Pan Fried Chicken Breast Recipe (Easy, Juicy, No Brining)
Recipe Overview
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Ingredients
Chicken Breast
- 3 teaspoons oil
- 2 chicken breasts up 300g/10.6oz to 430g/15oz each
- 2 tablespoons Cajun BBQ rub seasoning (1 tablespoon per chicken breast) - see ingredients below
- 1 cup water
Cajun Mix - enough for 6 large chicken breasts
- 1.5 tablespoons salt
- 1.5 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground white or black pepper
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1/2 tablespoon sweet paprika
- 1/2 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 tablespoon onion powder
- 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1/2 tablespoon ground cayenne pepper
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1
Mix all of the Cajun bbq rub ingredients together in a bowl.
Step 2
Season each breast with 1 tablespoon of the spice rub all over.
Step 3
Heat the frying pan to medium heat. Add the oil and place the chicken breasts in the pan presentation side facing down. Cook for 5 mins, lid off.
Step 4
Using tongs, turn over the breasts and add 1 cup of water and place lid on for 2-5 minutes depending on how large your chicken breasts are (2 minutes for 300g/10.6oz breasts or 5 minutes for 430g/15oz).
Step 5
Turn heat off leaving with the lid on and sit for 15-20 minutes (20 minutes if you have extra large chicken breasts).
Step 6
Remove chicken breasts from the pan and place on a plate or chopping board and rest 5 minutes and then serve!
Personal Note
I made a big batch of these pan fried chicken breasts for Mr NQN and I promise that if you make these once, you'll make them again. They are so juicy and the Cajun spice mix is amazing. I made him pan fried chicken breasts as he is a bit obsessed with his health and he has this particular weight he wants to stay at. It's 76kgs or 12stone. And for a 188cms or 6 foot 2 man that is lean but that's the way he wants it and he gets on the scale every morning. I refuse to get on a scale, I think it plays with your mind so I won't go near one but it's a morning ritual for him. And sometimes his mood depends on what the scales say!
But I am off overseas this week and I wanted to make him some food to eat while I am away. Mainly because when left to his own devices he makes very poor nutritional choices (eating an 8 serving lasagne in 2 meals or making pasta and sauce without any additional protein). I made him a whole lot of these chicken breasts to eat while I am away. He can have them with the vegetables or pasta if he feels like making it. At least I know that this will satisfy his need for lean protein but are so ridiculously easy to make that they satisfy my need to make something simple and not time consuming!
So tell me Dear Reader, how often do you get on a scale? Does your weight put you in a mood?
If you love cooking chicken breasts, make sure to visit the chicken breast category for many more recipes. A couple of my most popular chicken breast recipes are: stuffed chicken breast with spinache and cheese and for the baked chicken breast lovers, my baked chicken breast with Mexican seasoning recipe.