No grill? No problem! These Seared Then Baked Chicken Breasts are the key to making juicy, tender, and flavourful chicken breasts without a grill or barbecue. A quick sear in a cast iron skillet before baking makes all the difference.
My main obstacle to actually enjoying boneless, skinless chicken breasts is their tendency to be tough, dry, and flavourless. In my quest to come up with a preparation method that results in tender, juicy, and flavourful chicken, I finally came up with a recipe that is completely reliable and foolproof. And you don’t need a marinade, a grill, or a barbecue. All you need is a spice mix, a cast iron skillet, and a baking dish.
Juicy, tender, delicious chicken that can be ready in less than 30 minutes? Let’s do this!
If you’re looking for other healthy chicken recipes, check out Moroccan Chicken and Sweet Potato Bowls, Chicken Shawarma Sweet Potato Fries, and Mole Chicken Bowls.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy: Unlike so many chicken breast recipes that require at least 30 minutes of marinating time, this recipe uses a method that involves pounding the chicken to tenderize it, adding a simple spice rub, and cooking in a cast iron skillet until seared and golden on both sides, then transferring the chicken into the oven for 10 minutes to finish cooking.
- Tender, Juicy and Flavourful: There is nothing more disappointing than putting time and effort into marinating and baking chicken breasts, only to have them come out dry and lacking in flavour. You won’t run into this problem with this recipe! Pounding and adding a spice rub that contains plenty of salt are the keys to making tender. juicy and flavourful chicken breasts.
- Versatile: You can enjoy these pan-seared, oven-baked chicken breasts with typical accompaniments such as rice or potatoes and a salad or roasted veggies, or you can slice them and enjoy them in a salad, on a sandwich, wrap, or pizza, or in a bowl.
The Key To Juicy Chicken Breasts Without Grilling
Grilling does something magical to boneless, skinless chicken breasts. It seals in the natural flavour and juiciness of the chicken. That is all lost when you simply bake chicken breasts, even if you use the best marinade. But what to do if you don’t have a grill? That’s where searing comes in. When you give boneless, skinless chicken breasts a quick sear in a skillet, then bake them, you lock in the natural juices and flavour.
Ingredients
- First, a spice mix consisting of paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, thyme, and kosher salt.
- Second, boneless, skinless chicken breasts. You’ll need four boneless, skinless chicken breasts or two pounds of chicken.
You can find the quantities of each ingredient in the recipe card at the end of the post.
Instructions
Step 1: Make the spice mix. Stir together the paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, thyme, and kosher salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
Step 2: Place the chicken breasts on a cutting board. Cover with a sheet of parchment paper. Use a rolling pin to pound them down to an even ½-inch thickness.
Step 3: Sprinkle 1 scant teaspoon of spice mix over each chicken breast. Use the back of a spoon to press the spice mix into them so that it doesn’t fall off when the chicken is placed in the skillet.
Step 4: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and have a baking dish ready; I use an 8×8-inch square glass baking dish for this amount of chicken.
Add the oil to a large cast iron skillet and warm over medium-high heat. When it shimmers, add the chicken breasts, seasoned side down. Sprinkle the remaining spice mix over top and use the back of the spoon to press the spice mix into each chicken breast. Turn down heat to medium and cook for 3 minutes.
Step 5: After searing for 3 minutes on the first side, use a metal spatula to flip and cook for 3 minutes on the other side. Transfer the seared chicken breasts into the pan and bake for 10 minutes. When they are fully cooked, a meat thermometer will read 165 degrees F.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes before slicing or serving.
Hint: When searing, adjust the heat as needed. Cast iron pans retain heat very well, so you might have to turn the heat down to medium-low at times to prevent smoking and potentially burning the seasoning on the chicken.
Kitchen Tools
- Cutting board
- Rolling pin
- Parchment paper
- Cast iron skillet
- Glass baking dish
How To Make Ahead and Store
This chicken is perfect for make-ahead meals since it is so versatile. Cook it, let it cool slightly, then place it in a glass storage container. If you’d like to shred it or chop it for use in salads or sandwiches, feel free to do that first. From there, it can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days, or in the freezer for up to two months.
