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    🏠Home » Recipes » Chicken Breast Recipes

    Pan Seared Oven Baked Chicken Breast

    Sep 11, 2020 | Last Updated Mar 30, 2022 by Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan

    Recipe Table of Contents    
    4.53 from 454 votes

    An easy 30-minute recipe starting with searing the chicken breasts on the stovetop, then oven-baked to finish them off for a great tasting, moist, and tender weeknight dinner.

    close up picture of a cooked chicken breast on a white plate

    Table of Contents
    • 🐓The Chicken
    • 🧂The Seasoning
    • ♨️The Pan
    • ⏰Time
    • 👨‍🍳Food Safety Tips
    • 📖Chicken Breast Recipes
    • 🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
    • 📖Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

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    Introduction

    This is really how I cooked for many years. I would get home from work, and I was tired, but we want a good dinner. I spent 5-10 minutes of preparation time and usually finish in the oven as I'm unwinding, and in another 15-20 minutes or so, dinner is made.

    Faster than ordering pizza and so much better, healthier, and if you're cheap, then cheaper. You must think ahead a little and have a main course in the fridge.

    I have a freezer in the garage fridge for meat only. I might take out a couple of chicken breast, a pork tenderloin, and some sirloin and just let them thaw in the fridge for a few days and work my way through them.

    The Maillard Reaction

    One of the secrets of this recipe is searing. You get a nice Maillard reaction (the searing/browning) to add lots of flavors you get no other way.

    A Maillard reaction is a reaction promoted by heat between proteins and carbohydrates. After several steps, it leads to browning and new flavors. It is different from caramelization since caramelization involves only carbohydrates.

    Just sticking them in the oven will not get you there. Get them close to the final color you like during the searing before you move on the oven roasting step.

    My Rating

    My rating system of a 4 out of 5 so very nice.

    This is number one in the standard rotation. A very strong 4. It is a little plain to be a 5 rating.

    🐓The Chicken

    This is a skinless boneless chicken breast recipe. It is not for skin-on or bone-in breasts. You can use skinless chicken thighs, but I suggest a finish temperature of 175° to 180°, although 165° is safe.

    If you are doing more than one breast, try to use breasts of about the same sizes and thickness. If the breasts you are using vary in thickness, you should flatten the thicker one down a bit with a meat mallet or heavy pan. If your chicken breasts are an inch thick, flatten them down a little to ¾ inch thick.

    This should not be done with chicken that is still frozen. The outside will be over-cooked and chewy before you get the thickest part of the breast to the safe temperature of 165.

    🧂The Seasoning

    This is a season as you wish recipe, but I don't suggest anything with sugars since they might burn with the searing.

    Just a coarse salt and pepper will do, but we like our homemade All Purpose Seasoning - 7:2:1 and 7:2:2 and keep it on the stovetop. It adds garlic, which is required in our household.

    ♨️The Pan

    This is a perfect recipe for cast iron. I generally use a 10-inch skill for this. It is the perfect stovetop to oven pan and just the right size for two breasts.

    Other sizes and non-cast iron skillets can be used. But be sure you are using an oven-safe pan if you are moving it from the stovetop to the oven.

    If you don't have an appropriate pan, you can use a different pan for the stovetop then transfer the chicken to a preheated oven-safe pan to finish cooking.

    ⏰Time

    The most common size breasts (10-12 oz.) will take about 15 minutes in the oven after a nice medium searing. A large, thick breast will be 5 minutes or a little longer. A small breast may take a little as 10 minutes in the oven.

    Always cook to a final internal temperature of 165° and never by time alone. Times are provided to help you plan only.

    There is only a little variability in this recipe, and most of it is related to the thickness of the chicken breasts and a bit by the amount you sear.

    These time estimates are based on an oven temperature of 375° convection or 400° conventional oven. You can use a different oven temperature if you are cooking something else since you are cooking to a final internal temperature. It will take a bit longer or shorter, depending on your adjustments.

    Also, be sure to let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before cutting to reabsorb the fluid in the meat from the cooking process.

    👨‍🍳Food Safety Tips

    For safety, you must check the internal temperature of the thickest part of the breast and get to 165°.

    Chicken should not be rinsed for food safety. It will splatter germs over your kitchen. For more details, please see Chicken- To Rinse or Not To Rinse? .

    📖Chicken Breast Recipes

    How to Bake Chicken Breasts in a Convection Oven

    Parmesan Baked Chicken Breast

    How to Grill Chicken Breasts on a Gas Grill

    This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.

