If fried chicken is the Sunday special, today’s recipe for quick Pan Fried Chicken Breast is the weeknight warrior. Chicken that’s seasoned outside, then cooked on the stovetop at a high temperature, it’s golden, juicy, and one of the best ways to make chicken breast.
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Why You’ll Love This Easy Pan Fried Chicken Breast Recipe
- Something a Little Different. Simple and succulent, pan fried chicken is a tasty change of pace from the usual Baked Chicken Breast. It’s also a good alternative to Grilled Chicken Breast when you want something a little smoky but using the grill isn’t an option.
- Super Versatile. Because the chicken breast is well seasoned, this recipe can hold its own as a stand-alone entrée, and it’s versatile enough to dice and add to salads, sandwiches, pasta, and more.
- Extra Juicy and Tender. Pan frying chicken breast is a more moist cooking method because of the oil. The pan’s high temperature cooks the chicken quickly, before it can dry out.
5 Star Review
“Best chicken breast recipe that I’ve tried, and I have tried A LOT of them! This beats air frying, baking, grilling – easy, quick, flavorful, perfect for weeknights – it checks all the boxes!”
— Shannon —
How to Make Pan Fried Chicken Breasts
The Ingredient
- Chicken Breast. If you prefer to use chicken thighs, you can swap the chicken breasts for boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead.
- Flour. To create the irresistible crispy pan fried chicken breast exterior (one reason why this Chicken Piccata shines!). Either white whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour will work well.
- Spices. A blend of paprika, parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne gives the chicken smoky, herby, and savory flavor.
- Canola Oil. Using an oil with a high smoke point is critical. Canola oil has a neutral flavor too, making it ideal for this recipe.
- Lemon. A finishing touch of brightness and acidity.
The Directions
- Pound the Chicken. Cover the chicken with plastic wrap, then pound it.
- Season. Dry and season the chicken.
- Mix the Dredging Ingredients. Stir the flour and spices together.
- Coat the Chicken. Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture.
- Prep. Transfer the chicken to a plate. Heat oil in a skillet.
- Cook. Pan fry chicken breast for 7 to 9 minutes, flipping after 4 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes, then ENJOY!
What to Serve with Pan Fried Chicken
- Salad. Greek Salad or Kale Brussels Sprouts Salad would be scrumptious.
- Rice. Pair pan fried chicken with Lemon Rice for a tasty meal.
- Vegetables. Roasted Asparagus and Roasted Fingerling Potatoes would be delicious with this chicken.
- Pasta. For a crowd-pleasing dinner, serve this chicken with Mushroom Pasta, Pasta al Limone, or Pesto Pasta.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Don’t Use Bone-In Chicken. Because pan frying is a fast and hot cooking method, I do not recommend it for bone-in cuts of chicken, which need a longer, slower time to cook through properly. If you’d like to make bone-in chicken, check out this Baked Bone-In Chicken or Baked Chicken Thighs instead.
- Preheat the Skillet. It is important that the pan is fully preheated, or your chicken will not be brown on the outside or be as moist. As with Pan Seared Salmon, and Stuffed Chicken Breast, the pan is ready when a drop of water dances on the surface and the oil looks shiny.
- Use a Heavy Skillet. To pan fry chicken breast without burning it, use a heavy skillet (I like cast iron). Heavy skillets also have the benefit of heating more evenly. A lightly pounded, 8-ounce chicken breast will pan fry in 7 to 9 minutes in a cast iron skillet.
Pan Fried Chicken Breast
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 40 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Crispy pan fried chicken breast is a fast, tasty way to cook juicy boneless chicken. With a scrumptious, easy paprika seasoning!
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Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts about 3 medium breasts
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt divided
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper divided
- ½ cup white whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne optional
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 lemon cut into wedges
- Chopped fresh herbs optional for serving
Instructions
- Remove chicken breasts from the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. Place on a cutting board, cover with a large sheet of plastic wrap (optional to keep things tidier) and gently pound into an even thickness (about 1/2 inch).
- With a paper towel, pat dry, then season with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Set aside.
- In a wide, shallow dish such as a pie plate, stir together the flour, paprika, parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.
- Working one at a time, dredge each chicken breast in the flour mixture, shaking off any excess. Transfer to a clean plate.
- Heat the oil in a large, sturdy skillet (such as cast iron or stainless steel) over medium-high heat. Once it is hot and shining, add the chicken, presentation (smooth) side down.
- Cook 4 minutes on the first side without disturbing the chicken, until it is deeply golden and releases easily from the pan. Flip and cook an additional 3 to 5 minutes on the other side, until the chicken reaches 155 degrees on an instant read thermometer (chicken is considered cooked at 165 degrees F, but will continue cooking as it rests).
- Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate or cutting board. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Enjoy warm with a squeeze of lemon juice and sprinkle of herbs.
Notes
- TO STORE: Refrigerate chicken in an airtight storage container for up to 4 days.
