 2 minutes longer.
Remove steaks from the pan and place on a platter to rest for 7 to 10 minutes. (Patience again!). Pour sauce in the pan over the steaks before serving. Serve the Perfect Pan-Seared Steaks whole or slice against the grain.

How do you know when the steaks are ready? Chef Reed says the ideal temperature to remove the meat from the pan is 123°F, because the meat will continue cooking while it rests… but cook the meat to the temperature you like!