An easy 30-minute recipe starting with searing the chicken breasts on the stovetop, then oven-baked to a final temperature of 165° for a great tasting, moist, and tender weeknight dinner.
Introduction
This is how we cooked for many years. We had a freezer in the garage fridge for meat only. I would take out a couple of chicken breasts, a pork tenderloin, and some steaks, let them thaw in the refrigerator for a few days and work our way through them.
I would get home late from work. But we want a nice dinner on a short timeline. I spend 5-10 minutes of preparation time and usually finish in the oven as I'm unwinding, and in 15-20 minutes, dinner was ready.
Faster than ordering pizza and so much better, healthier, and cheaper if you're cheap.
👨🍳How to make this recipe
- Preheat the oven to 375° convection or 400° conventional.
- Trim and pat dry the chicken. If the chicken breast is over ¾ inches thick, flatten it with a meat mallet or the bottom of a heavy pan.
- Heat oil in an oven-safe pan (cast iron preferred) over medium-high heat.
- Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper or the seasoning of your choice.
- When the oil is hot and shimmering, carefully lay the chicken breasts in the hot pan. Brown both sides for 3-4 minutes each—to almost the color you want when eating.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until an internal temperature of 165°. The thinner breast will be for 15 minutes, and the bigger ones for about 20 minutes.
- Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
⏰Oven baking time
In an oven temperature of 375° convection or 400° conventional, the most common size breasts (10-12 oz.) will take about 15 minutes after a nice medium searing. A larger breast will be about 5 minutes more. A small breast may take as little as 10 minutes in the oven.
Variability is related to the thickness of the chicken breasts and a bit by the amount of searing. Always cook to a final internal temperature of 165° and never by time alone. Times are provided to help you plan only.
You can use a different oven temperature if you are cooking something else since you are cooking to a final internal temperature. It will take a bit longer or shorter, depending on your adjustments.
Also, let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before cutting to reabsorb the fluid in the meat from the cooking process.
🐓Ingredients
The Chicken
This is a skinless boneless chicken breast recipe. It is not for skin-on or bone-in breasts. You can use skinless chicken thighs, but I suggest a finish temperature of 180°+, although 165° is safe.
If you are doing more than one breast, try to use breasts of about the same sizes and thickness. If the breasts you use vary in thickness, you should flatten the thicker ones to ¾ inches with a meat mallet or heavy pan.
This cooking method should not be used for chicken that is still frozen. The outside will be overcooked and chewy before you get the thickest part of the breast to the safe temperature of 165°.
🧂The Seasoning
Just a coarse salt and pepper will do, but we like our homemade All Purpose Seasoning - 7:2:1 and 7:2:2 and keep it on the stovetop. It adds garlic, which is required in our household.
Season to your taste, but I don't suggest anything with sugars since they might burn with the searing.
❓FAQs
Searing will create a Maillard reaction caused by heating proteins and carbohydrates. It leads to browning and new flavors. It is different from caramelization since caramelization involves only carbohydrates.
One of the secrets of this recipe is the searing. You get a nice Maillard reaction (the searing/browning) to add lots of flavors you get no other way.
Get them close to the final color you like during the searing before you move on to the oven-roasting step. Just baking them in the oven will not get you there/
Cast iron can quickly go from the stovetop to the oven safely. It excels at even heat distribution without hot spots, it is cheap and relatively non-stick—a near-perfect pan for this sort of recipe.
I use a 10-inch cast iron skillet for two breasts for this recipe. A 12-inch skillet will work for up to 4 chicken breasts.
If you don't have cast iron or another pan that is safe to go from the stovetop to the oven, you can use a different pan for the stovetop, then transfer the chicken to a preheated oven-safe pan to finish cooking.
👨🍳Food Safety Tips
For safety, use an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part of the chicken to be sure the internal temperature reaches the safe temperature of 165° and never cook by time.
Chicken should not be rinsed for food safety. It will splatter germs over your kitchen. For more details, please see Chicken- To Rinse or Not To Rinse? .
📖Chicken Breast Recipes
How to Bake Chicken Breasts in a Convection Oven
How to Grill Chicken Breasts on a Gas Grill
This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.
Have you tried this recipe, or have a question? Join the community discussion in the comments.
Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375° convection or 400° conventional. Trim and pat dry the chicken with paper towels. If the chicken breast is over ¾ inches thick, flatten it with a meat mallet or the bottom of a heavy pan.
Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper or the seasoning of your choice.
Put an oven-safe pan (cast iron preferred) over medium-high heat with a teaspoon of oil or some butter. When the oil is hot and shimmering, carefully lay the chicken breast in the hot pan. Brown both sides for 3-4 minutes each.
Get them to be almost the color you want when eating. So, sear, flip, sear, and a final flip into the oven.
Bake for 15-20 minutes until an internal temperature of 165°. The thinner breast will be for 15 minutes, and the bigger breasts for about 20 minutes.
Let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Done in less than 30 minutes, and you spent most of the time setting and unwinding. Not bad, not bad at all.
📖 Recipe
Pan Seared Oven Baked Chicken Breasts
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Video Slideshow
Ingredients
- 2 skinless boneless chicken breasts - about 10 oz each well timed
- 1 teaspoon oil
- Salt and pepper to taste OR 7:2:1
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375° convection or 400° conventional. Trim and pat dry the chicken with paper towels. If the chicken breast is over ¾ inches thick, flatten it with a meat mallet or the bottom of a heavy pan.
- Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper or the seasoning of your choice.
- Put an oven-safe pan (cast iron preferred) over medium-high heat with a teaspoon of oil or some butter. When the oil is hot and shimmering, carefully lay the chicken breast in the hot pan. Brown both sides for 3-4 minutes each.
- Get them to be almost the color you want when eating. So, sear, flip, sear, and a final flip into the oven.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until an internal temperature of 165°. The thinner breast will be for 15 minutes, and the bigger breasts for about 20 minutes.
- Let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Done in less than 30 minutes.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips:
- Do not try with still frozen chicken.
- Try to use breasts of about the same size and thicken. If over ¾ inch thick, flatten them with a meat mallet or the bottom of a heavy pan.
- Season as you want, but I suggest nothing with sugar that may burn. We use All Purpose Seasoning - 7:2:1 and 7:2:2.
- Start searing with a preheated pan, not cold. The oil should be shimmering. You may need more oil if you don't use well-seasoned cast iron or non-stick skillet. Butter will work but if you have smoking, turn the heat down a bit.
- Sear in the pan to approximately the final color you want.
- First, sear with the smooth side up, then flip, sear, then one final flip as it goes into the oven.
- The oven time can vary by size and thickness. Usually, 15-20 minutes, but you must check for the final internal temperature of 165°. Thinner breasts may take as little as 10 minutes.
- Rest for 5 minutes after cooking before cutting.
Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.
Nutrition Estimate
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Editor's Note: Originally Published August 28, 2011. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Sara says
Hello All,
total cooking novice here - i am about to try pan searing chicken breast/finish in oven recipe (in cast iron).
i signed up for newsletters, i look forward to more easy to do recipes.
Proof of novice experience: i saw a recipe that mentioned blanching, and all i could think of was The Golden Girls.. ugh. i had to look up what 'blanching' was.
wish me luck.
Sara
DrDan says
Hi Sara,
Welcome to the blog.
I hope you enjoy our recipes. We are aiming for the novice to intermediate cooks, so I think you will fit right in.
Let me know if you have questions or if something is not clear. We don't blanch much here and when I do, it is discussed in detail every time.
Thanks for the note.
Dan
Jenny says
SO HAPPY!
This chicken comes out perf every time! Chicken was always dry before. I lost this recipe and couldn't remember where I got it from. I was glancing through your recipes and saw the pic of the chicken. So glad to find you again, and the funny part is I look at your stuff all the time. lol on me!
As simple as it is to cook this chicken, I still wanted the recipe because I was guessing at the steps. YaY, you're still here!
Love the simplicity of your recipes, site, and of course your doggy pics. So Cute!
DrDan says
Hi Jenny,
Welcome to the blog and sorry for the delayed response.