- TO REHEAT: Gently rewarm leftovers in a skillet on the stovetop over medium-low heat or in the microwave.
- TO FREEZE: Freeze chicken in an airtight, freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Nutrition
Serving: 1(of 4)Calories: 324kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 39gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 109mgPotassium: 744mgFiber: 3gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 973IUVitamin C: 17mgCalcium: 34mgIron: 2mg
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Hi Erin,
This recipe sounds delicious, I’ve made and loved many of your recipes!
My general question is: Why isn’t there a Sodium amount in the Nutrition list in any of your recipes? Have wondered about this for a while.
TIA, Sue
Hi Sue! I stopped including sodium info because it can vary so much depending upon what products you used, and I found a lot of conflicting info online, so ultimately I didn’t feel comfortable publishing it because sometimes it wasn’t even in the ballpark. If you’d like to calculate it yourself, there are lots of free tools online (myfitnesspal.com is popular). I hope that helps!
I made this tonight and it was great. I did double all the spices because we like a lot of flavor. Turned out wonderfully!
Hi Suzanne! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Moist and delicious! This will be a regular.
Hi Josie! So glad you enjoyed the chicken! Thank you for this kind review!
My husband loved this! I used Hatch chili powder and ancho chili powder in place of cayenne. Served with poblano and corn rice and broccoli.
Hi Moira! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
I made this for dinner tonight and my husband said it was the best chicken he’s ever had! Will definitely make again :)
Love to hear that, thank you Cassidy!
Tried this way of cooking for the first time. It was delicious!! I will use this as a go to for a quick dinner
Hi Susan! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
The chicken was made in an enameled cast iron pot. I used equal parts of butter and olive oil. About 6 minutes cooked the 2 pieces. Absolutely delicious. Juicy.
Hi Corinne! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Used a cast iron skillet. I had 3 lbs chicken. I added more oil after the 1st batch used it up.. Came out so juicy & delicious. Thank you.
Hi Peggy! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
This was so easy and helpful!! I will definitely do it again
Hi Brook! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review
I made these a couple of nights ago, I did substitute southern fry seasoning for the flour and omitted the cayenne, since the southern fry seasoning has a very mild bite to it, my son went absolutely nuts for them, they were tender, juicy, perfect. He says I will be making them whenever we do chicken breast from now on. Thank you so much for posting the recipe.
Hi Regina! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
This is the first time in my life that I actually managed perfectly cooked, crispy on the outside, juicy on the noodle, flavorful pan-fried chicken! Excellent recipe, will definitely make again!
Hi Marie! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Made it! Breasts were moist and full of flavor!
Hi Bonnie! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
I am just,about to,cook chicken breast,
Shall let,you know how,it turned out
Marion Donaldson
Hope you enjoy it Marion!
I made this and will be making again and again. Family loves it.
Hi Denise! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Hello! I think your recipe was awesome, but the only difference was I left out the cayenne pepper, added a little more black pepper! At the end I added a little more parsley, because I have an ulcer also and it was just perfect!!
Hi Jacqueline! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Thank you for this! Dinner duty + Extreme Energy Lull = what will happen with dinner?
Steamed green beans, basic quinoa recipe and this easy, fabulous chicken breast method and 20min later, awesome dinner is served!
Kiddo even said ‘this is not too bad’ which is like getting a Michelin star!
Hi Tammi! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
I made this today and topped it with pesto sauce, goat cheese and rehydrated sun dried tomatoes while it rested. It was delicious and I can see that it will be very versatile!
Hi Debbie! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Erin
We made this and it was Easy, Moist and very tasty. Will make it again
Hi Jean! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
I’m a pretty poor cook, this looked interesting and gave it a go, didn’t have garlic powder so used very easy stuff, also less on salt cus I never really use it in cooking.. 3 chicken breasts(smallest pack Tesco’s had), cut bits that looked yuck off, then took a meat hammer to it.. bashed the smurf out of it.
Plonked breasts in mix, (the 1/2 of everything measurements) 1st got a load others less, tho they all had an orgy together afterwards so mixed it around.
One onion, 3 peppers (bell) and into an iron pan.. chicken got about 10 mins (maybe more, pan was cold) took out when looking cooked, veg in, +5 mins then mixed back in bird and mmmmm tastes great.
Thanks going to defo share this recipe
Glad it worked out for you and that you enjoyed it Jon!
Quickest Christmas dinner! Tried this using light olive oil to fry. I only had smoked paprika, but it worked fine. Perfectly tender. A trick I had was using small chicken breasts in single freezer packs that I could just pound lightly in the plastic before opening since they were already small and thin.
Great to hear, thank you!
Great recipe! Thanks so much 😁
Glad you enjoyed it!
Best chicken breast recipe that I’ve tried, and I have tried A LOT of them! This beats air frying, baking, grilling – easy, quick, flavorful, perfect for weeknights – it checks all the boxes!
So glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Shannon! Thank you!