Chicken breasts are so blah. I am just not a huge fan…they almost always turn out dry and boring. I don’t mind using chicken in things, but I almost never ever just sear up a chicken breast for dinner. So this recipe didn’t come about from me experimenting – the creds for these babies go to my husband, Seth.
We got hungry SUPER late at night this past weekend (because we had had popcorn a few hours earlier…confessions), so Seth decided to whip up a concoction. We are talking like ten p.m. here, people. So he made a pasta thing, but he wanted meat with it, so he whipped up some chicken. It…was…SO GOOD. The best chicken I’ve ever had, seriously! It was so, so, so juicy and flavorful. It was just as juicy as dark meat, if not more so.
I decided it needed to be shared with the world ASAP. Pronto. Emergency status. So, after receiving detailed instructions from Seth while he was at work, I got to it. And now, dear internet friends, I shall share this sorcery with you.
I’m making this sound super sneaky and secretive and crazy, but it’s actually a really simple trick that I’m sure many of you are already using. There are two ways that I usually see people cooking chicken breasts (and the two ways I have almost always used in the past): 1. Cook it in the pan, turning it and browning it until it’s cooked through. 2. Bake it in the oven until it’s cooked through.
Today’s method combines the two of these. Here’s what we do:
- Season the chicken. Season it well. Your one way ticket to bland, boring chicken = under-seasoned meat. Seth used salt, pepper, and dried oregano. I think it is a freaking delicious trio, so that’s what I went with today. Make sure you add enough salt, though. That’s the most important seasoning.
- Heat a pan with fat (I used both olive oil and butter) over medium high heat, and get a hard sear on both sides. Three minutes a side on medium high was perfect for me.
- Throw it in a 425 degree oven for 8-10 minutes. This could vary a bit depending on the size of your chicken breasts, but 8-10 works for the standard piece of chicken.
- REST IT! People, use your patience that I know you have deep down in your brains despite steaming, delicious smelling chicken sitting in front of you. The chicken needs to rest for at least five minutes. Set a timer, get everything else plated up, and then when those five minutes are up – dig in, yo. And fall in love with the most juicy chicken breast your eyes will ever encounter.
I absolutely love, love, love seasoning it with some fresh herbs (dill and basil = lyfe) over top right before digging in. It adds an extra layer of flavor and SO much freshness. And it makes it pretty…and pretty food is fun 😍.
So yesterday Seth mowed the lawn. We have a cheap push mower that is a PIECE, so it takes like ten years to mow, even though our yard isn’t huge. The front yard is fine, but the back yard gets super thick, and it makes mowing super hard. It felt amazing outside yesterday, so I decided I’d wash my car – like deep-clean wash – while he mowed. We went to Target, a.k.a. the giver of all things, and got some car cleaning stuffs.
He got started on the lawn, and I got to work on my car! Cleaned all the surfaces, vacuumed all the seats and floors, shampooed all the fabric on the seats, washed all the glass, and cleaned the outside. Oh em gee it took FO-EVA. Forever. And honestly, I was slightly disappointed with the result. The inside looks great, but the outside doesn’t even look that much different!
There are so many spots on it from the water I guess, and there are a lot of areas that still look dirty. I’m like…come on bro – I spent like three hours cleaning you. You should be spotless. Maybe you experienced car cleaners out there can tell me what I’m doing wrong. I washed it in sections so the soap didn’t dry on, and then I rinsed each section off thoroughly before moving onto the next. And then when I was done, I got the whole thing wet again and drove around for like ten minutes until it was dry, thinking that this would help with the water spots.
But it doesn’t even look that greatttttt…blaarrgggg…whhiinnneeee. Maybe I’ll just pay a detailer in the future. Just TAKE MY MONEY so I don’t have to do it again. The inside I could do myself, I guess, but apparently I am incapable of doing the outside. Uncool…
Get ready for the most delicious chicken EVER, peeps.
PrintThe Trick to THE Juiciest Chicken Breasts
This is THE juiciest chicken you will find anywhere! It’s super simple to make and it’s done within 30 minutes. Win and win!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 2 chicken breasts 1x
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon butter
- Olive oil for pan
- Basil and dill (optional topping), chopped
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
- Heat a large, oven-safe skillet over medium high heat (a cast iron works great) with your butter and some olive oil.
- Season your chicken liberally with salt, pepper, and oregano.
- When your skillet is hot, add your chicken. Sear for 3 minutes per side so you get a nice, deep sear. When both sides have been seared for three minutes, place the skillet in your oven.
- Bake the chicken for 8-10 minutes. It will continue cooking once it’s out of the oven as it’s resting, so if it’s a tiny bit pink when you take it out, that’s okay.
- Remove the chicken from the pan and rest the chicken for at least five minutes. Season it with your chopped basil and dill (optional) before eating.
Notes
The cook time in the oven will depend on your chicken breasts, so start checking them at 8 minutes by slicing a small cut in the bottom of the breast and checking the inside. If it’s a tiny bit pink still, it will continue cooking as it rests.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 chicken breast
- Calories: 365
- Sugar: 0 g
- Sodium: 620 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Carbohydrates: 0 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 55 g
- Cholesterol: 153 mg
If you make this or any of my other recipes, be sure to Instagram it and hashtag #thegarlicdiaries!
In the mood for more yummy chicken recipes? Check these out:
Baked Chili Lime Chicken Breasts
If you’re not pounding the chicken breast to even thickness, you’re doing yourself a disservice. The pounding step is THE most important part of cooking chicken breasts. Nothing else matters as much. A properly pounded boneless breast will cook fairly quickly and be WAY more tender and juicy than when un-pounded no matter how it’s cooked (pan, oven, grill). If you don’t pound to even thickness, it’s literally impossible to cook the fat part to just done without overcooking the tail end. That’s why flattening is your friend. PLUS, the pounding busts up a lot of the muscle fibers, instantly tenderizing the meat before it meets the heat.
It totally worked. I also pounded the breast flatter before beginning. It was very thick. Squirted lemon on it when finished resting. YUM! Thank you!
★★★★★
Yay!! So glad this worked for you, Vicki! I literally ONLY use this method to cook chicken now – it is seriously the best!!
That chicken looks amazing! I’m going to do it today! Thanks. And about the car……..on my! I didn’t know we’re supposed to wash it! I always just let the rain clean it off!
Let me know how it turns out!! Haha – that is usually the cleaning technique I use as well ;).
I hardly ever just cook up a piece of chicken either, but when I do always pound them thin and grill… because nothing is worse than a super dry chicken breast! You make me want to try this method, now! Sometimes I’m just too lazy to pound them out and grill, so I’ve gotta try this – looks so juicy and perfect. As for the car washing – try using a chamois (a cloth for car drying) when you’re done. We have super hard water, so it spots the car like crazy (and my car is black so it looks even worse!), but the chamois helps a lot. If my hubs didn’t wash my car for me, I’d totally just go and pay someone else to do it because I HATE washing a car … way too time consuming for me lol!
Keri | Fashionable Foods recently posted…Spicy Buffalo Chicken Fundido
Yessss try this method out! Your pound and grill method sounds super tasty, too. Ohhh good car washing tips! I’ll definitely order a chamois before trying again. You’re now the third person that has told me that, so it has to be good advice!
Now, I am definitely NO expert on car related issues, but my husband always waxes and buffs our van after washing it. I think that might be the key to no water spots :) Also, that chicken looks Amaze-balls!!!
Interesting! I will look into that for sure. Thanks for the tip! Agreed on the chicken ;).