Pan-Seared Chicken Breast
From The Kitchen · Proteins
Every kitchen needs this one — no grill required. A hot pan, a little patience, and you get a golden crust and a juicy center. Master it and half your dinners fall into place.
Scaled from the original recipe — sizing up or down is proportional, so taste and adjust the salt, acid & spice.
Ingredients
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp fresh thyme (or parsley)
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- Salt and pepper
I keep a generous hand with the olive oil — especially on the vegetables, where it helps them roast up golden rather than steam. The amounts here are a starting point; pour to your taste.
Method
- Pat the chicken dry and season both sides well with salt and pepper. For even cooking, pound thick breasts to a uniform thickness.
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high until it shimmers.
- Add the chicken and sear undisturbed 5–6 minutes, until a deep golden crust forms.
- Flip, add the garlic and thyme, and sear 5–6 minutes more, until the chicken reaches 165°F. (For very thick breasts, finish in a 400°F oven 5–8 minutes.)
- Squeeze the lemon over, rest 5 minutes, then slice.
Gina’s tip
Don’t move the chicken while it sears — that undisturbed contact with a hot pan is what builds the golden crust. If it sticks, it isn’t ready to turn yet.
This is the skill that makes eating well easy — a good chicken breast in fourteen minutes, no grill, no fuss, protein handled.
Serve With
- Any roasted vegetable
- A big green salad
- Farro, quinoa or brown rice
I hope this one finds a place in your kitchen. Enjoy.
— Gina