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Home » Entrées » Chicken Recipes » 10-Minute Pan-Fried Chicken Breast

10-Minute Pan-Fried Chicken Breast

September 28, 2018 by victor 47 Comments

Four golden brown pan-fried chicken breasts in a stainless steel pan.

This pan-fried chicken breast recipe is the most used recipe in our family. It’s simple, easy and crazy quick to make.  And it’s delicious! Really, all you need is 4 minutes of prep time and 6 minutes of cooking time. The recipe is so easy that even a child can successfully make it. In fact, this was the first ‘meat’ recipe that my daughter mastered when she was just starting to learn to cook.

Getting a pan-fried chicken breast come out tender and succulent has always been a problem for me. If you can do it, please, let me know your secret. In my case, chicken breasts would dry out quite a bit before they cook all the way through. That is because the heat goes in one direction on a frying pan. One side gets super hot while the other is cooling down. Then there is thickness and uneven surface to deal with. All these factors contribute to inefficient heating, uneven cooking and, as a result, drying out.

The secret to a quick and succulent pan-fried chicken breast

After some experimenting and a few tiny light bulbs going on, I found a way. The solution I eventually came up with is ridiculously simple and consists of three parts:

  1. High heat
  2. Thin breasts
  3. Frying covered

Close up view of well-browned, juicy pan-fried chicken breasts.

Just like when frying lean pork chops, you want to fry chicken breasts quickly, which means doing it over a fairly high heat. Thick chicken breast won’t cook through over high heat before the exterior noticeably dries out. Instead, a chicken breast needs to be sliced in half, even in three pieces, if it’s particularly large and thick.

Close up of a large fried chicken breast.

To fix the issue with one-directional heating, I pan-fry my chicken breasts covered. This way steam heats the breast from the top while it’s frying, resulting in quick and efficient cooking. Besides, all that moisture from the steam keeps the breast nicely moist and prevents it from drying out. Though, fully covering the pan results in poor browning, so I leave a small crack open just to let some steam out.

Using this method, I don’t even use a thermometer. Three minutes per side over medium-high heat and the breast is fully cooked, moist and juicy inside.

Looking for more great pan-fried chicken breast or similar recipes? Check these out:

  • Chicken Francese with Crispy Crust
  • Chicken Piccata Pasta
Delicious, tender and juicy pan-fried chicken breast made in under 10 minutes. A perfect recipe for a busy workday dinner.

10-Minute Pan-Fried Chicken Breast

5 from 25 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dinner, lunch
Cuisine: American
Keyword: fried chicken, fried chicken breast, pan-fried chicken
Prep Time: 4 minutes
Cook Time: 6 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 2 servings
Calories: 254kcal
Author: Victor

Ingredients

  • 2 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil (one for rubbing and one for cooking)
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 2 cloves garlic (pressed)
  • 1 tsp parsley (dried)
  • 1/2 tsp thyme (dried)
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (plus more to taste)

Instructions

  • Using a sharp knife, cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise. You want to end up with 4, equally thin, chicken cutlets. Uniformly thick chicken breast will cook faster and more uniformly.
  • Rub the chicken breasts with one tablespoon oil, then season with salt, pepper, thyme, garlic, parsley and cayenne pepper.
    Tip: the seasoning mix here is fairly basic but gives the chicken good flavor. I vary it depending on what I have, or want to use, and often add fresh herbs. I find basil, oregano and coriander to be great in this recipe. Spice mixes like Italian, herbs de provence are also fabulous. If you like sesame oil, use it instead of olive oil for rubbing, but reduce the amount to about teaspoon, or to taste.
  • Heat one tablespoon of oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken breasts and partially cover the pan with a lid, leaving about a 1/2" - 1" crack. 
    Tip: if using a regular skillet, double the amount of oil. You can also use 50/50 oil and butter for better flavor.
  • Cook for 3 minutes undisturbed. At this time you will notice that the tops of the breasts have turned white. Flip the breasts, partially cover and cook for another 3 minutes.
  • Remove from the pan and serve immediately or keep warm until ready to eat.

Nutrition

Calories: 254kcal | Carbohydrates: 0g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 72mg | Sodium: 1294mg | Potassium: 418mg | Fiber: 0g | Sugar: 0g | Vitamin A: 130IU | Vitamin C: 1.3mg | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 0.4mg
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    Recipe Rating




     

  1. Ms. Renee

    January 09, 2023 at 5:25 pm

    5 min on each side pan fried with ginger and garlic. I sautéed in olive oil AND butter….the butter burns so it does have a tasty outer flavor buttery with the ginger and garlic, I tossed in thin sliced Spanish onions.

