Have you ever wondered how restaurant cooks your burger, steak, seafood and chicken so perfectly? The food is always so crispy on the outside and perfectly cooked in the middle but when home the results never turn out the same. The big secret is called "searing". This is when you brown the food in a pan over high heat until it is golden brown sealing in the juices and creating a browned and crunchy crust on the outside.

The steps below are going to be your guide as you sear a basic chicken breast. Once you learn the steps you can sear fish filets, scallops, shrimp, steaks, chops and vegetables. Remember that if you have large piece of meat or fish you can sear the outside and then throw it in a hot oven to finish cooking. This works great with a large pork or beef roast, a whole chicken or fish.

Follow the steps below and start to cook like the pro's today.

1. Heat it Up!

Pre heat a skillet over medium heat. This level of heat is perfect for getting crisp brown exterior on your chicken while cooking the inside so it's juicy.

2. Dry It Out!

Next you have to dry the chicken breast well with a paper towel. If the chicken is wet it will never brown the right way.

3. Pound it Flat!

After you dry the chicken, you have to pound it flat so it cooks evenly. You can take the chicken, wrap it in plastic and pound it flat (about ½ inch thick) with a heavy mallet, bottle of wine or oil. If the breast is really big, you can slice it into smaller pieces and then pound it.

4. Spice it up!

Season the chicken with kosher salt and pepper. This will give the chicken a crisp crust on the outside. You can also season the breast with dried spices and herbs. Be careful using wet marinades or sweet sauces because they will burn in the pan while cooking.

5. Smoke it Out!

Place a table spoon of oil in the pan and wait until it starts to smoke. This is the sign that your pan is ready to use. If the oil doesn't smoke the chicken will never brown.

6. Let it Breath!

Place chicken in the pan and make sure you leave space between the pieces. This will allow the moisture steam escape from the pan and give you a crispy juicy chicken breast. If you crowd the pan, the moisture from the chicken will build up and start to steam the breast leaving it gray and gross.

7. Relax!

After the chicken is in the pan, do not touch it, for real! Let the breast cook for 5 minutes on one side and then flip it over to brown for another 5 minutes. If you start moving the chicken around you won't get a crispy outside and perfectly cooked inside. When the chicken is cooked through, take it out of the pan, pop it on a plate, wrap it with foil and let it rest for 5 minutes. This will keep the chicken juicy as you slice it up.

Check out the recipes below for a really tasty, healthy and easy dinner!

Tomato and Avocado Salad

3 Tomatoes, Diced

2 Avocados, Diced

1 Cucumber, Diced

2 Garlic Cloves, Minced

¼ C Fresh Basil, Chopped (Sub 1T Dried Italian Herbs)

3T Balsamic Vinaigrette (Sub Italian Dressing)

Place all of the ingredients into a bowl and toss together.

Garlic Bread

8 Bread Slices

2T Melted Butter or Olive Oil

2T Parmesan Cheese

1T Dried Herbs

2t Garlic Powder

Pre heat the oven to 400 F. Place he bread on a baking sheet, drizzle with the butter and sprinkle the garlic powder, cheese then herbs. Season he bread with a little salt and fresh pepper. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown.