How To Cook Chicken Breasts

December 03, 2018

Chicken breasts are extremely versatile and there are thousands of chicken recipes in the world. One of the best things about chicken breast, though, is that you don’t need a set recipe to whip up an amazing meal. Learn our four favorite methods of cooking chicken and you will never be stumped at dinner time again.

Watch how to cook chicken breasts:

How To Bake Chicken Breasts

  • Temperature: 450°F
  • How long: 20-25 minutes
  • How to know it’s done: Internal temperature is 165°F

Place chicken breasts in a baking dish and drizzle with a small amount of olive oil.

Raw chicken breasts in a baking dish.Sprinkle spices generously over chicken breasts. You can use your favorite mix of herbs and spices or a store bought chicken seasoning. Add salt if it is not included in the seasoning.

Adding seasoning to chicken breasts.Use your hands to completely coat the chicken breasts with spices.

Seasoned chicken breasts in a pan.Bake chicken at 450°F for about 20-30 minutes depending on the size of the chicken breasts or until the internal temperature of the chicken reads 165°F on an instant read thermometer.

Baked chicken breasts in a pan.Remove the chicken breasts to a cutting board and loosely with foil. Allow chicken to rest for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Baked chicken breasts sliced on a cutting board.Baked chicken breasts are extremely versatile and can be seasoned many different ways. Use your favorite spice blends and flavors to make these quick and juicy chicken breasts any night of the week.

Cooked chicken breasts on a plate.

How To Saute Chicken Breasts

  • Temperature: Medium high stovetop heat/400°F oven
  • How long: 15 minutes total
  • How to know it’s done: Internal temperature is 165°F

Place chicken breasts on a cutting board and cover with plastic wrap. Using a rolling pin or heavy skillet, pound the chicken breasts, focusing on the thicker ends, until chicken is even in thickness throughout.

Pounding chicken breasts.Sprinkle chicken with seasoning mixture, adding salt if needed. Rub chicken breasts until evenly coated in spices.

Seasoning chicken breasts.Heat oil in an oven proof skillet, such as cast iron, over medium high heat. Once oil is hot, add chicken breasts and allow to cook for about 3-4 minutes on the first side, or until edges are starting to look cooked and chicken has a good sear.

Seasoned chicken breasts in a pan.Flip the chicken breasts and transfer skillet to a 400°F oven.

Sautéeing chicken breasts in a pan.Bake chicken for about 8-10 minutes or until the internal temperature is 165°F on an instant read thermometer. Loosely tent with foil and allow to rest for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving. Sautéed chicken is golden brown on the outside and  juicy on the inside. Experiment with different seasoning blends and pair with your favorite side dishes for an easy, but incredible weeknight dinner!

Chicken breasts in cast iron pan.

How To Poach Chicken Breasts

  • Temperature: Medium low stovetop heat
  • How long: 12-18 minutes
  • How to know it’s done: Juices run clear

Place chicken breasts into a large sauce pan and cover with cold water by several inches.

Boiling chicken breasts in water.Add a few simple aromatics such as carrots, peppercorns, salt, and bay leaves.

Adding aromatics to chicken breasts.Cover the saucepan and bring the pot to a low boil over medium heat. Once water is boiling, reduce to a simmer and allow chicken to cook gently for about 10-12 minutes or until juices run clear when chicken is pierced with a knife.

Pot of boiling water with chicken breasts.Remove chicken and allow to rest for about 5 minutes. Cooking liquid can be reserved and added to soups as a simple stock.

Poached chicken breasts.Poached chicken can be sliced, cubed or shredded. It’s the perfect blank slate to add to soups, casseroles, or seasoned for enchiladas or tacos. Make a batch of poached chicken to shred and use throughout the week for lunches and dinners.

Shredded chicken in container.

How To Make Chicken In Instant pot

  • Setting: Sauté & High Manual Pressure
  • How long: 8 minutes
  • How to know it’s done: Chicken is tender and cooked through

Cut chicken breasts in half to create smaller, evenly sized pieces. Season chicken generously with preferred spice mix, and stir to evenly coat.

Seasoned chicken breasts in a bowl.Add oil to the Instant Pot and turn on sauté setting. When oil is hot, add chicken breasts in a single layer.

Chicken breasts in an Instant Pot.Brown chicken for about 3-4 minutes, flip and cook on the second side for an additional 3 minutes.

Seasoned chicken breasts in the Instant Pot.Add liquid to the Instant Pot to almost cover the chicken. This can be chicken stock, coconut milk, salsa, or even water. A simple jarred salsa is easy and provides lots of great flavor to the chicken. Here we used a roasted tomatillo salsa.

Salsa and chicken in an Instant Pot.Place on the Instant Pot lid, set the valve to sealing, and cook on high pressure for 8 minutes. When Instant Pot is done cooking,  quick release the pressure. Carefully remove chicken. Chicken can be served immediately with some of the reserved cooking liquid or used for meal prep throughout the week.

Cooked chicken breasts from Instant Pot.

How To Shred Chicken

Poached chicken and chicken cooked in the Instant Pot is great for shredded. To shred chicken, use two forks to pull the cooked chicken into shreds. Shredded chicken can be added to casseroles, soups, or used in the filling for enchiladas or tacos.

Shredded chicken in a container.

How To Cook Chicken Thighs

These methods for cooking chicken breasts can also be used for cooking boneless chicken thighs. Chicken thighs have a higher fat content and can therefore, be extremely flavorful. Be sure to cook chicken thighs to an internal temperature of 165°F.

How To Know If Your Chicken Is Done:

The best way to know if chicken is cooked is to use a meat thermometer. Insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken and ensure that chicken is 165°F. If cooking bone-in chicken, be sure to avoid touching the bone with the meat thermometer when checking the temperature.

We’d recommend this instant read meat thermometer (affiliate link).

Our Favorite Chicken Recipes:

Instant Pot Coconut Tandoori Chicken

Tandoori chicken in bowl with rice.

Sheet Pan Garlic Ginger Chicken

Garlic Basil Chicken with Tomato Butter Sauce

5 Ingredient Lemon Chicken with Asparagus

Thai Yellow Chicken Curry with Potatoes

Skillet Chicken with Bacon with White Wine Sauce

Skillet Chicken with Bacon and White Wine Sauce

Roasted Tomatillo Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Roasted Tomatillo Chicken Enchilada Casserole - with a homemade spicy sauce and lots of cheese. 400 calories. | pinchofyum.com #chicken #enchilada #casserole

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