How to cook the perfect chicken breast (2024)

Whether it’s a midweek meal or swanky dinner party, chicken breasts are always on the menu.

But what is the best way to make them, and how do you stop them getting dry? Follow our Good Housekeeping expert guide to serving up perfectly cooked chicken breasts every time.

Whether you fancy roasting, pan frying or poaching, here's everything you need to know about how to cook chicken breasts properly.

How to cook chicken breast

Rule number one: Buy the best you can afford

Higher animal welfare means tastier meat, but it comes at an elevated price tag. At GH we believe that your wallet needs to have the final say when it comes to buying meat – just choose the best quality it allows.

Rule number two: Get thrifty

Gram for gram, the breast is the most expensive cut of chicken. Think smart: buy a whole chicken and learn to cut it up yourself – check out our expert guide on how to joint a chicken – that way you get chicken breasts, wings, thighs, drumsticks, and a carcass for soup, all for a little more than you’d pay for two skinless fillets.

How to tenderise chicken breasts

Use a marinade to tenderise your chicken breasts. A brief spell (at least 30 min) in something acidic helps the fibres in the chicken breast break down and become meltingly soft.

Lemon juice or yogurt tick this box, and both work wonderfully as a simple marinade for chicken.

How do you know when a chicken breast is cooked through?

If you want to check if a chicken breast is cooked without using a thermometer, then employ one of our canny methods. The first is to simply cut the meat in half. Check that all the fibres are opaque and set, and that there is no jelly-like pinkness in the middle. This is invasive though, and not so useful if you’re cooking for special guests.

A method that leaves less damage is to insert a metal skewer into the thickest part of the meat. Keep it there for a few secs, then remove it and immediately touch it to the inside of your wrist. It should feel so hot that you can’t keep the skewer on your skin for more than a moment.

Then, do test number two: use the side of the skewer to press gently next to the hole you made – the juices that escape should be clear with no tinge of pinkness. If the skewer isn’t hot or the juices are pink, cook for a further few minutes and repeat the testing process.

If you do have a thermometer, chicken is cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of 70°C.

How to pan fry chicken breast

Heat a little butter and oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, then season the chicken breast and fry on one side for 8-10 minutes until golden and opaque. Then flip over, cover the pan and fry for a further 8-10 minutes. Try not to move the chicken around as it cooks, or it might stick – allow the meat to become golden and release from the pan itself.

Pro tip: Baste the chicken breast with the pan juices throughout the cooking process to keep the meat from going stringy.

How to poach chicken breast

Poaching is perfect for making chicken breasts that you can chill and store in the fridge for shredding into salads or slicing up for sandwiches.

Heat chicken or vegetable stock in a pan (enough to cover the breasts completely) and have at a gentle simmer. Add the chicken breasts, cover and poach for 10-15 minutes, until cooked through.

You can add aromatics to the water, such as bay or thyme for a little extra flavour or je ne sais quoi.

How to grill chicken breast

Great for those who love a slight char to their meat. Preheat a grill to medium-high. Line a baking tray with foil. Rub the chicken breasts with oil and season. Put on the tray and grill for 6-8 minutes per side until cooked through.

How to roast chicken breast

Oven cooking is the easiest and most foolproof method as it requires very little effort. Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan) mark 6. Line a baking tray with foil. Rub the chicken breasts with oil and season. Put on the tray and cook for 20-25 minutes, until cooked through. Stuffed chicken breasts take a little longer – about 30-35 minutes.

How to cook a chicken breast fast

Need your chicken pronto? We’ve got you covered. Put the chicken breast between two pieces of clingfilm or baking parchment and bash flat using a rolling pin, then pan-fry or grill as per instructions above for 3-5min per side.

Still not quick enough? A modern pressure cooker cooks chicken breasts in mere minutes (depending on the pressure that your pan cooks at). Simply place seasoned chicken breasts on a greased trivet and add boiling water from the kettle to the minimum level your cooker requires. Cover with the lid, bring to full pressure and cook at pressure for 1-4min then fast release the steam. You may have to experiment to find the optimum timings for your cooker, but the juicy, speedy results are so worth it.

How to cook chicken breast from frozen

Wait, what?! Yes, you can oven cook a chicken breast from frozen. You just need to double the cooking time and then double check they’re cooked through. It takes roughly 50 minutes if they’re plain, and about one hour if they’re stuffed. Follow the method at the bottom of our Pancetta Chicken recipe, and have a fancy dinner in the freezer to whip-out when last-min guests are imminent.

Why do chicken breasts go dry?

It’s very easy to overcook chicken and dry it out (especially as there are a lot of food safety issues around it and people are rightly cautious), so try to trust your cooking times and use the checks we mentioned.

Filling with a stuffing and wrapping chicken with bacon or ham helps to keep it succulent. We’ve got a whole plethora of stuffed chicken recipes to check out here, which are perfect for weeknights and special occasions.

Why do chicken breasts go tough?

Chicken is also a little tough when it comes straight out of the pan. A quick rest is important to help the fibres relax and keep the meat tender and juicy.

Allow it to sit somewhere warm, loosely covered, for 5-10min after cooking, and don’t be tempted to cut into it until the time has elapsed.