How to Cook the Perfect Chicken Breast

Have you ever tried to pan sear a chicken breast in a skillet and have it stick to the pan, burn, or get all dried out? I've had that happen more times than I can count. However, I've finally figured out the perfect way to cook chicken breast and would love to share with you now how I do it.

First off, let me give you a little insight into the mechanics of cooking. Have you ever burnt your finger? What happens? You get a blister. The skin sears and stops moisture from getting through. While this is sort of a gross comparison, it's exactly the same procedure with searing the chicken. You want to sear the outside quickly so that it traps the moisture in the chicken, keeping it juicy.

Conversely, what happens when you have a lot of water in the pan you're cooking in? You end up steaming the food. It is very important that the meat you are cooking is completely dry if you're going to get a good sear. Always pat your meat dry with a paper towel before cooking. Also, dredging your meat in flour or cornstarch will help to draw our the remaining moisture and gives and excellent sear. 

Another key to ensuring a good sear is to warm up your stainless steel skillet first before adding any oil (if you're using non-stick, you'll need to have oil in the skillet while it's warming up so you're not overheating the chemicals in the Teflon). You can put a little bit of water on the surface while it's heating up and when it all evaporates you'll know it's the right temperature. Once it's hot, pour some oil into the pan. You'll see it swirl around the pan immediately and steam a bit as hot oil does. Now is the perfect time to put your prepped chicken breast in.

And as a side note, pounding your chicken breast thinner so it is an even thickness will ensure it all cooks at the same time.

Cook your chicken until it's lightly browned on both sides and then pop it into a pre-heated 400°F oven for 5-10 minutes. Voila! Perfection!