    Reply
    • victor

      January 20, 2023 at 1:16 pm

      Enjoy!

      Reply
  2. Teresa hutchins

    November 22, 2022 at 5:32 am

    This really works Thank you!!

    Reply
    • victor

      December 15, 2022 at 11:06 am

      Enjoy!

      Reply
  3. Michelle Stanley

    August 24, 2022 at 5:03 pm

    Easy to make, quick and delicious! Will definitely make again!!

    Reply
    • victor

      August 25, 2022 at 6:45 pm

      Enjoy!

      Reply
  4. Linda Street

    July 15, 2022 at 12:20 pm

    Looking forward to makings this scrumptious looking dish. I’m just wondering though I see in the bottom of the pan those lovely browned bits. What about adding a little chicken broth, scrapping them up and turning the liquid into some sort of pan sauce?. Shame to waste those tasty bits.

    Linda

    Reply
    • victor

      July 16, 2022 at 11:39 am

      That’s a great I idea. I like cooking on my carbon steel pan which gives those brown bits but if you do it on a non-stick – my wife prefers it, then no brown bits there. Someting to keep in mind. Enjoy!

      Reply
  5. Dre

    June 30, 2022 at 10:19 pm

    I added 3 tablespoons butter at the end and it
    added great flavor.

    Reply
    • victor

      July 04, 2022 at 1:02 pm

      Thanks for the tip. Enjoy!

      Reply
  6. Tim

    December 06, 2021 at 5:24 pm

    This recipe will undoubtedly carry my roommate and I through university. It truly is the most tender chicken!

    Reply
    • victor

      December 07, 2021 at 8:24 am

      Enjoy! And don’t forget to try my extra crispy chicken wings, a must for those game days.

      Reply
  7. Merril

    November 26, 2021 at 2:20 am

    Perfect just as written. Quite peppery so if cayenne isn’t your thing reduce it. I had no dried parsley so used 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh.

    Reply
  8. Suzanne

    August 21, 2021 at 10:43 pm

    Really easy recipe and great idea to cut the chicken breast in half. It was nice and juicy and reminded me of blackened chicken as I really spiced it up.

    Reply
    • victor

      August 22, 2021 at 11:07 am

      Glad you liked it. Enjoy!

      Reply
  9. James

    June 28, 2021 at 1:15 pm

    Thank you for a great recipe, we add sauce & cheese for the last minute or two for a great chicken parm.

    Reply
    • victor

      June 28, 2021 at 4:06 pm

      You are very welcome!

      Reply
  10. Chris

    May 11, 2021 at 9:19 pm

    Truly excellent pan seared chicken recipe! I pounded it out instead of cutting, but other than that, followed your recipe. Cooks fast, crispy on the outside, juicy and tender inside. Excellent tip covering it most of the way.

    Reply
  11. Nina

    April 24, 2021 at 6:32 pm

    I am an experienced cook, but have not covered the skillet at the end until now.
    These thin chicken breasts were great.
    I used my iron skillet and browned in ghee.
    I used some smoked paprika, basil, garlic powder powder, salt and pepper. Moist and nicely browned; iron skillet lid after flipping worked great.

    Reply
  12. Kim

    April 05, 2021 at 5:50 pm

    Yes!!! Perfect! So yummy! And Easy. Threw mine over a salad.

    Reply
  13. Tracy

    January 26, 2021 at 11:50 pm

    Forgot to mention when adding the water to the bottom of pan I turn the heat to medium low (about a 3 on gas range)

    Reply
  14. Tracy

    January 26, 2021 at 11:46 pm

    This was a winner with my little ones, me and my husband also. I usually get boneless skinless breasts and pound them to about 3/4”-1” thickness instead of filet. I used to have the same problem with drying out the chicken but now I season the meat, heat oil in cast iron and brown on both sides and then pour just enough water into the bottom of the pan and cover for 8 minutes (last 3 minutes I do leave the lid slightly off so some of the crispiness still remains. Excellent recipe! Thank you Victor!

    Reply
    • victor

      January 28, 2021 at 7:29 pm

      You are very welcome, Tracy.

      Reply
  15. Saanj

    January 24, 2021 at 4:24 pm

    Hi,

    I noticed that the instructions call for cooking in a non-stick but the photos show the chicken cooking in a regular stainless steel. What did most of the folks who tried the recipe use?

    Reply
    • victor

      January 26, 2021 at 10:44 pm

      Good observation, Saanj. I and my family love this recipe and most of the time use a non-stick pan. I used a copper pan with SS lining for the picture as it looked better, that’s all. You can use both, though non-stick is much easier to use I find.

