Pan Cooked Chicken

lots of good ideas, & here's one more: I do use a small amount of olive oil, medium heat. Towards the end of cooking, I place a lid on the skillet & let the meat steam. The chicken is never tough/dry. Good Luck.

Try pounding the chicken out first, or slicing the breast in half so that it is thinner. You will have less cook time, about 5 minutes per side. And use a med-high heat. Good luck!

You could pan-sear it, then add some liquid, like stock or wine. Then, once the chicken is cooked, reduce the cooking liquid for a nice sauce.

I have never pan fried a boneless chicken breast but we do grill them on the barbeque...and we always do a little pre-cooking in the microwave before hand. We cover them with warm water ( completely cover them!!!) and cook them on high from 2 - 5 minutes...depending upon how many we are fixing. It seems to make them come out a lot juicier and tender because we dont have to cook them nearly as long.
Maybe this will work for pan frying too!!!
R. Ann

It has to due alot with time. You can not over cook no more than undercook chicken or pork. Breast should be cooked over med heat and use a meat thermomature to determine doneness. Also once the chicken has a bit of carmelized color reduce heat add a bit of chicken stock to the pan a few tablespoons. Good luck.

If your chicken turns out dry and tough, you are just cooking it too long. If you don't have a meat thermometer, get one so that you can check the temperature of the meat for doneness. You can get them at walmart or most grocery stores and they are only a couple dollars. Also, remember that the meat will continue to cook for a few minutes after you take it out of the pan so while it might look perfect when you take it out of the pan, by the time you get it to the table, it is over done. Here is another easy recipe done in the oven.

Place chicken in baking dish, spread some ranch dressing on top, season with basil, oregano, and parsley. Sprinkle a little parmasen cheese on top and throw it in the oven for about 45 minutes at 350 degrees, uncovered. Turns out moist and super yummy!

You are probably cooking it a bit too long. Check this site out for cooking times: http://www.perdue.com/handling/chicken_parts_boneless.html

I would also look into purchasing a meat thermometer. The one I have came from Pampered Chef and has a nice sticker on the case which gives me the internal done temps. So no having to remember them.

Carrie before you cook it beat it with a meat mallot, it will tnderize it and you will have a much better product.

A couple things that might help you soften your chicken up a little:

1) Marinating it all day, like in Italian dressing
2) Boil your chicken in water first, then fry it in seasoning for a short time, just to get the taste!

Good luck!

I have success having tender chicken by first microwave some butter until melted and add some garlic salt for seasoning. Next, I roll some crackers ( I use town house) in a ziplock bag until finely ground. I roll chicken pieces in butter then the cracker mixture. I cook them on medium heat with olive oil approx. ten minutes on each side. Once nicely browned, I lower the heat to low and cover pan with a lid and cook for another ten minutes. I use chicken tenders from Sams so if you use full size chicken breats you may have to cook a little longer. You can tell when they are tender enouugh for you by sticking a fork in the center. Hope you will find this helpful.

This may sound crazy, but give it a try and you will not regret it... make sure you season your chicken first with garlic, oregano, pepper, onion, I add a bit of boullion and Worschister sauce (let it sit in that marinade for 15-30min) and then take the pieces and STEAM them! yes, steam them for about 15 minutes, THEN and only then you fry the chicken to give it color... it makes the chicken suuuuper tender... Good Luck. You can also try to save the sauce left over from the marinade and mix it in the fried pieces... let it simmer with a bit of water and tomato paste and it just will melt in your mouth.

Hi Carrie, have you tried putting the chicken in a plastic bag or inbetween plastic wrap and beating it down to make it even. It also helps tenderize it too. When it is even it cooks even too and won't be so tough. I've even cut mine into chunks and then cooking it. Good luck and God Bless.

You are just overcooking it. Use a meat thermometer. I would start with a hot pan at med at my oil then add the chicken when the oil is hot. Don't cook it on high. It will cook the outside but the inside will be raw. Med to med low sure work fine. Once it is brown on one side 5 minutes or so flip it over & let brown. Now use the meat thermometer & turn the heat down if it isn't quite done so you won't burn it.

