Christine @ Good & PlatedNo more overcooked, boring chicken breast! This easy pan seared method results in juicy, flavorful chicken every time.
Is there any recipe more basic than cooked boneless skinless chicken breast? Second maybe only to scrambled eggs, the humble chicken breast is a staple of a huge variety of dishes.
It can be the centerpiece of the meal when paired with vegetables and a potato, or it can be added to a pasta dish or as a topping for a green salad. Cooked chicken breast can also be eaten in a sandwich or transformed into delicious chicken salad.
If you are a meat eater, you know there are many, many ways to consume cooked chicken breast. And you also know that there are many ways to make bad chicken breast.
Undercooked, overcooked, rubbery, dry, bland. . . chicken breast is so ubiquitous, it’s a guarantee that we’ve all had a bad batch at some point. And for that reason, I think it’s important that everyone learn how to cook chicken breast for themselves.
Case in point: A few years ago, my husband had a health goal of trying to eat more protein. To help him out, I would prepare a large batch of pan seared chicken breast for him each week. Every time ate some, he would declare it the best chicken he’s ever had.
Not being a particularly skilled cook himself, I think prior to meeting me he had only prepared two types of chicken on his own: 1) the kind where he undercooked it and gave himself food poisoning, and 2) the “cooked to death, I’m chewing on a shoe leather” kind.
After a few weeks of this routine, I realized that this would be a great opportunity to teach him my method for a perfect pan seared chicken breast. He could learn a new culinary skill and I could get back some of my time in the kitchen to be used for other things.
I’m happy to report that he’s still going strong preparing his own weekly batch of chicken. If you want an easy and reliable technique for cooking amazing pan seared chicken breast, this recipe is for you!
Supplies and Tools
- Meat Mallet: Perhaps you’ve noticed that chicken breasts are not evenly shaped. Parts of it are thicker and parts are thinner. The key to getting perfectly cooked chicken breasts each time is to use a meat mallet to pound them to even thickness prior to cooking and seasoning.
- Heavy Duty Gallon Size Storage Bag: It’s not a great idea to just pound chicken directly on the cutting board – you might end up with a kitchen splattered in raw chicken juice and bits – yuck! Placing the chicken breasts in a storage bag prior to pounding helps keep your kitchen clean and sanitary.
- Seasoning Blend: Yes, it is perfectly acceptable to use plain old salt and pepper to season your chicken breast, but to take it to another level I recommend using a premade seasoning blend. You can use a store bought kind (there are many “chicken” seasoning blends, that are great) but I love using my Complete Seasoning blend on chicken.
Perfect Pan Seared Chicken Breast FAQs
While a meat mallet will definitely be easier to handle when pounding the chicken, you can also use a heavy pan or skillet. In a pinch I’ve also used a hammer, but just be careful not to pound a hole in the chicken if you go that route!
I wouldn’t recommend it. The reason we use a storage bag is for sanitation – to prevent any raw chicken meat or juices from spraying onto other kitchen surfaces. Before discovering the storage bag method, I would often use a sheet of plastic wrap laid over the surface of the chicken breast, so that’s a viable option too.
Related Recipes
If you are looking for an awesome seasoning blend for your pan seared chicken breasts, I recommend you check out my Complete Seasoning. It’s the best “tastes good on everything” spice blend and it’s what I used when preparing this recipe.
Also, if you are looking for a vegetable side dish, my Simple Sautéed Green Beans or a green side salad with my Honey Dijon Vinaigrette would be perfect.
Print
Perfect Pan Seared Chicken Breast
No more overcooked, boring chicken breast! This easy pan seared method results in juicy, flavorful chicken every time.
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 2 Chicken Breasts 1x
Ingredients
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 teaspoon seasoning blend OR ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper
1 tablespoon cooking oil (such as avocado or olive oil)
Instructions
- Pound the chicken: Place one of the chicken breasts in a heavy duty gallon sized storage bag. Lay the bag and chicken flat on a large cutting board. Use a meat mallet to firmly pound the chicken to ½ inch thickness. Remove the pounded chicken to a separate plate and repeat the process with the second chicken breast.
- Season the chicken: Sprinkle seasoning blend evenly over both sides of each chicken breast (approximately ¼ teaspoon per side)
- Heat skillet: Add the cooking oil to a large skillet and heat over medium. Once hot, swirl the oil to coat the skillet.
- Cook chicken: Add the chicken breasts to the skillet and cook for about 5 minutes without flipping. Flip the chicken and then cook on the second side until well browned and cooked through (While you can safely remove the chicken at 160°F and allow for some carryover cooking, 165°F is the safest temperature to ensure the chicken is cooked completely.)
- Serve: Transfer the chicken to a clean cutting board and allow it to rest for five minutes before serving.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Chicken
- Method: Pan sear
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Chicken Breast
- Calories: 94
- Sugar: 0 g
- Sodium: 1192.7 mg
- Fat: 7.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 0 g
- Protein: 6.4 g
- Cholesterol: 20.7 mg