Pan-Seared Chicken Breast: A reliable method for achieving golden, flavorful chicken—ideal for weekend meal prep or elevated everyday meals. Optional pan sauce. Reheats beautifully.
Pan-Seared Chicken Breast Meal Prep
Course: Meal PrepIngredients
Family pack of chicken breasts (~6 lbs.)
2 Tbs olive oil
3 tsp Kosher salt
1½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
White wine (optional)
1 cup chicken stock (optional)
Tarragon, to taste (optional)
1 tsp Dijon mustard (optional)
Directions
- Set the oven to 350°F. Prepare a meat thermometer with an alarm set to 155°F (or your preferred safe temperature).
- Remove chicken breasts from packaging. Place on a double layer of paper towels; then cover with another layer. (After a minute, flip the entire setup. I’m nont sure if this helps, but I always do it.)
- Heat a large, heavy-bottomed frying pan over moderately high heat until very hot, approximately 3 minutes. Turn on your kitchen exhaust fan.
- Add the olive oil to the pan. It should immediately shimmer. Lift and swirl to coat the bottom evenly. Lay the chicken breasts into the pan, ensuring they do not touch—if necessary, cook in batches or use two pans simultaneously. Season the chicken evenly with salt and pepper, holding your hand about 12 inches above the pan for uniform coverage. (See notes.) Cover with a spatter screen for easier cleanup, and allow the chicken to sear undisturbed for 4 minutes.
- Using tongs, gently lift one piece to check for browning. If the chicken releases easily and displays a deep golden crust, flip all pieces. If the chicken is stuck to the pan, let it continue to cook and reassess after 2 additional minutes. If necessary, give it yet 2 more minutes. If it’s still stuck after that, use a firm spatula deftly scrape the chicken from the pan, hoping to not rip the breast up in the process. Once flipped, season moderately with salt and pepper.
- Insert the temperature probe into the thickest section of the largest piece. Transfer the pan to the preheated oven. Once the target temperature is reached, remove from the oven and let the chicken rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
- (Deglaze the pan with a splash of white wine. Add chicken stock, tarragon, and mustard. Bring to a boil and reduce until thickened. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.)
Notes
- As a guide, I estimate 1 level teaspoon of Kosher salt per pound of chicken. Note that I’m talking about Kosher salt – this would be way too much salt if I were talking about table salt. So, for a six-pound batch, that would be three teaspoons in on the first side, and another three after flipping.
- Substitutions: any other kind of mustard for the Dijon, but especially brown mustard
Social Learning
Your goal is to produce a deep golden-brown crust in four-to-six minutes. If this doesn’t happen, my guess is that the pan wasn’t hot enough at the outset (when you add the oil, it should immediately shimmer, but not smoke), or the heat wasn’t high enough during cooking. Plenty of other things can affect this, such as the type of the pan and the specific amount of chicken. It takes practice, but once you get it, it’s as easy as riding a bike.
Serving and Storage Suggestions
Cooked chicken is so versatile and useful, that it’s one of my all-time favorite, go-to meal preps. Although the method I’ve outlined has many steps, they’re all pretty easy. Once you done it once or twice, I hope you’ll find that it starts to feel almost effortless.
Of course, I always eat at least a bit of the chicken as soon as it’s rested. Although it will be fine reheated, it will never be quite as good as it is right now. But after cooling, I fridge it, and use it in salads, sandwiches, casseroles, or I slice and reheat as-is and use whatever I have on hand – from BBQ sauce to salad dressing – as a dipping sauce. If you make a really good, mayo-based dipping sauce, you can slice the breasts into medallions and eat them cold with it.
Food Safety Advice? From me?
While I always remind you not to rely on me for food safety advice, I do encourage you to consider this: every time you handle raw chicken, wash your hands before touching anything else. You may find yourself washing your hands multiple times, and/or planning carefully so that every item you touch after opening the chicken is either intended for raw meat or destined directly for the sink.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve opened a package of chicken, and then thought, “Where are my tongs?” And then I proceed to open two or three drawers, looking for them, contaminating everything in sight. I’ve leaned to wash my hands before doing this, but I’ve also learned to get the tongs out before opening the chicken. It takes practice.
You should treat anything that comes into contact with raw chicken—countertops, tongs, plates, and so on—as contaminated and reserved only for handling more raw chicken. Under no circumstances should these items come into contact fully cooked chicken.
Pan-Seared Chicken Breast Meal Prep
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Look at that sear! Gorgeous! You have mastered this art. And so juicy, it’s making my mouth water. I know exactly what you mean about touching everything in sight with chicken-y hands! Then I spent an hour deep cleaning the kitchen. I must admit, after that experience, I learned quickly.
Thank you! I do this pretty frequently, so I’ve learned to get better at it over the years. In the early days, I would just cook as I go, and wouldn’t think ahead. And that it still my strong instinct. But I’ve learned to balance that, especially when working with raw meats.
Excellent advice for handling the raw chicken. Like you, I have found my hands slimy with chicken juices in need of something in a drawer. I know consider all this as part of my mis-en-place! And might I say your chicken is perfectly browned. Bravo.
Thanks, David!
This is chicken perfection made easy with your perfect instructions. And I think the mustard and Tarragon are a must… these add so much fabulous flavor!
Thanks, Heidi!
Thanks, Jeff. I’ve not been able to prefer chicken breast over chicken thigh. I think your approach should work just as well with thigh meat (I hope).
I like them both in different ways. No doubt at all that this’d work for thighs, with a different done temperature!
Very good tutorial and yes to tarragon in the pan sauce.
Thank you, Karen!
This is an excellent way to prepare chicken. And I like your asides, such as: “Turn on your kitchen exhaust fan.”
Thanks you! Learned the hard way, of course.
Nice and easy way to cook chicken.
I can’t imagine trying this without my cast iron skillet. I am one of those lucky ducks who inherited pans that I am the third generation to use. I have a gas burner on my gas grill and typically do my searing outside in one of the pans. It keeps my smoke alarm from screaming at me (learned the hard way also)
That’s a great idea! So, my husband wants to get a gas grill. (The one we have is charcoal.) And I’m thinking that one of the most convenient uses would be for searing, as you’re suggesting. It usually makes a mess of the stove, and even though I have a good vent, you really can’t prevent the oil that makes it into the air from settling on the walls.
This sear is absolutely irresistible!
Thank you, Javier!
The sear on your chicken looks fantastic, and I love the sauce recipe. I must try the sauce when next I cook chicken, it will take it to the next level I’m sure. We bought two large chicken breasts yesterday, which are in the freezer, so next week bring it on. Thanks for all the great advice Jeff.
You’re welcome!
I’ve tried a lot of chicken prep methods, but pan-searing truly brings out the juiciest results. And look at that sear of your, PERFECT!
Thank you so much, Raymund!