Hi, Carrie! I buy the Tenderbird chicken breasts at Schnuck's or Shop-N-Save, they come in a 3lb bag, are individually quick frozen, so you can take out as many as you need...no need to thaw...cook from frozen!...and they are VERY good, easy and convenient. I have yet to cook one of these..no matter how I cook them..where they've come out dry. They're ALWAYS tender and juicy...I love them! I put a little butter/margarine (I use the Butterific from Shop-N-Save), add my spices, mix the spices up with the melted butter, lay the chicken breasts on top, cook covered, on low-medium heat for about 5 minutes, flip them over, and cook until the inside is no longer pink. They cook very quickly, yet they always come out tender and juicy, and they're usually very large pieces! Since I've found these, I haven't bought the fresh chicken in the package, as to me they're too tough and dry. AND they're currently on sale at Shop-N-Save for $5/3 lb bag good thru the Saturday the 21st...can't beat that! You can find them in the center freezers by the meat department. Good luck!

From my experience, I'd say you are cooking it for too long.

Just wanted to say, I have the same problem! My husband can do it, but for some reason I can't. The only way I can keep mine from drying out is to marinate it first. Lots of good suggestions here - I'll have to try some!

I cook in a pan as well but have to consistently add water and the seasonings and turns out juicy and tender.
Give it a shot!!

Hi Carrie! You may want to try Reynolds bags...You do this in the oven though. I have done turkeys and hams and they are always so juicy and tender! Same spices and seasonings as you regularly like. YUM! Good luck:)

Carrie, try marinading it first. If you don't want the salt in the marinade, I just started using Mrs Dash salt free marinades. I sometimes will marinade the chicken all day, then put in in a frying pan on low with a lid on and it is very tender, also great on the grill. Good luck.

Keep a little bit of water in pan at all times will help. I also take a fork and poke a few holes in it and put a little bit of lemon juice on it. It goes into the holes and then goes into the meat and helps keep it moist/juicy. Then season to taste. A friend of mine, who is a cook, will make a mixture of lemon, orange and grapefruit juices and does the same thing. It makes the chicken so yummy!

Bake insted of frying....much healthier too. Lemon juice, a little olive oil, S&P, and rosemary. A favorite at our house.

You're just over cooking a bit.
I don't use a meat thermometer, so I don't know what the proper temp is, but I just cook until the pink is gone.
If you pierce one with a fork in the center, and the juices run clear, cut it open with a knife. If it is white and not pink, it is done.
After doing this a few times, you'll get a "feel" for it and not need to cut it open any more to test.

Marinades are a good idea, too, but even they will not help if the meat is over-cooked.

Best wishes !

I buy frozen chicken tenders and they cook up in abut 5-10 minutes in a pan with olive oil. I prefer the tenders because they are skinnier and cook up faster. I like to "bread" them in store bought bread crumbs and they cook up very yummy. I do always cut open the biggest piece to make sure the juices run clear. Cook the chicken on medium heat with the lid off, and set your timer for 5 minutes, after the first 5 minutes, flip them over and set your timer for an additional 3-5 minutes.
V.

I always use a non-stick pan and don't put any oil in the pan, if you cover the pan you will have enough natural pan drippings, also don't over cook, it will get tough.

use a lid to keep the moisture from escaping.

Try this recipe... it's really really great. http://bunsinmyoven.com/2009/03/05/faux-grilled-chicken/c...
It requires stuff you probably already have in your home.

You can try adding some oil to the pan.. not a lot though. Also, you should marinade the chicken first. It makes it moist and adds a lot of flavor. You can also try baking it (cover the pan with foil) I usually bake it in the marinade at 350 for about 20 minutes. You can also try dumping a can of soup over the chicken when it's about 3/4 of the way cooked. Cover, and simmer until the chicken is fully cooked. I use brocoli soup and serve it over rice.