How to Cook Cast Iron Skillet Chicken Breast

Cast iron skillet chicken breast boneless skinless or bone-in can be made tender and delicious with a garlic butter sauce in under 15 minutes. A high protein low carb meal cooked on the stove top for dinner.

Chicken breasts in cast iron skillet turn out great. Using your seasoned pan you can brown the outsides to lock in the juices and make your poultry pieces moist and juicy. An easy one pan meal to make for your family this week and add to your rotation thereafter. (affiliate links present)

Cast Iron Chicken Breast

This post focuses on this heavy duty pan and How Long to Cook Chicken Breast on Stove in it. What is great about a cast iron pan? Cast iron is known for its exceptional heat retention properties. It heats up slowly and evenly, distributing heat uniformly across the cooking surface. This makes it ideal for tasks that require consistent and precise heat, such as searing, browning, and frying.

With proper seasoning and maintenance, cast iron develops a naturally non-stick surface over time. Super durable, they can last for generations. Unlike other types of cookware, they are less prone to warping, scratching, or breaking. Also, small amounts of iron can leach into the food during cooking, which can be beneficial for individuals with iron deficiencies.

How to Cook Chicken Breast in Cast Iron Skillet

It is very similar to how long to cook chicken thighs on stove that we have shared as well. If you wanted to use dark meat to make this instead you could, it wouldn’t take quite as long. Typically this cut, as long as they are boneless and skinless are thinner. You would use the same other ingredients and techniques listed below for both cuts.

How Long to Cook Bone-in chicken breasts in cast iron pan

This style would take longer and doesn’t cook as evenly. Typically you will get a thicker piece of meat on one end with less on the other which lends to uneven searing. A negative since to get it browned, and then cooked to a safe internal temperature the thinner portions will likely dry out. Cooking Thin Chicken Breasts would take less time. You will need;

Ingredients

• 1-1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts or skin on but without the bone is best, medium size, thawed
• 1 tsp poultry seasoning
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Garlic powder
• Olive oil or canola oil has a high smoke point if you want really crispy outsides or have skin to crisp quite a bit
• Butter will add lots of flavor, richness and prevent the chicken from sticking too
• Minced garlic

You’ll want a meat thermometer handy to check the temp at the end. You just need your cast iron skillet over medium heat and no small bowls are necessary really. If you had two of these you could make our cast iron brussel sprouts on another burner as a side dish to this. Just season with fresh herbs, salt and pepper and dinner is done. Super easy meal prep for all of it.

How to Cook Chicken Pieces in Cast Iron Skillet

Add oil to a skillet and place chicken into the skillet. Season with poultry seasoning, salt, garlic powder and pepper. Over medium high heat, brown chicken breast on each side. Remove from pan and keep warm.

• In the same skillet, add butter and garlic and stir until butter is melted.
• Continue to cook for 1 minute, scraping the bits off of the bottom of the pan.
• Add the chicken back to the pan, and coat both sides with garlic butter.
• Heat for an additional minute or 2 on each side until middle reaches 165 degrees F.
  • remember that when you allow meat to rest it will continue to rise in temp. by about 5 degrees so if you want it super moist you could remove at 160 F.
• Allow to rest when done for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

Now if you did want some breading I would recommend using this same pan and making Beer Battered Chicken Tenders. With just a bit of oil heated first you can fry up slices of your breasts so they are in strips and great for finger food meals.

Now let’s talk a minute about cast iron skillet care. You do NOT wash this like your other pans, never. Wiping it out is all that is necessary. If you feel it is kinda’ icky and don’t want it with all your other pots I get it. What I do is slide it into a paper bag from the grocery store and then store on a shelf once cooled.

Can you make this dairy free?

If you need a dairy free alternative I have used a vegan based plant butter product for my husband. It isn’t as salty as the real deal but you can adjust that. Still gives the meat more flavor than just using oil, a richer taste, and preferred overall in our household.

How Long to Cook Cast Iron Chicken Tenders

If you wanted to cook naked chicken tenderloins or tenders (which are slightly larger of the two) you could. Since thinner and not as large the timing would be cut in half. Use the same other items listed below depending on how many you are making. Other than the quicker cook time these are easier for kids to eat and like their name more tender.

Other easy cast iron skillet chicken recipes you’ll love

Beyond this basic dish you could use the same techniques for other cuts as well. Just adjust timing is all depending on how much larger the other cuts might be. For instance with chicken leg quarters they have a bone and both the leg and the thigh so you’d likely need to double the timing. Still a quick meal.

• You could add slices of bell peppers and onions into the pan after meat was done. Serve together for dinner or with noodles boiled on the side as a sort of stir fry.
• We love it sliced served as fajita chicken tacos inside tortillas.
• Slice into pieces and serve in a bowl over a bed of white or brown rice with broccoli on the side.
• Saute onions and sliced mushrooms in the pan to serve together if you like.