    101's Best Recipes, Chicken Breast Recipes, Chicken Recipes, Easy Dinner Recipes
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    🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions

    patting dry chicken breasts with paper towels

    Preheat the oven to 375° convection (400° for a regular oven). Put an oven-safe pan on a stovetop over medium-high heat with a teaspoon of oil. I use a 10 inch cast iron skillet. Trim and pat dry the chicken

    seasoning raw chicken breast sith salt

    Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper or seasoning of your choice.

    adding a seasoned chicken breast to a cast iron skillet with oil

    When the oil is hot and shimmering, carefully lay the chicken breast in the hot pan. Brown both sides for 3-4 minutes each.

    Browned chicken breast to a cast iron skillet_

    Get them to almost the color you want when eating. So you have seared, flipped, seared, flipped, and then to the oven.

    moving the chicken in the skillet to the oven

    Bake for 15-20 minutes until an internal temperature of 165°. The thinner breast will be 15 minutes and the thicker bigger ones for about 20 minutes.

    cooked chicken breast in cast iron skillet

    Let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Done in less than 30 minutes, and you spent most of the time setting and unwinding. Not bad, not bad at all.

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    📖Recipe

    a close up picture of a cooked chicken breast on a white plate

    Pan Seared Oven Baked Chicken Breast

    From Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
    An easy 30-minute recipe starting with searing the chicken breasts on the stovetop, then oven-baked to finish them off for a great tasting, moist, and tender weeknight dinner.
    Tap to leave a Rating
    4.53 from 454 votes
    Print Email CollectionCollected
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes
    Servings #/Adjust if desired 2 servings

    Ingredients

    US Customary - Convert to Metric
    • 2 skinless boneless chicken breasts - about 10 oz each well timed
    • 1 teaspoon oil
    • Salt and pepper to taste OR 7:2:1

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 375° convection (400° for a regular oven). Put an oven-safe pan on a stovetop over medium-high heat with a teaspoon of oil. I use a 10 inch cast iron skillet. Trim and pat dry the chicken
      patting dry chicken breasts with paper towels
    • Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper or seasoning of your choice.
      seasoning raw chicken breast sith salt
    • When the oil is hot and shimmering, carefully lay the chicken breasts in the hot pan. Brown both sides for 3-4 minutes each.
      adding a seasoned chicken breast to a cast iron skillet with oil
    • Get them to almost the color you want when eating. So you have seared, flipped, seared, flipped, and then to the oven.
      Browned chicken breast to a cast iron skillet_
    • Bake for 15-20 minutes until an internal temperature of 165°. The thinner breast will be 15 minutes and the thicker bigger ones for about 20 minutes.
      cooked chicken breast in cast iron skillet
    • Let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Done in less than 30 minutes, and you spent most of the time setting and unwinding. Not bad, not bad at all.
      a close up picture of a cooked chicken breast on a white plate
    See the step-by-step photos in the post. Some recipes have an option to display the photos here with a switch above these instructions but the photos DO NOT print.

    My Private Notes

    Click here to save your own private notes only you will see. These will print and be saved for your next visit.
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    Recipe Notes

    Pro Tips:

    1. Do not try with frozen chicken.
    2. Try to use breast of about the same size and thicken. If over ¾ inch thick, flatten them a bit with a meat mallet or bottom of a heavy pan.
    3. Season as you want but I suggest nothing with sugar that may burn. We use All Purpose Seasoning - 7:2:1 and 7:2:2.
    4. Start searing with a preheated pan, not cold. The oil should be shimmering. You may need more oil if you don't use well-seasoned cast iron or non-stick skillet.
    5. Sear in the pan to approximately the final color you want.
    6. First, sear with the smooth side up, then flip, sear, then one final flip as it goes into the oven.
    7. The oven time can vary by size and thickness. Usually, 15-20 minutes but you must check for the final internal temperature of 165°. Thinner breasts may take as little as 10 minutes.
    8. Rest for 5 minutes after cooking before cutting.

    To adjust the recipe size:

    You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.

    Nutrition Estimate

    Calories : 220 kcal (11%) | Protein : 48 g (96%) | Fat : 4 g (6%) | Saturated Fat : 0.3 g (2%) | Polyunsaturated Fat : 0.3 g | Monounsaturated Fat : 2 g | Cholesterol : 140 mg (47%) | Sodium : 710 mg (30%)
    Serving size is my estimate of a normal size unless stated otherwise. The number of servings per recipe is stated above. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.
    Course : Main Course
    Cuisine : American

    © 101 Cooking for Two, LLC. All content and photographs are copyright protected by us or our vendors. While we appreciate your sharing our recipes, please realize copying, pasting, or duplicating full recipes to any social media, website, or electronic/printed media is strictly prohibited and a violation of our copyrights.

