Light and Easy Recipes and Meal Ideas

Pan Cooked Chicken

Calories: 114 •
Nutrition
Pan Cooked Chicken

This is my go to meal-prep chicken.

 

I start with full pieces of whole skinless boneless chicken breast (so not "cutlets" but rather the whole breast piece - tenderloin included).

 

There are a few ways to be sure the chicken comes out juicy. #1. Invest in a meat thermometer. They are inexpensive and can be found at most grocery stores. Cook the chicken until the thermometer reads an internal temperature of 165 degrees F (when inserted into the thickest part of the chicken). Overcooking the chicken makes it dry.

 

Another way to prevent dry chicken is to brine it first (which is essentially just a soak in salt water). I learned about this method from TheSkinnyishDish.com. You can read The SkinnyishDish post on Easy Baked Chicken Breast here, which has all the specifics about brining chicken. I typically get pre-brined chicken from Aldi but it's available at almost any grocery store.

 

Recipe makes about 4 (4 oz) servings. Please note that sodium levels may vary depending if and how the chicken is brined. Nutrition info sodium content is based on "unbrined" chicken.

Yield/Servings: About 4 servings Serving Size: 4 oz Total Cook/Prep time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 whole chicken breast pieces (sliced in half in a butterflied fashion to end up with 4 pieces in total)
  • Dash of garlic powder
  • Dash of dried celery flakes (can be found in the spice section)
  • salt and pepper

Directions

Heat a large pan on the stovetop (low - medium heat)

Spray with cooking spray

Add the chicken to the pan

Sprinkle with the salt, pepper and celery flakes (reserve garlic powder for the last 1 minute of cooking since it burns rather quickly)

Cook time depends how thick the slices are but mine took about 10 minutes on the first side and 8 minutes the second side. Ideally you will want to use a meat thermometer to check even if the chicken has been brined.

Set the chicken aside on a cutting board and allow it to rest at least 10 minutes.

Slice on an angle in thin strips for use on salads or sandwiches. Store in a large ziplock bag in the refrigerator.

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