We can all agree, ain’t nobody likes a dry as sawdust, overcooked chicken breast! I think one of the reasons hubs hates chicken so much is because at some point he was forced to eat dried out, tasteless chicken breasts and it turned him into a lifelong chicken hater. Anybody that asks him how he likes his chicken meal and he’ll tell you, “it tastes like chicken”. Not that chicken tastes awful, but it can be less than totally appetizing if not cooked properly. Let’s be honest here, it’s a lot harder to cook chicken breasts properly so that they are not dry-as-sawdust, chewy, hunks of meat. I’m totally guilty of serving overcooked dry chicken over the years. You too?
An improperly cooked piece of chicken can ruin an entire meal. Let’s face it, overcooked dried out breasts have really given chicken a bad rap. But what if I told you that there’s an easy way to cook chicken breasts that will ensure you have moist, juicy, flavorful, perfectly cooked breasts every time? You may never go back to cooking chicken breasts any other way after you have tried this method. Not only does it produce the juiciest chicken breasts, but they taste fantastic and this method is so very, very easy to do. Ready to give it a try?
Start by preheating your oven to 400℉.
Rinse chicken breasts under cold water. Trim off any visible excess fat and discard it. Pat breasts dry with paper towels.
Season each chicken breast liberally on both sides with seasoned salt, pepper, paprika, onion powder and garlic powder. Use your fingers to massage the spices into the meat. Set aside.
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Heat vegetable oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. If you don’t have a cast iron skillet make sure to use a skillet that is oven safe to 400 degrees.
Once the oil is hot place the seasoned chicken breasts in the skillet and cook for 5 minutes, use a timer for this.
Resist the urge to move them around or turn them over. We want a nice crusty sear on these babies!
After 5 minutes flip breasts over and remove skillet from heat.
Place the skillet in the preheated oven and cook breasts for 12-13 minutes.
If breasts are large cook them in the oven for 13 minutes, smaller breasts should be done at 12 minutes.
Remove skillet from the oven and transfer the cooked breasts onto a cutting board.
Allow breasts to rest for 5 minutes before slicing into them to allow the juices to redistribute.
Squeeze some fresh lemon juice over the chicken breasts.
Serve on salads, in your favorite pasta dishes, or even on its own. This chicken is delicious!
This easy to do cooking method guarantees you will have juicy, flavorful cooked chicken breasts for all your favorite meals. This has become my favorite way to cook chicken breasts and I get no complaints from my family when I serve up these juicy, flavorful pieces of chicken. Even chicken hating hubs has no complaints. I know he’d rather have a juicy steak but when chicken is on sale we’re gonna be having some chicken for dinner. Gotta make that chicken as tasty as possible!
Cooking 101: How To Cook A Juicy Chicken Breast
Equipment
- oven safe skillet preferably cast iron
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- seasoned salt
- black pepper
- sweet Hungarian paprika
- onion powder
- garlic powder
- 1 lemon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400℉.
- Rinse chicken breasts under cold water. Trim off any visible excess fat and discard it. Pat breasts dry with paper towels.
- Season each chicken breast liberally on both sides with seasoned salt, pepper, paprika, onion powder and garlic powder. Use your fingers to massage the spices into the meat. Set aside.
- Heat vegetable oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat.
- Once the oil is hot place the seasoned chicken breasts in the skillet and cook for 5 minutes, use a timer for this. Resist the urge to move them or turn them over.
- After 5 minutes flip breasts over and remove skillet from heat.
- Place skillet in preheated oven and cook breasts for 13 minutes.
- Remove skillet from the oven and transfer the cooked breasts onto a cutting board.
- Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the chicken breasts.
- Allow breasts to rest for 5 minutes before slicing into them to allow the juices to redistribute.
- Serve on salads, in pasta dishes or even on it's own.
Did You Make This?
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After cooking for 5 minutes on the first side, you turn it over but don’t sear the other side…just put it in the oven?
Yes. It will finish cooking in the oven.