How to cook chicken on the stove

When you need a quick and healthy meal.  Simply cook chicken on the stove top and you’re done in 30 minutes, from start to finish. 

Cooking chicken in the pan was the first way I learned to cook at my parents chicken shop.  It was schnitzel, but the technique applies to both uncrumbed thigh and breast fillets. 

I learnt the importance of preparing the chicken so it’s a consistent thickness, to have the correct temperature and not to overcrowd the pan.

Today we are going to be cooking chicken breast fillets in a pan, on the stove.  I’ll go over how to prepare, cook, serve and store the meal.

Equipment

• Frying pan
• Tongs
•  chopping board
•  Timer
•  meat thermometer
•  bowl
• Sharp knife

Ingredients

• 1 kg / 2.2 pounds Chicken Breast Fillets
• 4 tbsp Olive oil  
• Salt
• pepper

How to cook chicken on the stove

Start by washing your chicken breast fillets and removing any fat from the top and underside of the fillets.

Since we’ll be cooking these in a frying pan and using oil I suggest patting the breast fillets dry with a paper towel.  This will help reduce any splatter from water hitting the hot oil,  which as you know can be dangerous. 

You will notice the breast fillet is not the same thickness all the way through.  We have the top half of the breast fillet which is the thickest and it tapers down to a very thin point at the other end. 

There’s a couple ways we can go about making the fillet more even.  

If breasts fillets are small to medium-sized, Place a chopping board on a tea towel and use a meat tenderiser or something heavy like a rolling pin to bash the thicker part of the fillet so the whole fillet is the same thickness.

TIP: So you don’t end up with chicken all over the kitchen floor.  

Cover the chicken with some cling wrap or place it in a Ziploc bag so it contains the splatter.   if you do use cling wrap, which is the more economical choice,  take an extra large piece and fold it over a couple of times, that way when you are hitting the chicken it won’t pierce the plastic.

When flattening the chicken you only need to hit the thickest part and it will start to even out. Try to get it as uniform as possible that way you will make cooking the chicken easier  because you will cook more  evenly. 

If the breast fillets are very large the best way to deal with them is to evenly slice the breast fillets horizontally in half,  if done correctly you will have two  mirror images of the breast fillet.   Do not cut the breast fillet vertically up and down as you’ll have a very thick piece and a very thin piece.

Next would be to season your breast fillet. You can keep it simple and just use salt and pepper.  Lemon & pepper also works well or you can marinate it. 

TIP: If you do intend to marinate the breast fillets. To minimise on cleanup,  use a very large Ziploc bag for both the flattening and marinating. 

Here is the quick run down. Place your breast fillets in the bag, flatten them, once you’ve done all the breast fillets pop them all into the Ziploc bag and pour in your marinade and massage it into the fillets, letting them sit in your refrigerator for at least 2 hrs before cooking.

When it comes time to cook your chicken on the stove,  use at least a  10 inch pan, add some olive oil to coat the base roughly 2 tablespoons, and put the heat medium to high. This will depend on the size of your burner.  if you’re getting too much splatter while cooking turn it down a little bit.

Place your breast fillets in the pan and depending on the size you can fit 2 to 3 breast fillets.  It’s important to not overcrowd the pan so the chicken has enough room to cook. 

How do you tell when it’s time to flip?

Some people will tell you to cook breast fillets about 5 to 7 minutes each side.  This is a good guide, but a better way of telling when it’s time to flip is to look at the breast fillet side on. When it’s raw the breast fillet is pinkish in colour.  As it starts to cook the side that is closest to the pan starts to become white and then brown  When the white cooked meat reaches about halfway you know that’s the right time to flip it. 

How do you know when it’s cooked?

The simplest way to tell if you’re breast fillet is cooked, cut into the thickest part of the fillet.  When you cut into it,  if you see white and no blood and only clear juice is coming out you know it’s cooked.  If you have the luxury of a meat thermometer the thickest part of the chicken should be 75 Celsius or 165 Fahrenheit.

Serving Suggestions for pan cooked chicken

If you are into clean eating, serving your breast fillet with steam rice and vegetables is quick, easy and excellent for meal prepping.  

You could also make a garden salad and toss cut up bits of breast fillet into the salad.

A favourite of mine is in baguette add chicken breast, lettuce, cheese, tomato and chilli mayonnaise.

Storing your stove cooked chicken

I love to meal prep when I cook this way and placing a complete meal in an airtight containers for an easy meal during the week. 

Make sure to let the chicken completely cool down before you put them in a container. I put a couple in the fridge to use straight away and the rest in the freezer.   

If you are short on space then I freeze the breast fillets individually in layers in a container or Ziploc bag with baking paper in between so they don’t stick. Removing a few at a time to defrost and placed into a meal.

Frequently Asked Questions using a stove top to cook chicken