Chicken breast is probably the number one protein on most family’s dinner tables because it is easy to cook and very cheap to purchase. It is also very versatile in the sense that you can do literally anything with it. An easy and quick option is to just sear it in a pan to get a nice exterior and finish in the pan to create a juicy dinner for the whole family in under 15 minutes.
Choosing the Best Ingredient
For the most part, chicken breast is all the same. Except for the organic or higher end brands that are not commercial farms. Those chicken breast can be much more expensive. But any chicken breast will do fine. The cheaper ones will usually be pumped with saline solution to plump them up and make them heavier. Sometimes this can make the chicken a little tougher or stringy when cooked, so try to spring for a better chicken breast product.
Preparing the Ingredients
There is not much to do to the chicken breast before cooking it. Most likely they will be already cleaned and stripped of the fat and bones. If not, then cut off the tendons, fat and sinew that run along the sides of the chicken breast. If you want to cook the chicken faster, then you can butterfly cut the breast. If you do this, then cut your cooking time in half. When it has been trimmed, just season the chicken breast with salt and pepper all over.
During the Cooking Process
Make sure the pan is very hot before placing the chicken breast in the pan. You want to get a nice sear on the exterior and keep it from sticking to the pan. As far as the cooking process goes, as long a s you have a nice sear on the chicken breast, the rest is just timing. It doesn’t matter how long you cook the chicken for. What matters is the internal temperatures, which it needs to be at least 165 degrees to be finished cooking.
The Final Touches
Once it has finished cooking, remove it from the pan and transfer to a cutting board. Chicken can be served whole as the breast, but it is much easier to cut it up and save the consumer some trouble of cutting it themselves. So, slice the chicken against the grain then serve.
Steps:
- Season the chicken breast on all sides with salt and pepper.
- Place a pan on the stovetop over high heat with a little vegetable oil in the pan. Once the pan starts to smoke slightly, gently place the chicken breast in the pan away from yourself.
- Sear each side of the chicken breast for 2-3 minutes to get a nice exterior crust on the chicken breast. Continue to cook in the pan, flipping every so often until the internal temperature of the chicken breast is at least 165 degrees.
- Remove from the pan and transfer to a cutting board. Slice the chicken breast with a chef knife, against the grain. Transfer the sliced chicken breast to a plate.
- Serve with your favorite protein sauce, some cooked rice and steamed broccoli. Enjoy!
