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Learn how to make pan fried chicken breast! Breaded with flour and Italian seasonings, this easy technique leaves you with crispy and moist chicken breasts you can serve for weeknight dinners or add to pasta, salad, and more.
Table of Contents
- Why you’ll love this pan fried chicken breast recipe
- Ingredients needed
- How to pan fry chicken breasts
- What to serve with pan fried chicken breasts
- Storage instructions
- Recommended tools to make this recipe
- Recipe tips and tricks
- Frequently asked questions
- Pan Fried Chicken Breast (Recipe Card)
- More easy chicken dinner recipes
Why you’ll love this pan fried chicken breast recipe
When you don’t have time to sous vide or bake chicken breasts, turn to this easy pan fried chicken breast recipe instead!
Pan frying is a quick and easy cooking method. The chicken breasts are first coated in flour and Italian seasonings, then fried in butter until they’re crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. The golden brown and flavor-rich chicken breasts are always a hit for weeknight dinners but also come in handy for meal prep!
- Crispy on the outside, moist on the inside. By breading chicken breasts in flour and pan frying them in butter, they become golden and crispy on the outside while staying nice and juicy on the inside (similar to chicken cutlets and chicken Milanese!).
- Italian flavors. A blend of simple dried seasonings and dried Italian herbs make these chicken breasts taste like they’ve come straight from your favorite Italian restaurant (just like Tuscan chicken, chicken Florentine, and chicken Caprese).
- Ready in 30 minutes. This fried chicken breast recipe is ready to eat in under 30 minutes.
- Versatile. Pan fried chicken can be served as the main protein for dinners or sliced up and added to pasta, salad, or any other dish you love.
- Perfect for meal prep. Pack them in a container with a green salad, cauliflower rice, protein pasta, or grilled sweet potatoes, and enjoy them throughout the week.
Ingredients needed
- Chicken breasts. Use boneless and skinless chicken breasts. Also, opt for even-sized fillets so they cook evenly.
- Seasonings. You need a blend of garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, chili flakes, salt, and pepper.
- Dried herbs. Dried parsley, oregano, basil, and thyme.
- Flour. You can use all-purpose flour or an all-purpose gluten-free flour.
- Butter. For pan frying.
How to pan fry chicken breasts
- Pound the chicken breasts. Use a meat mallet to pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness.
- Coat the chicken. Whisk the spices, herbs, and flour together in a small bowl. Coat both sides of the chicken breasts in the seasoned flour mix.
- Pan fry. Heat the butter in a pan over medium-high heat. Once it’s hot and melted, add the seasoned chicken breasts and cook until both sides are golden and crispy.
- Rest, then serve. Set the pan fried chicken breasts aside to rest for a few minutes. Afterward, slice the breasts and serve!
What to serve with pan fried chicken breasts
Once they’re done, slice the crispy chicken breasts and place the slices on top of a bowl of alfredo pasta, Boursin cheese pasta, or any of these chicken pasta recipes. The pieces of chicken would also be delicious in salad, pasta salad, wraps, or lettuce wraps.
Want to make it the star of the show? Enjoy the chicken as the main protein for dinner with any of these easy side dishes:
Storage instructions
To store: Once cool, transfer the fried chicken to an airtight container. Store them in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
To freeze: Wrap the fried chicken in a layer of plastic, then place them in a freezer-safe plastic bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.
To reheat: Place the chicken in a baking dish and reheat them in a 350°F oven until they’re crispy and warmed through (about 5 to 7 minutes).
Recommended tools to make this recipe
- Meat mallet. To pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness and help them cook faster.
- Large skillet. To fry the chicken breasts.
- Meat thermometer. To ensure the chicken breasts have cooked to a safe internal temperature of 165ºF.
Recipe tips and tricks
- Thinner chicken breasts cook quicker. Thin chicken cutlets will fry much quicker than thick chicken breasts. To keep this recipe under 30 minutes, always pound the breasts with a meat mallet to an even thickness before breading and frying.
- Let the chicken rest. Remember to let the chicken breasts rest off of the heat for 5 to 10 minutes to help seal in the juices.
- If you don’t have chicken breasts, make this recipe with boneless chicken thighs, tenders, or cutlets instead.
- For an even deeper flavor profile, brine the chicken breasts overnight in a solution of water, salt, and sugar.
Frequently asked questions
The best way to tell if the chicken breasts are cooked through or not is with a meat thermometer. Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the breasts; once the internal temperature reaches 165ºF, they’re ready to eat.
All you need to do to make this recipe gluten-free is to swap the all-purpose flour for a 1:1 gluten free flour blend, cornstarch, potato starch, or almond flour.
Yes! Instead of pan frying, try air fryer chicken breast.
Pan Fried Chicken Breast
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon parsley dried
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano dried
- 1/2 teaspoon basil dried
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme dried
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- Lightly pound the chicken breasts with a meat mallet so you get even thickness.
- Combine the spices and flour in a small bowl and rub the meat with your hands on both sides to make sure it is evenly coated.
- Heat butter in the pan over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add chicken to the skillet and cook for 5 minutes per side.
- Remove the chicken from the pan and let it rest for a couple of minutes, covered.
I crave fried chicken and this is absolutely wonderful! I think it is my new go-to recipe. Except that I think there is a misprint in the amount of salt. I used 1 teaspoon and that was even a little too much salt to my taste.