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How to make the juiciest, most flavorful chicken breast on the stove! This is my favorite way to cook chicken breast- perfect for easy weeknight dinners and it’s extremely versatile!
Ingredients:
- Chicken– Two 8oz chicken breasts work best for this recipe. I have found very large chicken breasts that are 1 lb each- those will work too but you may need to cook them a little longer.
- Sour cream- to coat the chicken, this adds flavor and the acidity helps to tenderize the chicken as well.
- Oil & butter- Cook the chicken in a little oil, and baste with butter for maximum flavor.
- Seasoning- I highly recommend Lawry’s Seasoned Salt! It’s my favorite seasoning for chicken and a little goes a long way. I also use Lawry’s Seasoned Pepper, but you can also just mix back pepper with paprika for a similar flavor. You can add whatever other seasonings you like- I usually add garlic powder and sometimes onion powder, depending on what I’m making the chicken for.
Technique
The seasoning here is important but the technique is even more important if you want to make moist and tender chicken breast every time.
- The sour cream really adds a lot to this! The acidity in the sour cream helps to tenderize the chicken, and it also adds incredible flavor.
- Basting in butter (just like you would a steak) is also a key step in making the chicken super flavorful. You don’t need a lot- just 1 tbsp per pound of chicken.
- 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.
If you follow these tips, I promise you will never cook dry, flavorless chicken breast ever again!
Dinner ideas
I use this chicken breast recipe for pastas, rice bowls, salads, and my Cheesy Jalapeno Chicken Rolls!
The pan juices have so much flavor and you can use it to make other things like gravy, or even season your veggies with it.
One of my favorite ways to make an easy weeknight dinner is to add some veggies to the pan while the chicken is covered and cooking on low. The pan juices add incredible flavor to the veggies and I love having this meal with rice and some avocado. My husband loves this meal with some hot sauce too.
Juicy Stove Top Chicken Breast
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breast, 2x 8oz chicken breasts for best results
- 1 tsp Lawry's Seasoned Salt, or your favorite seasoning salt
- 1/2 tsp Lawry's Seasoned Pepper, or 1/4 tsp black pepper + 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp sour cream, or greek yogurt
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- 1 tbsp butter
Instructions
- Season the chicken breast all over with Lawry's Seasoned Salt, Lawry's Seasoned Pepper, and garlic powder. *you can sub the Lawry's Seasoned Pepper for 1/4 tsp paprika + 1/4 tsp black pepper.
- Coat the chicken in sour cream (or greek yogurt) and let it rest on the counter for 30 min to marinate and come to room temperature.
- In a skillet on medium high heat, add some oil and sear the chicken breast for 2-3 minutes.
- Flip the chicken over, add the butter and baste the chicken a few times until covered in butter.
- Reduce the heat to low, then cover for about 7 minutes. I use a meat thermometer to check the temperature and take it out of the pan at 160 degrees Fahrenheit (the chicken will continue to cook a little more while resting).
- Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes.
- The pan juices have a ton of flavor and can be used to cook something else (like pasta), pour over your chicken, or make a gravy so don't throw it out!
- Cut the chicken into strips and enjoy with rice & veggies, pasta, salad, & more!
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I was never confident about cooking chicken breast until this recipe! It’s so easy to do and the sour cream is a total game changer. It’s a go-to method for sure!
I’ve made this numerous times and we love it! I sub Greek yogurt for sour cream because that’s what I usually have on hand and it comes out wonderfully. The chicken breast I buy from Costco is quite thick, so I butterfly and pound them to make them more even. The chicken also cooks faster this way when you’re popping the lid on and turning the heat down. The chicken is soo flavorful and juicy. I make an easy pan sauce with the drippings by adding onion, garlic, a splash of white wine or squeeze of lemon, splash of stock (or better than bouillon+ water), and black pepper.
made this chicken over the weekend and it was so good to have on its own. my brother used it to make quesadillas and he said it was the best quesadilla he ever had!
We loved this recipe! So simple yet so juicy, flavorful and yummy! The whole family loved the chicken made this way.
Made this multiple times and always turns out moist and tender!
I have been making this chicken for my family for a year now and I’ll never go back to boiled chicken. I use it for all my recipes that call for chicken (sopes, enchiladas, rolled tacos, & salad) super juicy!!
this is now my go-to way to make chicken. juicy every time and smells divine!
Hey!
Thanks for the recipe! Can I substitute the sour cream with greek yogurt?
Hi Grace, yes you can sub greek yogurt for the sour cream 🙂
it’s mentioned a few times that you can.
THIS CHICKEN is my family’s new favorite chicken recipe! My picky 6 year old even LOVES it! And it’s so easy to throw together. I first saw your IG tutorial and had to make it. Thank you so much for sharing!!!
Hi Kelly, thank you so much for your comment! My brother-in-law said the same thing. His kids would not eat chicken breast until he made it this way! So glad you and your family love it. Happy holidays 🙂
I made this for dinner and it was delicious!!!!!!!!! Thank you for this great recipe.