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!
Stop ALL other chicken breast recipes.
This is THE way you'll make chicken from now on. PROMISE.
Heather V says
Girl uhhh yessss. I absolutely LOVED IT. This will be the only way I make chicken!!
🔪Instructions
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat 1 tablespoon of canola oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Mix the herbs and parmesan cheese in a small bowl.
Sprinkle the herb and cheese mixture over each side of the chicken breasts.
After sprinkling, press the mixture into the chicken breasts, just to help it stick on.
Once the cast iron pan is hot, place the chicken breasts into the pan and cook for 3 minutes. Do NOT turn the chicken breasts during this time. Let them 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.
Top Tip: Let it Sit!
The sear in the cast iron skillet is where you seal in the juices, baby!
You're preventing the chicken breast from drying out AND you create a lot of flavour with the initial browning of the chicken that happens.
So when you place the chicken breasts into the cast iron skillet, don't touch them for 3 minutes! Set a timer. Seriously.
🥡Make it a Meal Prep
Place the chicken in meal prep containers with cooked basmati rice and lightly steamed green beans. Or make this broccoli chickpea salad - it goes perfectly with the chicken!
Cooking chicken in a cast iron skillet is the ONLY way to go.
Now you too can be a believer🌟
~April
Love cast iron skillet recipes? Bookmark these for later👇
📖 Recipe
Cast Iron Skillet Chicken Breast
Equipment
- Large cast iron skillet
Ingredients
- 4 medium chicken breasts, skinless, boneless
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher 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-high heat.
- Mix all the spices and parmesan cheese in a small bowl.
- Coat each chicken breast in the herb and cheese mixture. 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. Do NOT turn the chicken breasts during this time. Just let them cook.
- Flip them over and cook on the other side for another 3 minutes.
- Then place the whole pan into the oven. Bake 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