    Editor's Note: Originally Published August 28, 2011. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Working mom

      November 29, 2016 at 9:04 pm

      I appreciated this recipe for the technique of searing then finishing in the oven. I never had much luck with oven baked chicken breasts before (always dry / overcooked). I used marinated breasts from Wegmans (lemon-garlic). After I seared them, I added a diced zucchini to the pan, sprinkled just the zucchini with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and threw the whole thing in the oven as you suggested. The result was delicious roasted zucchini and chicken in a one-pan meal. Added a baked sweet potato for a very easy and tasty dinner. Thanks again!

      Reply
      • DrDan

        November 29, 2016 at 9:21 pm

        Great. I still do this recipe frequently but occasionally add some extras.

        Dan

    2. Katee

      September 27, 2016 at 7:24 pm

      I LOVEEEEEEE this simple recipe!!! It has become a staple in my house! So easy to make! My family loves how perfectly tender the chicken comes out and the seasoning makes it so yummy. I usually add some Italian spices, a sprig of fresh Rosemary and a spring of fresh thyme to it. Thank you for posting

      Reply
    3. Sparks

      July 31, 2016 at 9:41 pm

      A shot of butter and a pat or two of butter in the hot pan while the chicken is resting on a tented plate will make a fast and tasty reduction to sauce the chicken or a little pasta or vegetable on the side.

      Reply
      • DrDan

        July 31, 2016 at 9:46 pm

        I do love butter and great idea to get all the flavor. I would make me eat my veggies.

        Thanks for the note
        Dan

    4. Traci Wells

      June 03, 2016 at 5:25 pm

      Can I put the seasoning mixture in a grinder to make is more convenient to use on other things also?

      Reply
    5. Vince

      May 31, 2016 at 1:18 am

      best recipe for chicken breasts. I have been cooking this daily. I use a cast iron when cooking for myself. When cooking these breasts for my family, I use a big stainless steel pan to cook more at the same time. Everyone loves it. My picky eater 6 year old son eats a whole breast to himself when prepared this way!!

      Reply
    6. Deni

      May 21, 2016 at 2:37 pm

      BY FAR the best cast iron skillet recipe for chicken I have ever came across. I found this last night while I was in a rush to find a good recipe for a crispy juicy chicken breast without breading. This is now my new way of making chicken! Thank you very much for sharing this recipe with us!

      Reply
      • DrDan

        May 21, 2016 at 4:19 pm

        I do so love cast iron. Everybody should have some. I do the same method for pork tenderloins, country style boneless ribs, and steak. If you look around the site you will find those.

        Thanks for the note
        DrDan

    7. Mom of 4

      March 14, 2016 at 4:14 pm

      Hello,
      I'm curious about to cover or not when in the oven. From pics it looks like that's a no. And- I want to do about 8 chicken breasts. I have a large dutch oven. Would you do 4, (sear, flip, sear, flip, oven) at a time so the entire surface is touching the bottom? Or could I sear, flip, sear, flip 4 then 4, and then put all 8 in the oven? Covered? Not?
      hah. thanks!!

      Reply
      • DrDan

        March 14, 2016 at 4:38 pm

        First uncovered.
        The Dutch oven can only do 3-4 so I would have something like a rimmed baking sheet in the oven. Preheat the tray with the oven. Do the stovetop part on the first 4 and put in oven on tray and immediately do the other 4 and place in the oven. Keep track of the first in so they will be the first out and tent them to keep them hot while the others finish.

        DrDan

    8. Amanda

      March 08, 2016 at 9:46 pm

      5 stars
      Ok I am not one to ever leave a comment (usually just lurk!) but between this and the filet recipe that is done similarly, my boyfriend and family think I am some extravagant chef! Ha! I have this bookmarked and use it at least once a week. So I wanted to say thank you for sharing! We love it! Xo!

      Reply
      • DrDan

        March 08, 2016 at 9:53 pm

        Thanks Amanda... you made my day. It reminds me why and what I'm doing.
        Dan

    9. Ashley

      February 10, 2016 at 11:40 pm

      Making this now. I added some thyme and rosemary as well as searing the sides of the breasts along with the top and bottom. Wanted that nice golden color everywhere. I also had to add more olive oil. The 1t. cooked off too quickly and they were almost burning so I added the oil and good :) can't wait to eat them. They're in the oven now!