      Reply
  16. Pete F

    January 13, 2021 at 7:42 pm

    Love the recipe, so simple, so tasty, so awesome. Great website overall, bookmarked!

    Reply
  17. Ss

    December 03, 2020 at 11:00 pm

    I’ve never finished cooking so quickly! Chicken was moist and tasty. Will definitely make again!

    Reply
  18. JJ

    November 10, 2020 at 1:54 pm

    Zomg my hubby loved this so much! It was ultra quick to make and it took him back to college days where they panfried fresh chicken breast for them in the canteen. Thanks so much for delivering a delicious and quick chicken breast recipe! Ours always came out dry and rubbery, but this one was juicy and flavorful =)

    Reply
  19. Christina Smith

    November 09, 2020 at 2:29 pm

    This recipe was so simple and so delicious. My husband loved, loved it and couldn’t wait for me to make it again. I made the mistake of not saving it and had to search the internet again. So happy I found it and have now saved it! Thanks for posting!

    Reply
    • victor

      November 09, 2020 at 8:43 pm

      You are very welcome, Christina. Happy cooking!

      Reply
  20. Jenny

    July 07, 2020 at 1:03 am

    Amazing recipe! So easy yet so flavourful! Finally able to produce succulent breast! Thank you so much!

    Reply
  21. Nimalan Rajah

    June 30, 2020 at 3:30 am

    thanks for this awesome recipe – so simple and so flavorful, ideal when working from home with my 5 year old

    Reply
  22. Jeffrey

    May 04, 2020 at 11:40 pm

    Excellent, first time I’ve ever posted a comment but this was well worth it! Served with a little wasabi

    Reply
  23. Margo

    April 24, 2020 at 7:12 pm

    I followed the recipe precisely and it was perfect! I did pound the chicken pieces to be the same thickness. I’ve been struggling to get this recipe correct for years. THANKS.

    Reply
    • victor

      April 25, 2020 at 12:23 pm

      You are very welcome, Margo.

      Reply
  24. Kathy

    November 22, 2019 at 6:44 pm

    Simple, quick, very flavorful

    Reply
  25. Lila

    November 21, 2019 at 6:08 pm

    This is the best stove top chicken I’ve made. Thank you for the instructions!

    Reply
    • victor

      November 21, 2019 at 6:46 pm

      You are very welcome.

      Reply
  26. Melinda

    July 26, 2019 at 5:01 pm

    I just read on a different blog post that you shouldn’t cut or serve the chicken immediately, bust should wrap it in foil and let it sit for ten minutes, for incredibly moist chicken.

    Reply
    • victor

      July 28, 2019 at 12:44 pm

      Normally, yes. During cooking meat fibers shrink and release water. When you let it rest for a few minutes, the meat should technically re-absorb some of the lost water. This won’t make it incredibly moist though. What WILL make it incredibly moist is cooking it low and slow and/or never letting it overcook. The higher the internal temperature the more water will be lost. Water loss begins at around 150F. That’s why sous vide chicken cooked at 150F or less is truly incredibly moist. With regard to these thin chicken breasts cooked quickly over a relatively high heat, I find that they are the juiciest right from the skillet and become less so as time goes buy. Perhaps you can try both ways and see which gives you better results but I suspect you will like them hot off the skillet better.

      Reply
  27. Debbie Simmons

    July 15, 2019 at 5:05 pm

    The best way to keep children moist and tender, no matter how you cook it is to soak it in milk for several hours. You can’t soak it too long. You will love the chicken.

    Reply
  28. Ellen

    April 14, 2019 at 2:55 pm

    Thank you for this recipe and helpful hints!

    Reply
  29. Kate

    April 07, 2019 at 5:57 pm

    This was so good and easy! Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply
    • victor

      April 07, 2019 at 7:16 pm

      You are very welcome! Thank you for your feedback.

      Reply
  30. Ciara

    January 12, 2019 at 4:47 pm

    Oh my goodness! These chicken breasts are so quick to make and taste amazing. They will be my go-to recipe for a quick weekday dinner with a quick salad. Thanks!

    Reply
  31. Queene Greene

    November 11, 2018 at 7:56 pm

    Ohhhhh LAWD…..didn’t think the xhicken would turn out as good as it did! A definite KEEPER! Thanks so much for such a delicious recipe.

    Reply
    • victor

      November 11, 2018 at 8:07 pm

      You are very welcome!

      Reply

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Hi, I am Victor and welcome to my blog dedicated to simple and delicious everyday food... Read more...
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