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Pan Grilled Chicken

by Laura Fuentes

September 14, 2023
updated Sep 14, 2023
5 from 8 votes
Follow this easy recipe for the juiciest and most flavorful pan grilled chicken breasts. A simple cooking method that works every time!
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All the articles & recipes on this website have been created through real-life testing and experience (no ai) since 2010.This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

Keep reading to learn everything about cooking time, temperature, doneness, and the best ways to enjoy these tasty chicken breasts.

pan grilled chicken breast

How to Make Grilled Chicken at Home Without the Grill 

Delicious, juicy, golden-brown grilled chicken breasts in the pan? Yes! With this simple method, you can enjoy flavorful chicken all year round at home without the grill.

Follow this easy recipe to cook tasty pan grilled chicken to add to your favorite chicken salads, serve with pasta, make sandwiches, and the list goes on. Just season the meat, heat the pan, and cook! Quick and easy meals like this one are always a winner!

Depending on the pan you use, the meat will have grilling marks or not, but the taste will still be amazing. The perfect 15-minute recipe that solves any dinner on busy weeknights!

blackened pan grilled chicken breasts on a plate

What You Need

Plain chicken breast turns into the most delicious dinner with a pan and a few simple staples.

For these pan-grilled chicken breasts you’ll need:

  • Seasonings: season the chicken with a mix of garlic powder, paprika, oregano, and salt; use your favorite seasoning mix or my epic Blackened Seasoning.
  • Chicken: boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
  • Butter or olive oil: for cooking.
  • Pan: a cast iron skillet with grill marks or without is the classic method, but a stainless or non-still pan works too!

You’ll find the measurements in the recipe card below.

How to Pan Grill Chicken 

Make this pan grilled chicken in 15 minutes, and you won’t miss any grill flavor! It’s tasty, juicy, and goes great with everything.

Here is how step-by-step:

  1. Prep the seasoning
    In a small dish, combine the seasoning ingredients or use your favorite one, like my epic blackened seasoning.
  2. Season the chicken
    On a flat surface, pat dry the chicken breasts. Distribute the seasoning on both sides of the chicken breasts.
  3. Cook the chicken
    Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, melt the butter. Place the chicken breasts on the pan and cook the first side for 7 minutes. Flip the chicken breasts over and cook for another 7 minutes on the other side until the internal temperature reaches 165F. Cooking time on the second side will vary by the thickness of the chicken breasts.
  4. Let it cool down
    Remove the chicken breasts from the pan onto a board to rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

What Temperature to Pan Grill Chicken Breasts 

For grilling chicken breasts in the pan, set the stove top at medium-high temperature (between 375 and 450F). Once you place the chicken in the hot pan, a delicious golden-brown crust forms on the surface. 

Using a higher temperature is the best way to get juicy chicken breasts in the pan because the heat sears the meat and traps the juices inside so the chicken breasts won’t dry out. 

Can You Use this Method for Butterflied Chicken Breasts?

Yes! You can pan-grill butterflied chicken breasts; just don’t forget the cooking time will be shorter! Since they are half the thickness, they will cook much faster, in about 3 to 4 minutes per side. 

raw seasoned chicken breasts in a bowl

How Long Does it Take to Pan Grill Chicken

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts take about 7 minutes per side to be completely cooked and safe to eat. Cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of the chicken breast. However, butterflied chicken breasts are half as thick so they cook in about half the time, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side.

To be sure the chicken is cooked and safe to eat, check the internal temperature in the thickest part with a meat thermometer. When they reach 165F, they are done.

How to Know when the Pan Grilled Chicken Breasts are Done 

The best way to know that chicken is done is by using a meat thermometer. Insert it in the thickest part of the chicken breasts, and you know they are ready to eat when the internal temperature reaches 165F.

Checking doneness with a meat thermometer will also prevent chicken breasts from overcooking, which results in dry chicken breasts.

Is Pan Grilled Chicken Healthy? 

Pan grilled chicken is lean, low-carb, and high-protein meat. Grilling chicken in the pan is one of the healthiest ways to cook it since you are using skinless chicken and adding just 1 tablespoon of butter or oil per pound to cook. 

How to Serve Pan Grilled Chicken Breasts

There are so many delicious ways to enjoy this epic pan grilled chicken that you won’t know where to start! This is the kind of flavorful meat that is good enough to be eaten on its own and also makes any meal better.

Who doesn’t love adding more nutrition, texture, and goodness? These chicken breasts are great to serve over pasta, and a perfect protein to build a drool-worthy salad.

Shred chicken leftovers and you will have a terrific protein ready for filling sandwiches and wraps, add to tacos, stuff baked sweet potatoes, add to soups, over cheese pizza… possibilities are endless (and all of them super tasty)!

chicken salad on a plate

What to Serve with Pan Grilled Chicken

When you have such a flavorful pan grilled chicken, how can it get any better? Side dishes! Serve it with these Spicy Green Beans, this low-carb Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice, simple caramelized Sautéed Cabbage, or this Southwest Quinoa Salad for a more satisfying meal.

pan grilled chicken

Pan Grilled Chicken that’s Juicy Perfection!

Laura Fuentes
Follow this easy recipe for the juiciest and most flavorful pan grilled chicken breasts. A simple cooking method that works every time!
5 from 8 votes
Servings 4
Prep Time 5 minutes mins
Cook Time 15 minutes mins
Total Time 20 minutes mins
Prevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients
  

Seasoning:

  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon paprika
  • ½ teaspoon oregano
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Chicken:

  • 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 1lb
  • 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil, for cooking

Instructions
 

Season the chicken:

  • In a small dish, combine the seasoning ingredients. Alternatively, you can use your favorite seasoning mix or my epic blackened seasoning.
  • On a flat surface, pat dry the chicken breasts. Distribute the seasoning on both sides of the chicken breasts.

Cook the chicken:

  • Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, melt the butter. Place the chicken breasts on the pan and cook the first side for 7 minutes. Flip the chicken breasts over and cook for another 7 minutes on the other side until the internal temperature reaches 165F. Cooking time on the second side will vary by the thickness of the chicken breast.
  • Remove the chicken breasts from the pan onto a board to rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

Notes

If swapping the seasoning above for my blackened seasoning, reduce the amount to 1 ½ teaspoons. This is enough to give your chicken breasts a terrific kick of flavor! 

Equipment

Weekly Meal Plan
Grill Pan
Blackened Seasoning
Cast Iron Skillet

Nutrition

Serving: 1 servingCalories: 98kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 12gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 36mgSodium: 357mgPotassium: 222mgFiber: 0.2gSugar: 0.05gVitamin A: 144IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 8mgIron: 0.4mg
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