31 Chicken Breast Recipes to Make for Dinner Tonight (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to cooking chicken breast? ›

Chicken breasts must be at room temperature before going in the pan as cold chicken can cook unevenly and tends to be tough. Allow the chicken breast to sit out for 20 minutes. That should do the trick.

Brine. Like a marinade, a brine helps chicken breast soak up as much moisture as possible before cooking. It only requires three ingredients: water, salt, and a pinch of sugar.

Simply add your seasoned chicken to the slow cooker with a bit of chicken broth or water, set it to low heat, and let it cook for about 4-6 hours. Grilling is another tasty option, especially during the summer months.

With that extra moisture, you lose less when you cook. The simplest way to do this is with a dry brine — unwrap the chicken breasts, salt them on both sides and let them sit in the fridge for at least an hour. However, I find that a wet brine makes for a much moister cut of meat.

When chicken is covered while baking, it traps steam and moisture within the dish, resulting in juicier results. The covering helps prevent excessive evaporation and keeps the chicken moist throughout the cooking process. Preventing dryness. Chicken tends to dry out more quickly when exposed to direct heat.

The Winner: Poaching

"The healthiest way to cook chicken is to poach it," Lewis explains, "because you aren't introducing any other ingredient to the chicken other than the water it is boiled in." Similar to the way you'd poach an egg, all you'll need is the chicken you're using and some hot water.

Baked chicken recipes (as pieces or a whole bird) are as simple to make as prep and bake. You never have to worry about covering chicken while baking, as it's OK to bake it uncovered. Once your chicken is in the oven, it's hands-free until you need to check the temperature.

Cooking tips

chicken breast at 350°F (177˚C) for 25 to 30 minutes. Use a meat thermometer to check that the internal temperature is 165˚F (74˚C).

Given the fact that drumsticks and thighs are dark meat and won't dry out as easily as breasts, the range from 350 to 450 degrees is okay for baking them. 350 to 375 is generally best for breasts. The best answer to these questions? Simply check the chicken for doneness using an instant read thermometer.

How many pounds is 3 large chicken breasts? ›

The average chicken breast weighs 174 grams (g) (or about 6 ounces), but they can be much bigger or smaller. The weight also depends on whether the chicken breast is raw, cooked, pre-frozen, or has the bones left in. As a good rule of thumb, you can expect to find 2 to 3 chicken breasts for every pound.

To Bake Chicken Breast at 400°F: This will take between 22 and 26 minutes depending on the size of the chicken breasts. You can cook chicken breasts at 350°F for closer to 25-30 minutes (although I prefer the higher heat above).

Getting a good sear through medium high heat, then reducing the heat to LOW and COVERING the chicken while it cooks. The butter, oil, and chicken juices create a super flavorful liquid that acts as a way to steam the chicken at a low temperature, ensuring that it is moist & tender on the inside.

Place a flat-bottomed frying pan on a medium-high heat and drizzle in a good amount of olive oil. When the oil is nice and hot, place the chicken breasts in the pan and leave to cook for 5 -7 minutes, untouched until a nice golden crust forms. If you have a lid for the pan, pop it on to help retain all that moisture.

Chicken breast is easy to overcook. Especially if you grab it from the fridge and chuck it straight onto a hot pan. Many chefs agree, starting with cold meat generally leads to tough outcomes. But chewy chicken may not be your fault.

Close-up of a woman slicing raw chicken breast meat on a cutting board. Chicken becomes more tender the longer it cooks. Unfortunately, most cooking methods produce extremely dry meat when the chicken is cooked long enough to become tender.