FAQ
Follow my recipe and pound the chicken first, season it with plenty of salt and spices, give it a quick sear in a skillet, and finish cooking it in the oven. This method locks in the juices and results in juicy, tender chicken breasts.
Generally speaking, boneless, skinless chicken breasts that have been seared will need to be baked at 400 degrees F for 10-15 minutes. It’s a good idea to use a meat thermometer and check it after 10 minutes to avoid over-cooking, which could result in dry chicken.
More Chicken Recipes
Looking for other chicken recipes? Try these:
Serving Suggestions
- Serve this chicken with rice, quinoa, roasted potatoes or sweet potatoes, and a fresh salad such as this Blueberry Feta Spinach Salad or this Smashed Cucumber Lemon Feta Salad in the summer or this Fall Harvest Beet Kale Salad in the fall and winter.
- Thinly slice the cooked chicken breasts and add them to a pasta salad, such as this Cilantro Lime Pasta Salad or this Green Pea Tortellini Pasta Salad.
- Use thinly sliced chicken breasts to make a delicious chicken sandwich. I like to add arugula, pickled red onion, sliced tomato, mustard, and chili lime mayo.
- Make a cottage cheese and chicken protein bowl: Add ½ cup of cottage cheese to a bowl. Top with thinly sliced chicken breast, sliced cherry tomatoes, diced avocado, and a drizzle of Lemon Mint Dressing or Pesto Dressing. Add a slice of toast and butter on the side for a balanced meal!
- Make a wrap with sliced chicken, Greek Yogurt Chipotle Sauce, shredded lettuce, cheese, a couple of slices of cooked bacon, and tomato for a CHIPOTLE CHICKEN BLT + CHEESE! Yum.
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Seared Then Baked Chicken Breasts
- Total Time: 21 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
No grill? No problem! These Seared Then Baked Chicken Breasts are the key to making juicy, tender, and flavourful chicken breasts without a grill or barbecue. A quick sear in a cast iron skillet before baking makes all the difference.
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt (I use Redmond Real Salt)
- 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, avocado oil, or grapeseed oil
Instructions
- Make the spice mix. Stir together the paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, thyme, and kosher salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Place the chicken breasts on a cutting board. Cover with a sheet of parchment paper. Use a rolling pin to pound them down to an even ½-inch thickness.
- Sprinkle 1 scant teaspoon of spice mix over each chicken breast. Use the back of a spoon to press the spice mix into them so that it doesn’t fall off when the chicken is placed in the skillet.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and have a baking dish ready; I use an 8×8-inch square glass baking dish for this amount of chicken.
- Add the oil to a large cast iron skillet and warm over medium-high heat. When it shimmers, add the chicken breasts, seasoned side down. Sprinkle the remaining spice mix over top and use the back of the spoon to press the spice mix into each chicken breast. Turn down heat to medium and cook for 3 minutes.
- After searing for 3 minutes on the first side, use a metal spatula to flip and cook for 3 minutes on the other side. Transfer the seared chicken breasts into the pan and bake for 10 minutes. When they are fully cooked, a meat thermometer will read 165 degrees F.
- Remove from the oven and cool for at least 5 minutes before slicing or serving. This final step locks in the juices; don’t slice the chicken too soon or it will lose some of its juiciness.
Notes
How to make ahead and store: This chicken is perfect for make-ahead meals since it is so versatile. Cook it, let it cool slightly, then place it in a glass storage container. If you’d like to shred it or chop it for use in salads or sandwiches, feel free to do that first. From there, it can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days, or in the freezer for up to two months.
Salt amount: The amount of salt might seem like a lot, but it’s essential for making the chicken very tender and juicy. If you are watching your salt intake, feel free to cut back on it a bit, but be aware that the chicken might not turn out quite as tender.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 16 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Sear and Bake
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 chicken breast
- Calories: 345
- Sugar: 0.2 g
- Sodium: 569.7 mg
- Fat: 12.9 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Carbohydrates: 2.9 g
- Fiber: 0.9 g
- Protein: 51.6 g
Brett says
This is a great method for cooking chicken breasts! Now that I live in an apartment, I don’t have the ability to BBQ! This is the next best thing. To anyone reading this: You gotta try this recipe. Thank you!
Allison says
Thanks, Brett! Glad you enjoyed it!