One of the most absurd and unfortunate trends in cuisine is the boneless, skinless chicken breast. More specifically, the pre-packaged version thereof. People are willing to pay as much as three times the amount for a boneless, skinless breast when there's so much potential in unadulterated chicken. All it takes is a little extra work and some old-world knowledge to turn your bone-in, skin-on chicken breast into several tasty, heart-healthy meals.
The most difficult part of handling bone-in chicken breast is separating the meat from the bones. This is a fragile part of the bird and it's not as simple as carving chunks out like one would with legs, thighs or even wings. You'll need a sharp knife, preferably a boning knife, and a clean cutting board. Place the breast skin side down. You should notice the rib bones right away. These are small and fragile, so make sure not to bend or pull too hard to avoid breaking them into smaller pieces. Make a shallow incision just under the ribs and then continue along the ridge of the breast bone until you have freed the largest section of meat.
At this point, you can either cook the meat with the skin on or carefully remove the excess skin and fat from the breast. This is where a lot of people waste their chicken. Those bones, skin and fat are packed with flavor and are plenty useful. There's also likely still a fair amount of meat left on those bones, just not enough to separate and cook. Don't throw out any part of the chicken you aren't cooking with the breast. Instead, make soup.
Chicken soup is easy, healthy and delicious. The fat you're trying to avoid by removing it from the breast will be more or less negligible when distributed through so much water and so many vegetables in a soup. Set your chicken pieces aside and chop one cup carrots, one cup celery, one half onion and two to three cloves of garlic. Throw everything in a large pot and fill with water until everything just barely floats. You can season with salt, pepper, herbs and spices as you see fit. Bring the mixture to a boil and then lower the heat so the soup is on a low, steady boil. Leave the pot to mix its flavors for 1.5 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally to keep bits from settling on the bottom and burning. Taste test to make sure it's done and then carefully remove the chicken bones and skin. Done right, they will have relinquished their flavor and nutrients to the soup. You can also strain the entire mixture and keep the broth for use in a variety of dishes and sauces.
There's no reason to be scared of chicken breast complete with bones and skin. Sticking with the mostly unprocessed product will save you money, give you more flavorful food and open up your cooking options.