This is one of the recipes that I did for many years before the blog and it evolved to this final form then.
Glad you enjoyed the recipe and thanks for the note.
Dan
Jan says
Do I have a lid on the pan in the oven ?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
No.
Dan
LuAnn says
In having a big dinner party & don't want to be doing a lot in the kitchen after my quest arrive. Can I pan seared the breasts an hour before so I can just pop them in the oven 20 min before dinner? My other option would be to completely bake them & try to keep them warm until dinner, but I'm concerned about them getting dry if they sit in a warm oven for an hour. Any advice?
DrDan says
Hi LuAnn,
Welcome to the blog.
Rule Number One. Never do an important meal with a recipe you have never tested. So whatever you decide, do a small test ahead.
I'm not convinced this is the best recipe for you. But let's discuss it first. I'm concerned about the texture of the surface after it is essentially cooked twice. I think it will be tough and dry. If fully cooked and kept warm, your concern is correct, it won't be very good.
I would look at something like these two recipes if you want chicken breasts:
1) https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/parmesan-mayonnaise-baked-skinless/ Make the coating ahead and trim the chicken. Then when the time comes, preheat and you can have them assembled and ready for the oven by the time the oven is hot.
2) https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/oven-baked-parmesan-paprika-skinless/ You could make this up an hour or two ahead but don't cook. Just refrigerate on the tray. Then preheat the oven and pop them in.
Hope that helps.
Dan
Gary Elbaum says
Dan,
It’s in the oven now, I’ll let you know how it goes.
Gary
Andy says
I've been using this recipe for around 3 years now and it never fails. I love that the author is still receiving (and responding to!) positive feedback nearly a decade after it was originally posted.
Simply put, you're not going to find a better "template" for cooking chicken breast. You can customize this recipe a billion ways, from the seasoning to adding veggies. I don't care how long you've been cooking, I'd be willing to wager you don't have a better easy method of cooking boneless chicken breast than this.
DrDan says
Hi Andy,
Thanks for the compliments. I try to respond to most comments and have left comments open on almost every recipe. Only if people are "fighting" then I will shut it down. I do screen comments to keep it polite now.
Most comments are people asking for help or clarification. I try to answer most and I use them to help guide any rewrites to make the recipe more helpful.
This recipe has been rewritten twice. Really, the recipe stays the same but it is explained more or clarified. The last addition was the "pro tips" in the recipe card that I think helps beginners a lot.
You are so right that this and other recipes are just "guidelines" to modify to your taste. https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/so-how-is-recipe-like-pirate-code/
Again thanks for the note and compliment.
Dan
Tera Sorensen says
Help! I defrosted chicken for this recipe and just realized they are tenderloins! Would you simply pan sear and omit the baking time?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Tera,
Welcome to the blog.
You caught me online. Chicken tenders are small enough that you plan may work. Trim the tendon, pat dry and season. Sear both sides and get to a nice color. Check the internal temperature; 165° is the minimum safe temp. If you are not there, sear a bit more or go to the oven for a brief time.
Dan
Tina Daugherty-Cole says
I love this chicken! I use TONY CHACHERE’s on the chicken and find that this recipe is just perfect for a single serving for my self. ThNk you 😊
DrDan says
Hi Tina,
Welcome to the blog.
It sounds great. I have done hundreds of breast this way.
For the readers out there, Tony Chacheres is a well known Creole seasoning. Great on chicken.
Thanks for the note.
Dan
Kristin says
I am NOT a good cook at all, but this turned out GREAT! My house is a little (or a lot) smokey, but other than that - one of the best things I've ever cooked!! My 3 year old loved it and ate every bite! Thank you soooo much!
DrDan says
Hi Kristin,
Welcome to the blog.
For the smoke, you can use a vegetable oil and not olive oil. Also you can decrease the oven temp by 25 degrees and it would a few minutes long. It will also be a touch drier but minimal.
Thanks for the note and sorry for the delay in response.
Dan
Jaime says
Best chicken I ever cooked! Thank you for another great recipe!
DrDan says
Hi Jaime,
Welcome to the blog.
This is one of those recipes I did for years before the blog started and when I started reading blogs, I was very surprised, nobody else did it like this.
