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Why You’ll Love My Recipe

Ready in under twenty minutes and easy to modify to your own tastes, this is the perfect chicken breast recipe for when you want a crispy, juicy protein to add to a salad or pasta dish.

Why not make your own Chicken Seasoning for this recipe? Or use your leftover chicken from this recipe to make this delicious Chicken Alfredo? This chicken would also work beautifully for a Grilled Chicken Salad or Chicken Caesar Salad!

A cast iron skillet with four seasoned, cooked chicken breasts and melting butter sits on a white marble surface. A wooden spatula and a bunch of fresh parsley are nearby.

Karlynn’s Recipe Notes

Skill Level: Very easy.
Total Time: 20 minutes
Variations: The options here are endless. Get creative. If you’ll be putting it in an Italian dish, try adding Italian seasoning, oregano, rosemary, or thyme. Try melting some Swiss cheese on top, or adding a sprinkle of parmesan and breadcrumbs. Add some smokiness with paprika, or some heat with chili powder.
Tools Needed: A heavy pan (if you have a cast iron skillet, this is the perfect time to use it) and a food thermometer.

A close-up of a fork holding a piece of juicy, cooked chicken breast garnished with chopped herbs, with more chicken and parsley visible blurred in the background.

What You’ll Need For Ingredients

Chicken Breasts: Boneless and skinless. Fresh or previously frozen.

Seasonings: This could be as simple as salt and pepper or as elaborate as you’d like. Season according to what you plan to use this chicken for, or keep it simple so that it fits in with any meal.

Four raw chicken breasts on a cutting board, surrounded by small bowls of butter, oil, spices, salt, and pepper, with a bunch of parsley and a white kitchen towel on a marble countertop.

How To Make Pan Fried Chicken Breast

This is a brief overview of the recipe. The complete list of ingredients and step-by-step instructions are in the recipe card below.

Four raw, seasoned chicken breasts are arranged in a row on a small cutting board. Nearby are a bowl of butter cubes, a glass of liquid, a towel, and some fresh parsley on a white marble surface.

A black cast iron skillet with four seasoned raw chicken breasts on a marble surface, next to a bunch of fresh parsley, a small bowl of butter, and a white towel with red stripes.

Season both sides of the chicken breasts. Heat oil in a pan at medium-high heat.
Cook chicken for 5-6 minutes per side, until the internal temperature has reached 165°F.
Add butter and cook until it’s melted and started to brown. Serve chicken breasts with a drizzle of melted butter and some fresh parsley for garnish.

Close-up of sliced, juicy, seasoned chicken breast on a white plate, garnished with herbs. The chicken appears tender and well-cooked, with flavorful spices and juices visible.

Karlynn’s Tips and Tricks for Perfect Pan Fried Chicken Breasts

Don’t overcook your chicken. Make sure you get to that recommended safe temperature, but try not to go past it. If you cook for too long, you’ll end up with rubbery, dry chicken. This is especially true for lean pieces like breasts.
Season, season, season: Chicken, especially leaner cuts like the breasts, can be a bit bland. Think about what you might pair your chicken with and season accordingly. You can almost never go wrong with garlic or onion powder.
Let it rest: Yep, let your chicken rest for a few minutes before you cut into it. That will help the juices distribute evenly throughout the meat so that they don’t just leak all over your cutting board. It’ll also help the temperature to even out.

A spoon drizzles sauce over a seasoned, cooked chicken breast in a black cast iron skillet. Other breasts are visible, and the background shows jars and a towel out of focus.

Storage Instructions

Fridge: These chicken breasts, once cooked and cooled, should be put into an airtight container. They’ll stay good in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Freezer: To freeze these chicken breasts, line a cookie sheet or a freezer safe plate with wax or parchment paper. Place cooked and cooled chicken breasts on the lined pan or plate and place in a freezer until they’re firm enough not to stick together. Then, put them in an airtight freezer bag or container. They should be good for up to 6 months.

Safe Cooking Temperatures

The USDA and Health Canada both recommend cooking chicken to an internal temperature of 74°C (165°F).

More Delicious Chicken Breast Recipes

Looking for a different Chicken Breast recipe?

Try this Smashed Tomato Chicken or Pan Fried Spinach & Cream Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts Recipe

Blackened, Poached, Grilled, Baked, or cooked in an Instant Pot, chicken breasts are versatile and easy to make.

There it is, another great way to cook chicken breasts that can be added to a variety of different meals. Let me know how it turns out and what you added your chicken to.

Happy Cooking!

Karlynn