The Juiciest Chicken Breast in 5 Easy Steps

We are big fans of grilling in this house. My hubby is the grill master. Our process is I do the prepping, and he does the grilling. We work very differently.  Where he needs structure, I like freedom. He follows every recipe or instruction to the detail, and I enjoy the creativity and novelty of coming up with different dishes. He uses a precise meat thermometer to test for doneness, where I, on the other hand, will use my senses. All that said, we make a good team when it comes to grilling, we balance each other out.

 Although we grill year-round, we especially enjoy it on a beautiful spring or fall day. Some of the foods we love to cook on the grill are different cuts of steaks, lamb chops, burgers, fish, vegetables and chicken. I prefer the taste of grilled meat and fish to other methods of cooking. Grilled chicken, in particular, turns out to be juicy, and full of flavor. But sometimes, grilling is not an option. It's too cold, or rainy, or just too much of a hassle. In this recipe, the grilling method is recreated for indoor cooking. It's a full-proof method in 5 easy steps.

Before we begin, here are some of my suggestions:

-Use the split breast part of the chicken with bone-in and skin-on.  Both the skin and the bone-in will keep more moisture and make for a juicier result.  You can always take off the skin after cooking and cut the breast off the bone. If you are using a boneless piece of chicken breast, adjust your timing. (see notes on the bottom of the recipe)

-A cast-iron skillet is perfect for this recipe.  Just make sure whichever pan or skillet you choose to use, that there are no plastic parts on the handle or anywhere on the pan because you will be putting the entire pan into the oven.

-You can marinate the chicken in any spice combos you like. I prefer basic salt and pepper or Trader Joe's Garlic Salt spice, a squeeze of a lemon, and some oil of your choosing. Most of the time I will use olive oil or avocado oil. You can let it marinate for 20 min, 2 hrs or even overnight.  It's up to you and how much time you can spare, it will absorb the flavors better the longer it stands.  If you do marinate it, remove it from the fridge and let it stand at room temperature for about 20 min before cooking.

-Make sure your pan is big enough to have the pieces of chicken breast in a single layer and not to overcrowd the pan.

Prepping the chicken:

When marinating the chicken keep in mind the balance of fat, acidity, salt, and spice. To avoid wastefulness, I prefer to use whatever ingredients are on hand.  Use olive oil or avocado oil for the fat. For acidity, a lemon, lime, orange or kumquat, or a combo of any of those will work great. For the salt and spice, keep it simple,  by using salt and pepper, or a spice blend of your choice.  Allow all the flavors to blend by marinating for at least 20 minutes. If marinating for several hours or overnight, don't forget to take it out of the fridge about 20 minutes prior to cooking so it can come to room temperature.

Cooking Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Use a large oven-safe pan like a cast-iron skillet or a dutch oven, make sure it's big enough to fit the chicken breasts in a single layer without overcrowding. Over medium-high heat, heat your pan. When the pan is hot, add about 1 tablespoon of avocado oil and swirl it on the pan. Remove chicken from the marinade and place directly onto a hot pan, skin side down. Cook for about 4 min on each side or until it has a nice sear.

Transfer the entire pan with chicken into a preheated oven and cook for about 12 to 15 minutes depending on how big your pieces are. If you are using a boneless piece, cook for about 10 to 12 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the pan and place it onto a plate, cover with foil and allow it to rest for about 10 min.

Serve as an entire piece or slice it off the bone and into pieces on a cutting board.

Serving Tips: 

Serve for dinner over pasta, rice or with a side of potato or cauliflower mash. It's great as leftovers, even cold, over some greens in a salad.

Recipes that pair well with the chicken breast: 

• Mango Cucumber Salsa
• Broccoli Apple Slaw