Juicy Pan-Fried Chicken Breast

Thick chicken breasts:

1. Tenderize: Place the chicken breasts on a cutting board. Cover them with plastic foil and pound them to an even thickness; the pieces shouldn’t be thicker than 1 -1 ½ inches/ 2 ½ - 3 ½ cm.
2. Season: Dry the chicken with paper towels and rub the pieces with one tablespoon of oil. Season them well on both sides.
3. Cook: Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a large pan (Note 6). Place the breasts in the pan. Pan fry for 5 minutes on medium heat without moving. Check gently if you can release it from the pan easily; if not, give it another minute or two.
4. Flip and cook for another 5 minutes. If the outside of the chicken seems to be getting too dark, lower the heat. Flip again and continue cooking until the chicken is cooked; it will take another couple of minutes.
5. Rest the chicken loosely covered with aluminum foil for about 10 minutes before serving; the internal temperature should reach the safe level of 165°F/ 74°C.

Thin chicken breast pieces:

1. Tenderizing is optional if the pieces are evenly cut. However, I recommend it.
2. Season: Dry and rub the pieces with 1 tablespoon of the oil and sprinkle them with the spices.
3. Pan-fry: Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in the pan. Cook the slices for 3-4 minutes per side on medium-high. This will allow the pieces to achieve a nice color during the short cooking time. Lower the heat to medium if they seem too dark too soon.
4. Rest the chicken loosely covered with aluminum foil for about 5 minutes before serving; the safe internal temperature is 165°F/ 74°C.