Juicy Cast Iron Skillet Chicken Breast is so simple to make with a classic blend of herbs and a delicious coating of parmesan cheese. A perfect chicken recipe to make on a weeknight or for your weekly meal prep!
Here's what you'll need to make this juicy Chicken Breast recipe in cast iron skillet:
- 4 medium chicken breasts
- ½ teaspoon of garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon of oregano
- ½ teaspoon of paprika
- ¼ teaspoon of salt
- ¼ teaspoon of fresh ground pepper
- 2 tablespoon fresh grated parmesan cheese
Do you put oil in a cast iron skillet when cooking chicken?
Yes, especially for boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Because the chicken breasts have such a small amount of fat, they need some oil in the pan to prevent sticking in the cast iron skillet. It's important to use an oil with a higher smoke point, like a vegetable oil.
Best choices are canola oil, sunflower or safflower oil. Some vegetable oils are a blend of these too. I recommend staying away from olive oil as it has such a low smoke point, it can't take the higher temperatures.
Should I pan sear chicken before baking?
Yes! This is where you seal in the juices, preventing the chicken breast from drying out and you create a lot of flavour with the initial browning of the chicken that happens.
It also, of course, partially cooks the chicken breast, which reduces the amount of time needed in the oven.
Is it better to fry or bake chicken breast?
If you're looking to get a flavourful chicken breast, without the extra grease that comes from frying, this cast iron skillet chicken breast will give you the best of both worlds!
It's got sealed in juices and flavour from getting seared first and it's not dried out, which can easily happen with chicken breasts because they're so naturally lean.
How do you pan brown chicken breast?
To pan brown chicken breast, follow these steps:
- Heat an oven safe skillet (either non-stick or cast iron) over medium heat.
- Add 1 tablespoon of oil (canola or vegetable oil.) Season chicken breasts as desired.
- Once the oil becomes shiny in the pan, add the chicken breasts and cook undisturbed for 3 minutes per side.
- Then, place the whole pan into the pre-heated oven to finish cooking them for about 13 minutes in a 350 degrees F oven.
How do you keep chicken from sticking to cast iron?
If your chicken breasts stick in your cast iron pan, you probably don't have enough oil or the pan hasn't had a chance to heat up enough, or both!
To make sure your chicken breasts don't stick in the cast iron skillet, add an oil with a high smoke point, like canola or a vegetable oil.
Make sure to allow the cast iron skillet to heat up. The pan is ready when the oil becomes shiny.
When you place the chicken breast into the cast iron skillet, don't touch them for about 3 minutes!
This lets the chicken cook on the outside, creates a lot of flavour and prevents the chicken breast from sticking.
Hope you love this recipe for Cast Iron Skillet Chicken Breast!
~April
More gluten-free and healthy recipes here:
- Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Pomegranate Seeds
- Sheet Pan Maple Dijon Chicken and Broccoli Bake
- Ground Beef with Beans and Quinoa Meal Prep
- Spinach and Citrus Salad with Sweet and Spicy Almonds
- Easy Weeknight Hamburger Soup with Sweet Potatoes
📖 Recipe
Cast Iron Skillet Chicken Breast
Equipment
- Large cast iron skillet
Ingredients
- 4 medium chicken breasts, skinless, boneless
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 2 tablespoon fresh grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat 1 tablespoon of canola oil in a cast iron skillet over medium.
- Mix all the spices and parmesan cheese in a small bowl.
- Coat each chicken breast in the spice mixture. Simply sprinkle the mixture over each side of the chicken breasts and press the mixture in, coating each side.
- Once the cast iron pan is hot, place the chicken breasts into the pan and cook for 3 minutes on each side. Do NOT turn the chicken breasts during this time, let it cook.
- Flip them over and cook on the other side for another 3 minutes.
- Then, place the whole pan into the oven, cook for 13 minutes until an inserted meat thermometer reads 165 degrees F.
Becca says
Yum ! This chicken recipe was so delicious. I'm very picky about chicken. I've learned that I'm loving everything I cook in a cast iron, so thought I would give chicken a try. This was moist and full of flavor. I added fresh garlic and onions in the pan, but followed everything else exactly. Definitely making this again.
Hey Becca - thanks for commenting. So glad you liked it and I love the addition of onion and garlic. I'll be trying that next time for sure 🙂
April
Kerry says
Delicious, and the cook time was spot on. This was my first time cooking chicken breasts in my cast iron, and I will definitely do it again!
Hey Kerry - thanks so much for commenting. Great to hear you enjoyed it and will do it again (go cast iron!)😄
April
Kris says
This was my first time using a cast iron skillet for chicken and this was amazing! Tender and juicy with the crisp roasted texture on the outside!
Right on, Kris! Thank you for your review and comment! So glad you liked the chicken and had a great first experience using the cast iron skillet😄
Brenda says
This is our second time with the recipe and have really enjoyed it. In the past my chicken breast has come out dry. This is moist inside with crunchy outside. I’ll use this recipe from now on. Thank you!
Hey Brenda,
Thanks so much for commenting and so glad you're enjoying the recipe 🙂
Best,
April
James says
What setting should I cook it on before the oven?
Hi James,
Cook it on a medium heat, which is about ~5-6 on my stovetop (your settings may be different). Cooking it too low won't sear the juices in but too high could overcook or, heaven forbid, burn it.
April
Ellen Adkins says
My kind of eating ,thanks great
Yay Ellen! Thanks for commenting. I'm with you there😄
John Johnson says
Perfect recipe. Chicken came out of the oven juicy and tender. My wife was amazed.
Hey John - awesome! So glad you and your wife enjoyed it😄
Dan says
I've just started using a cast iron skillet and have been searching around to try out some recipes - this was awesome - thanks April! I made it twice over the past few days - first time I followed exactly and second I had more time to experiment and tenderized the chicken first and used all the listed ingredients here to make a marinade by adding an oil (avocado) and some citrus juice (lime) to the spice mixture you've listed and let it sit in for a few hours. It came out very well also.
The best part of working with cast iron skillets is that I can skip on arms day at the gym!
Thanks again,
Dan
Hey Dan - thanks so much for your comment! So glad you found this recipe - and that you enjoyed it. I love the idea of the marinade with avocado oil and lime = yum! And totally agree with you: cooking with cast iron pans is such a workout (of course, I may need MORE arm days in my week lol)😅💪
All the best,
April
Heather Verkler says
Girl uhhh yessss. I absolutely LOVED IT. This will be the only way I make chicken!!
woohoo! So glad you loved it Heather😄
Cyndi says
This was excellent ❤️‼️ Definitely juicy in inside too ❗👍🏼
So glad you liked it Cyndi!😄
April
Julie says
What do you set your oven to?
Hey Julie! 350 degrees fahrenheit for the oven.
Best,
April
KK says
Hi April,
Suggestion for the preheating of the oil and the cast iron pan. You want it to be around 375F, measured with an IR thermometer.
The point you make about not touching the chicken cannot be reinforced enough. When it's ready to be flipped it will offer zero resistance.
Love the recipe!! We use it all the time since we found it.
Hi KK - thank you for that. Great tips on the oil temp and reinforcing to NOT touch that chicken before flipping! Glad you're lovin' the recipe like we do 🙂
Thanks for commenting!
Best,
April
Tim says
I’ve been trying forever to find a good recipe for chicken breast that leaves the chicken moist, and this is the best one I’ve found! We make it all the time, and have even changed up the spices - lemon juice and thyme were an excellent modification. Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks for commenting, Tim! So glad you're loving this chicken breast recipe and I LOVE the idea of adding lemon juice and thyme. Yummy😋
Best,
April