The Basics: How to Make Seared Chicken Breast

Published on Monday, March 8, 2010, by CHOW Food Team / Edit Post

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2. While the oil heats up, generously season both sides of the chicken breasts with salt and pepper.
Seared Chicken Breast
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  • Pounding may do you some good, but I've always liked thicker chicken breasts, as long as they're still juicy. I coat the bottom of the pan in olive oil on medium/medium-high heat, season the breasts, and let them fry on one side for 5 minutes, flip and 5 minutes more. Then I turn the heat down to low/low-medium, flip the chicken again, and cover the pan for 5 minutes, then flip again, and take a...+READ

    Pounding may do you some good, but I've always liked thicker chicken breasts, as long as they're still juicy. I coat the bottom of the pan in olive oil on medium/medium-high heat, season the breasts, and let them fry on one side for 5 minutes, flip and 5 minutes more. Then I turn the heat down to low/low-medium, flip the chicken again, and cover the pan for 5 minutes, then flip again, and take a thermometer to them. They usually hit 160-165 at the 4-5 minutes mark on the other side. I get asked all the time how my chicken is so moist, and I kind of shrug, because it's the only way I've ever known how to make chicken breasts in a skillet. Hopefully someone can replicate it :-D-COLLAPSE

  • I find this method dries the breast out. Better to sear in a HOT pan with minimal butter for a minute or two on both sides, season, then slip into a small ovenproof dish and that into a preheated 400 degree toaster oven or oven for 8-10 minutes (depending on the thickness of the breast). CRITICAL point: let it rest for 10 minutes before serving!!! Result = browned outside, juicy inside, and...+READ

    I find this method dries the breast out. Better to sear in a HOT pan with minimal butter for a minute or two on both sides, season, then slip into a small ovenproof dish and that into a preheated 400 degree toaster oven or oven for 8-10 minutes (depending on the thickness of the breast). CRITICAL point: let it rest for 10 minutes before serving!!! Result = browned outside, juicy inside, and cooked through. YUM!-COLLAPSE

  • I agree with MikeB3542 about slicing them thinner as preferable to pounding them thinner (although I do both if I'm in a hurry). I also recommend patting very dry with paper towels before cooking. Standard old chicken breast, as opposed to free-range, etc., has this squooshy, wet, almost squeaky texture already -- with pounding, you may as well be eating tofu.

  • The modern "chicken breast" is large, tough, and flavorless! Special thanks to hormones, injections, etc, etc. space age chicken engineers! Trim & Pound is the must! Salt. Pepper & Canola, than finish in the convection oven @ 500 + for a couple minutes. A nice simple Ver Blanc is the best, over Wild rice.

  • i like to use butter or a more neutral oil with a high smoke point, aggressively season one side of chicken with salt, then sear over high heat. After the flip, I finish in a 400 degree oven for a few minutes to finish. always has a near-crispy sear with a juicy inside

  • I definitely recommend pounding the chicken breasts; it can be done very quickly and results in a much nicer more evenly cooked breast.

  • Alton says that pepper burns when you sear. I'm not entirely sure I've witnessed it, but I do know that a few grinds of fresh after it's cooked is just as good or better.

  • I prefer to pound mine, too. That way they're cooked through before the thinner parts dry out.

  • One man's opinion: I like the 'see all steps at once' option, and the option to print the steps is a smart one, but I now have a pdf on my hard drive that I didn't really need, and which I now need to delete. Separate links for the two options would be much appreciated.

    MikeB3542: You may want to try pounding the breasts into a more uniform thickness. That way you'll get a slightly quicker cook...+READ

    One man's opinion: I like the 'see all steps at once' option, and the option to print the steps is a smart one, but I now have a pdf on my hard drive that I didn't really need, and which I now need to delete. Separate links for the two options would be much appreciated.

    MikeB3542: You may want to try pounding the breasts into a more uniform thickness. That way you'll get a slightly quicker cook time, and a more even level of doneness throughout the cut. Though Chow's method is solid here, and I appreciate that used the 'right' temperature for the meat, as opposed to the USDA's incredibly well-done recommended temps.-COLLAPSE

  • What I find really helps is slicing thicker chicken breasts into thinner pieces. They cook more quickly, and less like to dry out and get tough.

  • I gave up frying in olive oil about 15 years ago and prefer using one with a much higher flash point, like grapeseed. But, to each his/her own.
    CP