Golden pan-seared chicken coated in nutty brown butter and fresh herbs, all made in one skillet! Pan-seared Skillet Chicken with Brown Butter and Fresh Herbs is easy enough for a weeknight family meal and impressive enough to entertain. It’s the perfect dinner whenever you want juicy chicken breasts in a simple pan sauce.
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Is your family like my family? Eating chicken breasts several nights a week? It’s just so economical and so easy to have on hand. 🤷🏼♀️
Pan-seared chicken breasts are an all-time favorite because they are quick and easy. It began with an inspiration from this recipe. Sage isn’t my husband’s favorite, so I began to add in other herbs and oh. my. goodness! What a difference it made.
Honestly, if you are looking for a way to switch up your pan-seared chicken breast dinner, try this recipe in a hurry. I like to add all my ingredients to my grocery pick up and voila, dinner is planned! One meal down...just five more to go. 😆
🥇 Why it’s great!
- Produces juicy, flavorful chicken breasts and rich pan sauce without a lot of fuss.
- Uses very few ingredients and only one skillet!
- Dinner's on the table in 20 minutes!
- If using an electric skillet (affiliate) it doesn't produce much heat in the summertime! (Big bonus here in the desert. 🥵)
🍎 Ingredients
- Butter: I always use salted butter, but if you prefer you may use unsalted. Just be sure to add a pinch more to the chicken breasts when salting them.
- Kosher salt: Every type of salt has a different level of saltiness. This recipe has been tested with kosher salt and for best results that’s what we recommend using.
- Fresh herbs: For this recipe fresh is best. Feel free to buy them from the grocery store or pick them from your garden. If you don’t want to buy three separate packs of herbs, buy the poultry herb packet sold at most grocery stores. They usually contain, sage, thyme, and rosemary.
- Flour: Don’t skip it! The little bit of four on the outside of the chicken breasts keeps the chicken from becoming too tough. It kind of acts like a protective coating.
- Chicken breasts: Skip the time consuming process of pounding out the chicken breast. Instead slice them horizontally. Most chicken breasts can be sliced in half but if yours are extra large then go ahead and slice them horizontally into thirds. You want a thin piece of chicken.
🔪 Instructions
Feel free to use a regular non-stick, metal, or cast iron skillet to make this recipe, but I prefer to use an electric skillet due to it's ability to make a large batch all at once.
Prep:
- Start by cleaning and slicing your chicken breasts in half horizontally. No need to pound them thin. Then sprinkle each side of the chicken with kosher salt.
- Wash and chop the herbs.
Cook:
- Turn the skillet on to medium heat (or 350° if using an electric skillet) and place the first 3 tablespoons of butter in to begin melting. While it is melting, dip each chicken breast in the flour and shake to remove as much flour as possible.
- Place chicken pieces in the skillet and allow them to brown on the first side which takes approximately 4-5 minutes. Over the course of cooking, the butter will start to brown on its own. Don't worry, this is a good thing! It adds tons of flavor.
- Add the remaining butter and flip the chicken on to the second side. Sprinkle on the herbs. Continue to cook for 4-5 minutes flipping occasionally. You're ready to serve!
👨👩👧👦 For a crowd
This meal works well when serving a crowd of 6-12, but I don't recommend it for larger groups. It is best served fresh, and to serve more than 12 people you will have to do 3+ rounds of cooking (or use lots of skillets). My favorite skillet for this recipe is this Cuisinart electric skillet (affiliate). It’s oval shape holds 6-8 pieces of chicken comfortably.
🙋 Questions and Answers
A couple quick tips: 1)Be sure to cut them thin and either salt or marinade them. For this recipe, salt is best. 2) After that just be sure not to overcook them. Overcooked chicken breasts will be dry every time. You can always use a thermometer to check your chicken. It's done when it reaches 165°F.
This recipe requires that the chicken breasts be thawed completely.
Chicken breasts are best, but you can use boneless, skinless chicken thighs too. Note that they will take longer to cook through.
🍽 What to serve with skillet chicken breasts
👨🏼🍳 Tips & Tricks
- Use a light hand when flouring the chicken. It should not have a thick coating. Just enough to cover.
- Cook over medium heat. If it is too hot the outside of the chicken breast will cook before the inside is done.
- If using a non-stick pan or skillet, be sure to use rubber tipped tongs. Metal tongs will scratch up your skillet.
- Try to slice the breasts as evenly as possible to ensure that they cook in the same amount of time.
- Be sure to eat the crispy herbs in the skillet. They're the best part!
📖 Other great recipes
- Need to use up herbs, either store-bought or garden grown? Try these flavored butters.
- Want another electric skillet chicken recipe? This Electric Skillet Lemon Chicken is a winner, or this Maple Chicken with Dijon Mustard!
- For another quick weeknight dinner try this Lemon Broccoli Pasta. A wonderful meatless dinner that is done in 25 minutes!
- For a sweet treat nothing is better than a chocolate buttermilk bundt cake! This one is moist and covered in a dreamy chocolate ganache.
- This caramel pecan sauce is made in the microwave for a quick ice cream topping.
👋🏻 Connect with us!
If you try this recipe, please leave a comment and star rating to let us know how it is! We’d also love to connect with you on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest. Tag @borrowedbites or hashtag #borrowedbites to show us your food!
📋 Recipe
Skillet Chicken with Brown Butter and Fresh Herbs
Equipment
- large skillet- electric or stovetop
Ingredients
- 3 chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup flour
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 5 tablespoon butter divided
- ½ cup fresh herbs sage, thyme, rosemary
Instructions
- Cut chicken breasts in half horizontally. Salt both sides of the chicken and allow to sit for 5 minutes.
- Wash and chop the herbs. If you are using only one type of herb use sage.
- While the chicken sits, heat skillet over medium heat. For an electric skillet turn it to 350°. Melt 3 tablespoons of butter. Lightly flour each side of the chicken breast. Shake off excess.
- Place chicken into skillet and allow to cook for 4-5 minutes until golden brown. The butter should be beginning to brown.
- Flip the chicken to the second side and add in additional butter and sprinkle with herbs. Allow to cook an additional 4-5 minutes. Total cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of the chicken breasts.
Notes
- Use a light hand when flouring the chicken. It should not have a thick coating. Just enough to cover.
- Cook over medium heat. If it is too hot the outside of the chicken breast will cook before the inside is done.
- If using a non-stick pan or skillet, be sure to use rubber tipped tongs. Metal tongs will scratch up your skillet.
- Try to slice the breasts as evenly as possible to ensure that they cook in the same amount of time.
- Be sure to eat the crispy herbs in the skillet. They're the best part!
Add Your Own Notes
Nutrition
All nutrition information is provided by a third party and is an estimate only. Use your own nutritional calculator for more specific measurements.
Brenda says
Tender, buttery perfection!!! I’ll never have chicken breast another way!
Misty says
What high praise! Thank you for sharing. We're so glad you enjoyed it.
Sara Smith says
OH. MY. GOODNESS. This chicken was amazing and my family is already asking when we are going to have it again!! So easy and so delicious!!
Misty says
We're so happy you loved it! It's on regular request around here as well.