Seared in a cast iron skillet and finished in the oven – perfect! After a friend who was visiting us made chicken that was delicious, I asked him how he prepared it so that it was not dry. It is easy and exactly the way I want chicken, flavorful, juicy, and versatile.
Before serving, I like to slice the chicken breasts and place in the pan juices, then plate the slices over mashed potatoes with the pan juices drizzled over the top. I also serve with a vegetable – usually steamed broccoli or sautéed green beans. Pick your favorite sides and you will have a meal that everyone will love.
This recipe is my go-to for making chicken juicy and exceptionally flavorful. Unless I only have a couple of chicken breasts on hand, I double the recipe and then I have leftovers! The leftover chicken is great to have for salads, sandwiches, or to use in other recipes.
Ingredients
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 tablespoons olive oil – divided (1½ Tbsp. and 1½ Tbsp.)
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
6 sprigs fresh thyme
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
6 garlic cloves – chopped
¼ cup chicken broth
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Directions
Preheat oven to 400° F.
Heat a cast iron skillet with 1½ Tbsp. olive oil over medium high heat.
Drizzle the chicken breast with the other 1½ Tbsp. olive oil and then season the breast with a good crust of salt and pepper.
When the skillet is hot, put the chicken breasts in the pan, then add the herbs around the chicken.
Sear the chicken until the whole side is a nice golden color, about 6 minutes. Turn the chicken breasts over and sear the other side until it has a nice golden color as well.
Remove from heat, add the garlic first to the pan, then add the chicken broth. Cover with lid or aluminum foil.
Place skillet in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes or the internal temperature reaches 165° F.
Remove from oven and let rest for 5-10 minutes.
Spoon some pan juices over the chicken breasts and then drizzle lemon juice over each breast.
Either serve the chicken breasts whole or slice and then plate.
Enjoy!
Notes
• If you don’t have the fresh herbs, or don’t like thyme or rosemary, you can either leave out the herbs, sprinkle with a little dried thyme and rosemary, or use different herbs like basil and oregano. Tailor it to your tastes!
• You can add sliced onion to the pan at the end of searing the chicken breasts. Add the onion before the garlic, stir them for a minute in the pan, then remove from heat and add the garlic followed by the chicken broth.
• Leftover chicken breasts are delicious sliced and added to a salad or made into a sandwich.
• Store leftover chicken in an airtight container with the leftover pan juices to keep the chicken moist.