Pan Searing Chicken (A Quick Tutorial)

It always amazes me the amount of comments I see on social media (and even some of my own friends) about how cooking chicken is scary to them. Now, I am not putting anyone down for this. Salmonella is a real thing and properly handling and cooking chicken is SUPER important! But perhaps, since I have been in the kitchen my entire life, it is something I never gave much thought too. In fact, it is rare that I use a meat thermometer. My husband always asks how I know it’s done and I say, “I just do”. With that being said, this post is meant to show you a very simple method of cooking chicken. And not just any chicken, but flavorful, juicy tender chicken!

Can you use breasts instead of thighs?

You most certainly can. The biggest difference is going to be the size of the breasts, which can dramatically change the cooking time. If you buy chicken breasts that are very large and thick, you may want to thin them out some. You can do this by cutting them in half, or my placing them in a plastic bag and using a meat mallet to pound them out. No matter which cut you use, your desired temperature is ALWAYS going to be 165 degrees!

Do you have to use the seasonings listed here?

Nope! I made this chicken for a meal prep for my husband and I and this is just what I decided on that day. You can use Italian seasoning, taco seasoning, a marinade of any flavor. Or you can keep it simple with some salt and pepper!

You will want to start by trimming the fat off of 5-6 boneless skinless chicken thighs. Unless you don’t want to, it is not necessary. Make sure to save the scraps for Fido, or you could make a small batch of chicken broth with them.

Season however you like. I used garlic and onion powder, salt, pepper and smoked paprika. I do not measure when I am seasoning meat, I just make sure it is enough to completely cover it!

In a large skillet , you will melt about 1 tbs of oil (I used avocado oil) over medium heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, add in your chicken, smooth side up.

Let it cook for 7-8 minutes without moving it. Flip it and cook for another 7-8 minutes.

I do usually give it a 3rd flip. This is mainly just out of habit.

Now you want to find the thickest piece of chicken and insert your thermometer into the very center of it.

Make sure it reads AT LEAST 165 degrees, but try to not go over 175. That is when it will start to dry out.

If it has reached 165 degrees, pull it from the pan and transfer to a cutting board or plate and let it rest for five minutes to redistribute the juices.

Depending on what you will be using it for, you can either slice it up or not. As I said earlier, this was being used for meal prep, so I sliced it up.

You can see how moist and juicy it is. And not a touch of pink to be seen! No more fear of cooking chicken!

I hope this was helpful for some of you. It really does just come down to paying attention while cooking and using a meat thermometer! And practice helps too! Just get in the kitchen and try! The more you do, the more comfortable you will become!

And while you are here, take a look at some of these chicken recipes you might enjoy!