Juicy Chicken Breast

4.80 from 15 votes

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You will never have chicken breast that tastes like the bottom of your 👞shoe again! This is my failproof technique for making Juicy Chicken Breast every time!

Why You’ll Love My Juicy Chicken Breast

The marinade I use is extremely simple: just oil, 🧂 salt, and spices, but you can certainly jazz it up depending on time or cravings. The technique I show you here is so easy and can be applied to pork, veal, or steak 🥩 as well. This method is A+, so you can always make sure that your protein is never dry and overcooked.

Tips for Juicy Chicken Breast

I have three key tricks for succulent, Juicy Chicken Breast every time: tenderizing, marinating, and controlling the cooking time.

  1. Since chicken breasts are always thicker on one side and thinner on the other, tenderizing with a mallet to equal thickness is essential. The thinner the 🍗 chicken breast, the quicker it will cook.
  2. Marinating is the process of soaking chicken in seasoning and liquid to break down the proteins and infuse the meat with flavor. Marinating overnight in the fridge will give you the best results, but even if you can only marinate for an hour, you’ll still help tenderize the chicken.
  3. Finally, don’t overcook that chicken breast! Keep a close eye on it while cooking to watch for burning, set a ⏲️timer, and use a meat thermometer to check when the internal temp reaches 165F (74C), for fully cooked.  

How to Prepare My Juicy Chicken Breast

❄️ Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature for 30 minutes.

🔨 Place the chicken between two pieces of plastic wrap or parchment paper and then use a meat mallet to pound the meat to an even thickness.

🧂 Remove the wrap and season the chicken on both sides with salt and seasoning of choice. Add a bit of oil and massage it really well into the chicken.

🔥 Heat up a skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat and add a touch of oil. Place the seasoned chicken in the pan and make sure it sizzles.

🌡️ Reduce the heat to medium and cook the chicken for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until a meat thermometer reaches an internal temperature of 165F (74C).

😋 Remove the chicken from the pan and let it rest, loosely covered with foil, for at least 5 minutes. Enjoy.

Nonna’s Tip 🍗

Do not place your chicken directly from the packaging into the hot pan without letting it come to room temperature. Cold chicken can result in uneven cooking, with the outside done while the inside remains undercooked.

Juicy Chicken Breast

Variations and Substitutions for Juicy Chicken Breast

  1. You can use any seasonings you like, so feel free to experiment. I also like to use an Italian seasoning blend sometimes instead of the lemon pepper.
  2. You could also add a bit of 🍋 lemon zest to this recipe to really add some bright fresh flavors.
  3. You can use this same technique for veal, pork or steak.

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Common Questions

what can I do if I don’t have a meat tenderizer?

If you don’t have a meat tenderizer, use anything heavy such as a rolling pin or the bottom of a cast-iron skillet instead.

how can I make sure I don’t overcook the chicken?

If you get nervous about cooking chicken and you always overcook it, please use an instant-read meat thermometer. The chicken is cooked once the thermometer reads 165F (74C).

How do I properly pound the chicken breast evenly?

Start by wrapping the chicken in parchment paper (or plastic wrap) to prevent any chicken juices from contaminating your kitchen. Then lightly pound the chicken with your tenderizer in an outward motion, until the breast is a consistent thickness throughout.

what other spices can I add to this juicy chicken breast recipe?

I also love adding garlic powder, paprika, cumin, and onion powder as well to the marinade.

Juicy Chicken Breast

Juicy Chicken Breast

There are three key tricks for Juicy Chicken Breast: tenderizing, marinating, and controlling cooking time. When you use all three of these methods, you will have succulent, moist chicken every time.
4.80 from 15 votes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Makes: 3
Author: The Modern Nonna
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Total Time: 13 minutes

Ingredients 

  • 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 teaspoon salt, to taste
  • lemon pepper seasoning, to taste
  • avocado oil for cooking

Instructions 

  • If using refrigerated chicken, let it come to room temperature for 30 minutes.
  • Place the chicken breast between two pieces of plastic wrap or parchment paper. Using a meat mallet (aka tenderizer), gently pound the meat, making sure you flatten it to an even thickness throughout.
  • Remove the wrap or paper and season the chicken on both sides with salt and seasoning of choice. Add a bit of oil and massage it really well into the chicken.
  • Heat up a skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat and add a touch of oil. Place the seasoned chicken in the pan and make sure it sizzles. Reduce the heat to medium and cook the chicken for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until it reaches an internal temperature of 165F (74C).
  • Remove the chicken from the pan and let it rest, loosely covered with foil, for at least 5 minutes. Enjoy.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 129kcal, Protein: 24g, Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 0.01g, Cholesterol: 72mg, Sodium: 906mg, Potassium: 418mg, Vitamin A: 34IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 6mg, Iron: 0.4mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
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Hi! I'm Sneji. Nice to meet you!

I am more commonly known as “The Modern Nonna” on social media where I create easy home cooked meals with a modern twist. I was born and raised in Sofia, Bulgaria and learned how to cook at the best culinary school in the world – my grandma’s kitchen. I lived in Greece on the Island of Crete with my parents for a while and then moved to Toronto, Canada when I was in grade 5. I started to really cook and experiment with food 11 years ago when I was 21 years old. Everything I currently know is a reflection of some part of my life…

Keep up to date with me on social media! Follow @themodernnonna

4.80 from 15 votes (10 ratings without comment)

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14 Comments

    1. Hi Ellen, this is a simple fast marinade: I season the tenderized chicken and massage it with oil. That’s it! Of course you are welcome to let the chicken marinate in the seasoning and oil overnight, or add more to the marinade, such as yogurt or lemon juice.

  1. 5 stars
    I have a Cuisinart Griddler and it has knobs for temperature. Do you know what temperature it should be at?

    1. Hi! I recommend using whichever setting is the equivalent to medium-high heat. Hope that helps!

  2. 5 stars
    I love this recipe. It’s quick and simple. I did cover the pan because it splatters but it sealed in the juices. I did add 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter after I turned the chicken breast over to cook the other side. First time using avocado oil I just happened to have left from making cocoa butter body cream. 5 stars. This is my new go to chicken recipe. I used lemon pepper seasoning. So delicious