Perfect Chicken Breast Recipe
Published October 23, 2023. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Learn how easy it is to cook boneless chicken breasts that are juicy, tender, and flavorful and come out perfect every single time. This will be your new go-to recipe for delicious-tasting, easy-to-prepare chicken.
Chicken is such a versatile protein with subtle flavors, making it perfect for serving to the family. While my wife and daughter like chicken breasts, I prefer the thighs and drums, and everyone wins. If you’re the same, then you must try my Chicken Parmigiana or Chicken Biryani.
Chicken Breasts
Chicken Breasts are a predominantly white protein that comes from the breast area of the chicken between the sternum of the chicken. Pan-roasting it allows you to get that perfect delicious golden-brown malliard crust while being juicy and tender throughout. In addition, takes less than 16 minutes from start to finish to cook.
It’s the process of heating a pan with oil until it begins to smoke lightly. Then add in the chicken and sear it until well browned. You can finish it on the stovetop while adjusting the heat or in the oven. I like to use either cast iron or stainless-steel pans since they don’t give off any funky chemicals.
This chicken will be juicy, flavorful, and extremely tender if you follow these foolproof procedures. Be sure to watch the video below to see how it’s done.
Ingredients
- Chicken – You need boneless skinless chicken breasts between 8 and 12 ounces each.
- Fat – You can use avocado or olive oil oil, or clarified butter will also work.
- Seasoning – I believe salt and pepper are best, but you can use any special chicken seasoning.
How to Make Perfectly Cooked Chicken Breasts
- Season the chicken breasts with salt and black pepper on both sides.
- Add olive oil to a sauté pan over high heat. Olive oil has a smoking point of 400°
- Heat the oil until it begins to smoke lightly. If the oil is so hot that it is rolling smoke, it’s burning and needs to be discarded.
- Add the chicken breasts, turn the heat to medium-high, and cook them for 3 ½ to 4 minutes.
- Flip them over.
- Add the pan to the oven and cook for 10-12 minutes at 375° or until it reaches an internal temperature of 155° to 160° using a meat thermometer.
- Remove them from the pan and rest on a plate or cutting board for 2-4 minutes.
- Slice and serve.
How to Make a Pan Sauce for Chicken Breasts
Return the pan to the burner over medium heat, add the shallots and garlic, and saute for 2 to 3 minutes using the remaining fat in the pan from cooking the chicken.
Deglaze with white wine and cook it until it’s almost gone, which is called au sec. There should be about 1 to 2 tablespoons of the wine left.
Add the chicken stock to the pan and cook on high heat for 2 to 3 minutes to slightly reduce. Feel free to cut the amount of chicken stock down to 1 cup instead of 2.
Finish with butter, thyme, salt, and pepper.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: This recipe is meant to be eaten as soon as it is done cooking.
How to Reheat: To reheat it, place it back in a pan with some of the pan sauce, cover it, and cook in the oven for 10 minutes at 350°.
How to Store: It will hold in the refrigerator with it covered up for up to 4 days. It will also freeze well covered for up to 3 months. Pull it out as you need it and let it thaw in the refrigerator before using it.
chef notes + tips
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- It’s important to buy chicken breasts that are between 7 and 9 ounces in weight. Large 1-pound chicken breasts are not normal, and you should use caution when using them.
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- It’s always recommended to account for carryover cooking, which means it will continue to cook even though it is removed from the heat.
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- When pan roasting, it should take between 12 and 15 minutes for a 7 to 9-ounce chicken breast to cook completely through.
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- I like using cast iron or stainless-steel pans since they are environmentally friendly and don’t give off any funky chemicals.
More Chicken Recipes
Video
Perfectly Cooked Chicken Breast Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 8-12 ounce boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ peeled small diced shallot
- 2 finely minced cloves of garlic
- ¼ cup chardonnay wine
- 1 to 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon finely minced fresh thyme
- coarse salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°.
- Season the chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper.
- Next, add a large frying pan to a burner over high heat and let sit for 20 to 30 seconds before adding in the olive oil.
- Once the oil begins to lightly smoke, add in the chicken breasts and immediately turn the heat down to medium-high. Note: If it is a hot burner, turn it down to medium.
- Cook the chicken breasts between 3 ½ to 4 minutes. Flip it over and add it to the oven and cook for 10-12 minutes at 375°.
- Remove from the oven and rest on a cutting board for 2 to 4 minutes. It’s OK if it’s a few minutes longer.
- Next, add the pan back to the cooktop over medium heat. Add in the shallots and garlic and saute for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Deglaze with optional white wine and cook until it is almost completely absorbed.
- Pour the chicken stock and cook on high heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Feel free to cut the amount of chicken stock down to 1 cup instead of 2.
- Finish with butter, thyme, salt, and pepper.
- Serve the chicken with the pan sauce.
Teaching my husband to cook and we made this after I had him watch the video. Simple and delicious. We will do more of Chef Billy’s recipes.
excellent!
I love to cook, but juicy seared boneless skinless chicken breast has never been my forte—until I tried your method. It turned out perfect!
Thank you!!!
My pleasure!
Perfect chicken breasts! Easy, quick, and so delicious! Billy elevates my cooking by teaching techniques that are easy and doable. Thank you!
so good!!
For all the great cooking tips I learned from my mom I never caught this one. Thanks so much for an “it’s never too late to learn” lesson. This was great. Always how I will do it from now on.
Excellent!
I’ve never made chicken that my family didn’t think was dry until this recipe! It’s a hit and now in our rotation!
Perfection!
Soooo freakin’ delicious!!! Question though … do you pan sear both sides for a few minutes or just the one side?
Nope, just the one side then flip it.
Made this tonight and it was delicious. We didn’t have white wine but tried red wine and it turned out tasty. Also, we only used one cup of chicken broth to make the sauce and it was perfect. So easy to make and the chicken was not dry at all.
Excellent!
Never fail recipe! Easy to make, delicious and moist!
Awesome!
I go back to this frequently. Never fails. Excellent process.
thank you so kindly!!
This is indeed the PERFECT way to cook boneless chicken breasts. I used this recipe for my daughter’s baby shower. It was excellent and I received many compliments! Thank you Chef!
Amazing!