      Reply
    10. Windy

      January 29, 2016 at 2:03 pm

      Can you give me some tips on what to cook a picky autistic 4 year old help

      Reply
      • DrDan

        January 29, 2016 at 7:14 pm

        OK... Give me the simple ones. I have many of these kids and they all are different so no stock answer. But I believe you should pick what the other kids like. My best suggestions come from what parents have shared in the comments. First the oven baked drumsticks ( https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/the-art-of-drummies-oven-baked-chicken/ ) always get high praise from parents. Second the chicken nuggets at https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/healthy-baked-chicken-nuggets/

        The mac and cheese is alway a favorite but not so healthy. I'll try the think of more.

        Dan

    11. Becky

      January 25, 2016 at 7:00 pm

      Can I also roast this low and slow with gravy? How would you recommend I do this?

      Reply
      • DrDan

        January 25, 2016 at 7:17 pm

        Lean meat (like this chicken breast) should usually be quick. Fatty meat with lots of marbling like a pork butt is where low and slow should be used. If I were brazing this I would do it in chicken broth then make that into gravy.

        DrDan

    12. J

      December 28, 2015 at 12:12 am

      Great cooking method, I discovered it on your site a couple years ago and now I always use it to cook the chicken for my salad.

      Reply
    13. Debbie

      October 26, 2015 at 10:02 pm

      Used this tonight with the exception of I replaced the chicken with wild turkey and it was AWESOME!! Can't wait to try more of your recipes.

      Reply
      • DrDan

        October 26, 2015 at 10:09 pm

        I have never tied it with wild turkey... I had 6 of them as I left the driveway this morning. Maybe step on the gas instead of the brake tomorrow...

        A similar technique should work well for almost any lean meat as long as you pay attention to internal final temperature. I have posts for pork tenderloin, boneless ribs and this one for chicken breasts.

        Thanks for the note.

        DrDan

    14. Try to cook

      April 23, 2015 at 5:29 pm

      3 stars
      I read thru this recipe sor searing the chicken, then I got to the part about the convector oven and I was like ohhh no! I only have a regular old stove. Chef Ramsay has me in the mood for searing and finishing off in the oven this week. However, I've got two huge breasts and wasn't sure how long to do them, I'm going to give them extra time because they are large and I dont have convection. Love your site!

      Reply
    15. hunnydew

      April 02, 2015 at 7:41 pm

      I just discovered your site. Thank you for sharing such delicious and easy recipes! I appreciate the fact that most of your recipes ingredients that everyone probably already have in their kitchen. I can make healthy meals for my family without spending all day in the kitchen.

      Reply
    16. Elizabeth

      March 31, 2015 at 6:32 pm

      5 stars
      FINALLY a quick chicken that isn't dry. My husband is extremely picky when it comes to poultry and he loves this. 6 stars!

      Reply
      • DrDan

        March 31, 2015 at 8:39 pm

        I still do this one over and over.
        Thanks for the note and the rating.
        DrDan

    17. cathy

      March 28, 2015 at 12:17 pm

      hello!! I have tried numerous times to print recipies but nothing prints.. am I missing something on this web page that I
      need to do in order to print. thanks,cathy

      Reply
      • DrDan

        March 28, 2015 at 12:33 pm

        Hi Cathy, Sorry you're having a problem. I checked the log and I think you're using Internet Explorer. Try flushing the cashe by pressing Ctrl-Shift-Delete and then choose to delete the temporary internet files. That usually works. If not then next try right clicking on the print button and see if it will open in another window and then you should be able to print that with the print function.

        The print function is Java script controlled by a "plug in" which means there is not much else I can do.

        Hope that helps.

        DrDan

    18. Teddy Winston

      March 10, 2015 at 2:02 am

      Dr. Dan,

      I'm an Opera Singer, who tours approximately 250 days out of the year. when and wherever possible, I always request a suite that has a kitchenette or at least a stove top... I've always been extremely paranoid about undercooking chicken breast, so the unfortunate flip side has been done, yet rubbery chicken... Until I tried your method, my chicken breasts were perfect!!! My suite did not come with an oven, so I modified your instructions ever so slightly, by cooking each breast 5 to 6 minutes on each side until golden brown, then letting them rest covered for 10 minutes. just before plating, I added a fine chop of fresh chives, and a light sprinkle of paprika. Then, in a separate saucepan, I brought to a boil some high end chicken stock, then added some store bought canned biscuits and made some very large dumplings! and by adding just a little cornstarch, wine and heavy cream to the stock, I created a velvety sauce, bringing it all together with thinly sliced organic carrots! A triumph! Thanks to you!!! You've helped me to conquer my fear of fowl and given me a new favorite thing.

      Teddy Winston

      Reply
      • DrDan

        March 10, 2015 at 7:21 pm

        Hi Teddy,
        Thanks so much for the note. It sounds wonderful and so very creative. I always say recipe are just guidelines not rules. I'm so glad it works for you.
        DrDan

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