Glad you like it and thanks for the note.
Dan
Debra says
Love those doggies! Makes me miss my Golden.
I'm thawing some chicken breasts right now to try this recipe. I'm betting it'll be perfect. I use many of your recipes.
Here's an off topic question concerning your iron skillet which looks perfectly seasoned.
I don't use mine enough, and probably don't clean them correctly, and they rust while stored in a bottom cabinet in my kitchen.
Any sage advice would be greatly appreciated.
DrDan says
Hi Debra,
Molly and Lilly say thanks for the compliment. I just gave them extra ear scratches.
About the cast iron. I have had most of my cast iron for about 10 years and admit to pan abuse. But I have never had a speck of rust in all those years and they stay well seasoned. I store them on the lowest part of my lower cabinets. So that is not the secret I guess.
I wash them usually with just very hot water and a scrubbing pad. I do use soap if really needed. Then I dry with paper towel then spray with PAM lightly and rub it around with the paper towel that is a little moist from drying. Then I put them away but I always make sure the one I just used is on top to get rid of any moisture.
Nothing special about the pans. They are preseason Lodge from Amazon. Really cheap. I do have one from a my mother with is almost 100 yrs old and still perfect but I hate to touch it. I just look at it.
So I guess the secret is PAM.
I also put very expensive knives in the dishwasher since I don't plan to hand them down to grandkids. I sharpen them if needed but really I'm a bad example.
Dan
DDT says
Hello and good evening!
I found this recipe and followed the instructions completely without changing a thing and that chicken was fantastic.
Absolutely A+. Thank you!
I can't believe I cooked this without screwing it up (I'm in the process of going from a terrible cook to a ...less terrible cook).
Once again, thanks!
Paul says
This is how my mom taught me to cook a chicken breast 45 years ago. Along with other techniques such as roasting, fricassee, etc. It is still one of my favorites. After searing, I but a little butter in the pan along with some thyme sprigs and a smashed garlic clove. It is always moist and delicious.
Jessica says
Hi, Dan!
I do not have a cast iron skillet. Can I use a foil lined cookie sheet pan tray?
Thanks!
DrDan says
For the oven part yes. For the stove top use a routine fry pan than.
Dan
Judy zJennedy says
Can I use bone in chicken for this recipe?
DrDan says
Hi Judy,
I assume you mean bone in skin on split chicken breasts. And no this is not a good recipe for that. Look at this https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/oven-baked-crispy-garlic-split-chicken/ instead.
Dan
Elisha says
Made this tonight , but used my own seasoning. Turned out great, very juicy and great taste. I will be making this again.
DrDan says
Hi Elisha,
It is the technique that is important in this recipe. Recipes are just "guidelines" anyways so always feel free to change seasoning to your taste.
Thanks for the note.
Dan
Monica Jones says
This is my new, go-to way to cook chicken breasts when I want something tasty and quick with a side of veggies. I used the Keg seasoning from Costco - it was delicious and SO easy. Really glad I came across this recipe while googling "cast iron chicken breast" because I am so excited to try your other recipes - they look to be equal parts comfort food and straight forward with a nod to moderately healthy substitutes. Thanks Dr. Dan!
DrDan says
Hi Monica,
This has been a standard for me for 30 plus years. I have done this hundreds of times and it is always good. When I started the blog as a hobby for the family recipes, I realized things like this were just not published out there.
Please have a look around and let me know if you have questions or comments. https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/category/101s-top-posts/ has my personal favorites and is a good place to start.
Thanks for the note.
Dan
yolanda says
By far the absolute best chicken breast recipe I've ever used. The instructions were so simple and the chicken came out juicy, moist and tasty. This recipe is so simple that I've committed it to memory and it actually looks like I'm a good cook when I can put a couple of chicken breast on a the drop of a dime and have dinner ready in about 30minutes. This is a weekly staple on my home. Love, love, love this recipe and the 7:2:2 mix.
DrDan says
Thanks Yolanda,
I do love simple recipes. I do the same technique with pork tenderloins, filets and strip steaks.
Thanks for the note.
Dan