Juicy Pan-Fried Chicken Breast

close up golden brown chicken breast on a bed of rocket.

5 from 3 votes

Juicy Pan-Fried Chicken Breast

Learn how to make pan-fried chicken breast; it’s one of the fastest ways of making juicy chicken for dinner. You can cook thick pieces or thin slices of chicken breast in the pan.

Prep Time5

Cook Time12

Course: Main Course, Main Dish, Poultry

Cuisine: American

Diet: Diabetic, Low Calorie, Low Fat

Servings:

Calories: 226kcal

Author: Adina

Equipment

Large frying pan OR cast-iron skillet OR non-stick pan Note 1
Mallet/meat tenderizer
Tongs to flip the chicken
Instant-read thermometer

Ingredients

4 thick or 8 thin-cut chicken breasts Note 2
3 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil divided Note 3
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning Note 4
1 teaspoon fine sea salt or Kosher Note 5 – Important!

Instructions

Thick chicken breasts:

Tenderize: Place the chicken breasts on a cutting board. Cover them with plastic foil and pound them to an even thickness; the pieces shouldn’t be thicker than 1 -1 ½ inches/ 2 ½ - 3 ½ cm.
Season: Dry the chicken with paper towels and rub the pieces with one tablespoon of oil. Season them well on both sides.
Cook: Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a large pan (Note 6). Place the breasts in the pan. Pan fry for 5 minutes on medium heat without moving. Check gently if you can release it from the pan easily; if not, give it another minute or two.
Flip and cook for another 5 minutes. If the outside of the chicken seems to be getting too dark, lower the heat. Flip again and continue cooking until the chicken is cooked; it will take another couple of minutes.
Rest the chicken loosely covered with aluminum foil for about 10 minutes before serving; the internal temperature should reach the safe level of 165°F/ 74°C.

Thin chicken breast pieces:

Tenderizing is optional if the pieces are evenly cut. However, I recommend it.
Season: Dry and rub the pieces with 1 tablespoon of the oil and sprinkle them with the spices.
Pan-fry: Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in the pan. Cook the slices for 3-4 minutes per side on medium-high. This will allow the pieces to achieve a nice color during the short cooking time. Lower the heat to medium if they seem too dark too soon.
Rest the chicken loosely covered with aluminum foil for about 5 minutes before serving; the safe internal temperature is 165°F/ 74°C.

Notes

I prefer a cast-iron skillet or a nonstick pan. Stainless steel is also great, but you might need more oil to prevent the chicken from sticking to the pan. Add more fat when you flip the chicken (Amazon affiliate links).
The thick chicken breasts weigh between 6 and 10 oz/ 175 – 225 g, and one piece serves one person.
Thin-cut chicken breasts are halved thick pieces. You can cut them yourself or buy them already sliced. You will need 2 pieces per person.
Use an oil with a high smoking point.
Or any other seasoning of your choice. Try curry, Ras-el-hanout, Cajun, or Italian seasoning. Or check out Baked Chicken Drumsticks for more seasoning ideas.
Check if the poultry seasoning already contains salt and adjust the salt you need accordingly. If the seasoning contains salt, sprinkle the chicken breasts only very lightly with extra salt. Otherwise, use the required salt amount.
The pan and the oil should be hot but not smoking. To check if the temperature is correct, lift a piece of chicken with the tongs and hold just the tip of it in the oil; if it sizzles, the temperature is suitable for cooking.

Nutrition