Pan Seared Chicken Breast with Garlic Parmesan Sauce
A Pan Seared Chicken Breast is one of the easiest entrees you can make! Tender chicken breasts are pan seared to golden brown perfection on the outside while still being juicy on the inside. They’re served in a creamy parmesan sauce that’s incredibly simple, yet oh so satisfying and WAY better than store-bought sauces!
Pan Seared Chicken Breast
If you’re looking for an easy dinner recipe that the whole family will love, you need to make some Pan Seared Chicken Breasts! This protein-packed entree is super simple and approved by all of the picky eaters in my house. When cooked on your stovetop using these easy to follow steps, chicken breasts always turn out beautifully golden on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside.
Let’s be honest… We’ve all overcooked chicken breasts at some point. It’s a tricky balancing act! You don’t ever want to serve raw or under cooked chicken because of the salmonella risk, so you leave it on the heat for a little bit too long. The result? Dry, tough, and flavorless chicken. We’ve all been there before! This easy recipe helps you avoid that with cooking times and some helpful tips, the biggest of which is to always use a meat thermometer when cooking chicken!
The sauce is what elevates this simple recipe to a whole new level of delicious. Thick, creamy white sauce features parmesan as the main ingredient and compliments this chicken entree in the most incredible way. It’s a hassle-free sauce that’s honestly pretty hard to mess up, so don’t be nervous! Put down that store-bought jar of lackluster sauce and treat yourself to this mouthwatering parmesan sauce that you’ll want to coat every single bite of your chicken with.
How to Make Pan Seared Chicken Breast
You’ll love making this easy dinner recipe time and time again! It’s dependable, simple, and always satisfying.
- Prepare the chicken. Pat the raw chicken with paper towels before seasoning on both sides.
- Cook the chicken. Heat the oil and butter in a skillet over medium high heat. Cook until golden brown (about 5-7 minutes), then flip and repeat the process on the other side. Continue to cook until the chicken registers 165°F on a thermometer. Once cooked, transfer the chicken to a separate plate and keep warm.
- Make the Garlic Parmesan Sauce. Lower the heat to medium low and add butter. Stir in the garlic, then sprinkle in the cornstarch. Lower the heat to low and whisk in the chicken stock until thickened. Stir in the lemon juice and half and half. Simmer until thickened. Stir in the cheese and seasonings until smooth.
- Enjoy! Return the chicken to the pan and let it warm through for about 5 minutes or so. Serve immediately, and enjoy!
How do I know when chicken is fully cooked?
Always use an instant read thermometer. When the thermometer is inserted into the thickest part of the chicken breast and reads 165°F, the chicken is fully cooked and ready to eat.
Don’t eat it before it reaches that temperature! Eating raw or under cooked chicken is a huge health risk. With that being said, for taste purposes, you also don’t want to overcook it. If it goes well over 165°F, the chicken will likely be dried out and tough.
Serving Suggestions
The great thing about this recipe is how versatile it is! You can plate it with so many different side dishes. As you can see in the pictures, I like to keep things simple with Steamed Broccoli and a heartier side like Potatoes Romanoff or an easy Hash Brown Casserole. You could also serve your chicken over egg noodles or rice to help absorb all of that sauce! After all, you won’t want a drop of that stuff going to waste.
Enjoy more of my favorite easy chicken dinner recipes!
- How to Make Rotisserie Chicken
- Chicken Paprikash
- Cheesy Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast
- BBQ Chicken Breasts
- Marry Me Chicken
For more easy chicken breast recipes, follow us on Instagram and Facebook!
Get the Recipe: Pan Seared Chicken Breast Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
- 1 tablespoon kosher Salt
- 1/2 tablespoon black pepper
- 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
For the Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 cup half and half
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and Pepper, to taste
- Parsley, chopped, for garnish (Optional)
Equipment
- 1 skillet
Instructions
- Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel and arrange on a plate. Season both sides of the chicken evenly with salt, pepper and garlic powder.
- Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet over medium high heat.
- Place the chicken in the skillet and cook until golden brown, approximately 5-7 minutes.
- Flip the chicken over and sear on the opposite side. Continue to cook until the chicken is golden and registers 165˚F on an instant read thermometer.
- Transfer the chicken to a platter and keep warm.
- Turn the heat to medium low and add the butter to the pan.
- Once melted, stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Sprinkle the cornstarch in the pan and cook for an additional 30 seconds.
- Turn the heat to low and whisk in the chicken stock continuing to whisk until slightly thickened.
- Stir in the lemon and the half and half.
- Continue to simmer for 3-4 minutes until the sauce begins to thicken.
- Stir in the cheese and garlic powder. Continue to stir until the sauce is smooth.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Return the chicken to the pan and cook on low for 5 minutes until the chicken is warmed through.
- Serve immediately with the sauce.