Cooking Chicken In Cast Iron

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Let me help you turn boring chicken breasts into a delicious, easy-to-make dinner option with my recipe for Cast Iron Pan-Roasted Chicken Breasts. This is one of my Top Family Favorite Chicken Recipes and it's an easy way to get the most tender chicken breasts ever!

Cast Iron Pan-Roasted Chicken Breasts cooked to perfection for dinner.

If you want a recipe for boneless, chicken breasts, try my Cast Iron Skillet Chicken Breasts recipe. This recipe is made with seasoned breadcrumbs and ready in 30 minutes!

Cooking Chicken in a Cast Iron Skillet in the Oven

The other day I defrosted bone-in chicken breasts to make for our dinner. I usually cook them in the crock pot for shredded chicken but this time I was in the mood for something different.

I needed the chicken cooked fast and be tender at the same time. So I pulled out my cast iron skillet to give the chicken breasts a quick pan sear so the skin would get really crispy.

Then I finished cooking the chicken in the oven until it was roasted to perfection, and what's even better, they were ready in under 30 minutes.

My husband loved the chicken and used the leftovers the next day to make a few sandwich wraps to take with him to work.

If you want to roast a whole chicken, please read the latest recipe for Dutch Oven Roast Chicken that was recently published.

Perfectly cooked chicken breasts in a cast iron skillet pan.

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Cast Iron Pan - I love the pans from Lodge because they come pre-seasoned!
Chain Maille Scrubber - these help tremendously with cleaning bits and pieces stuck to the pan.
Silicone Hot Handle Cover - this is sitting in my shopping cart on Amazon!

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Main Ingredients Needed

Make sure you print out the recipe below and save it for later!

2 bone-in chicken breasts
Salt and pepper or you can use this recipe for Homemade Chicken Seasoning Mix.
Butter
Oil - yes you need both for this recipe

Easy Tip: use waxed or parchment paper when prepping raw poultry. This protects counter tops and you don't have to worry about getting bacteria on cutting boards. Simply throw out the waxed paper when the chicken is in the cast iron skillet.

Chicken breasts on waxed paper for easy cleanup.

Step-by-Step Directions:

Step 1: Pan Seared Chicken Breast in Oven

When you sear chicken, you're not really sealing in the juices, you're creating an intense layer of flavor as the chicken browns or caramelizes.

Pat the chicken with a paper towel to make sure it's dry.
Heat the cast iron pan until it is hot and then add the butter and oil.
Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
Place the chicken in the pan with the skin side down and then season the other side with the salt and pepper.
Allow the chicken to cook for at least 3 minutes. It needs time to develop that crusty brown color.
Flip the chicken breasts and allow the other side to sear for another minute or two.
The chicken is now ready to finish cooking in the oven.
Place the cast iron pan in a preheated 425 degree oven and cook until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

Chicken Breasts seared in Cast Iron Pan ready to go in oven from Walking on Sunshine Recipes

Step 2: How do you know when Chicken Breast is Fully Cooked

After 20 minutes of cooking, check the internal temperature of the chicken breasts with an instant read thermometer.
Chicken breasts are fully cooked when the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees
It's very important you use an instant read thermometer because the size of chicken breasts all vary.
For example, the chicken breast on the left in the photo below was smaller and reached 165 degrees quicker than the other chicken breast.
I removed the smaller breast from the pan and allowed the other chicken breast to continue cooking an additional five minutes until it reached the proper internal temperature.
This is the best Digital Meat Thermometer I have tried and believe me, I've tried a few. Works great for checking the temperature for water when I'm making my homemade bread or pizza dough recipes.

How to Clean a Cast Iron Pan

A lot of people are intimidated cooking with cast iron pans because they don't know how to clean and care for them properly. Check out my post on How to Care and Clean and even Season a Cast Iron Pan in the post I wrote a few years ago. You'll soon be enjoying and using these wonderful pans as much as I do.

Tried this recipe? Let me know in the comments and don't forget to rate it!

Like this recipe? Try these other Chicken Recipes

Dutch Oven Roast Chicken - easy recipe for roasting a WHOLE chicken!
Hasselback Chicken Stuffed with Mozzarella, Tomatoes and Basil
Grilled Chicken Sandwiches
Chicken Cutlets Italian Style
Crock Pot Salsa Chicken

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Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

2 bone-in chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon oil

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Preheat your cast iron pan on top of the stove for just a few minutes.
Generously salt and pepper the skin side of the chicken breasts.
Add the butter and oil at the same time.
Once the butter and oil are melted and heated, add the chicken breasts skin side down.
Allow them to sear for a few minutes.
Salt and pepper the other side of the chicken breasts.
Flip the chicken breasts and allow the other side to sear for another minute or two.
Place the cast iron pan in the preheated oven and continue to cook the chicken for about 20 to 30 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
Allow the chicken to rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

Notes

NOTE:

Cooking time will vary depending on how thick your chicken breasts are.

I always check the internal temperature with an instant read thermometer.

Do not attempt this recipe with frozen chicken breasts. Make sure they are thawed completely before cooking.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 311 Total Fat: 17g Saturated Fat: 5g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 10g Cholesterol: 117mg Sodium: 282mg Carbohydrates: 0g Fiber: 0g Sugar: 0g Protein: 37g

The nutrition information is calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you, please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator.

This recipe has been updated since it first appeared in 2019 with new photos and a new printable recipe card that includes nutritional information. I hope you enjoy the updates as much as I enjoyed working on them!

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