Learning how to pan fry chicken breast is a quintessential cooking skill. Add your pan-fried chicken to a healthy salad, a one-pot pasta, or BBQ Chicken Pizza. Easily add leftover chicken to other chicken recipes.
How to Pan Fry Chicken Breast
If your chicken is too thick, you can cut in half or pound the breasts so that they are thinner and will take less time to cook. Cooking a thick chicken breast will cook unevenly and it will oftentimes turn out dry.
Season your raw chicken with your favorite seasonings – I like using sea salt, freshly cracked black pepper, garlic powder and thyme. Adding your favorite seasonings and then turn your attention to your pan.
First, add a bit of oil – about a tablespoon – to a frying pan and heat over medium heat. Give the oil about 3 minutes to allow it to get hot and then add the chicken breasts to the hot oil.
After adding the chicken to the frying pan, cover and allow the chicken to cook for about 5 minutes and then flip, cooking for another 5 minutes.
Once the chicken is browned, check the internal temperature of the chicken. It should be at least 165 degrees.
How to Season Chicken Breast for Pan Frying
The best part about pan frying chicken breasts is that you can season them with just about anything.
You can just use salt and pepper, which is a great way to season your chicken, especially if you plan to add a dressing on top.
There’s also many other options when it comes to seasoning your chicken:
- Thyme: Adding dried Thyme is a great way to add a subtle, sweet flavor to your chicken. It’s an easy way to add flavor to your poultry. Sprinkle some on top before cooking.
- Basil: This herb gives a fresh peppery scent to whatever it is you’re cooking, especially chicken.
- Rosemary: Add a smokier flavor to your chicken by adding dried rosemary to your chicken.
- Herbs de Provence: A combination of thyme, basil, parsley, oregano, tarragon, marjoram and Lavender will season your chicken breast well.
- Garlic Powder: In combination with salt and pepper, sprinkle the garlic powder on top of the chicken before cooking.
- Onion Powder: Similar to using garlic powder, you can sprinkle the onion powder onto your chicken before cooking.
How Long to Cook Chicken Breasts
Wondering how long you should cook your chicken breasts when pan frying?
It really comes down to how thick your chicken is.
For a half-inch thick chicken breast, you’ll want to give it a hard sear on each side and then continue pan-frying on each side for an additional 5 minutes. It will take about 10 minutes to pan-fry your chicken breast in a regular non-stick pan.
How to Use your Pan-Fried Chicken Breasts
Now that you have your cooked chicken breasts, there are a couple different ways to use your chicken.
