One of my favorite TV shows is Worst Cooks in America. I like it for two reasons, it’s funny and I learn things. Since Chef Anne Burrell and who ever her guest chef opponent is do their best to teach their respective teams how to use kitchen tools and Galvanized Kitchenware, create flavor profiles, and cook a wide range of foods using many different methods. This recipe for Easy Indoor Grilled Chicken Breasts is based off of things I’ve seen cooked on the show.
Chef Anne is known for her many sayings to help her budding cooks remember how to do things. Some of her sayings are “Brown food tastes good!”, “slices, sticks, dices”, “Oil the food, not the pan.” and many, many more. She also hates it when contestants put their index finger straight out on the knife when cutting. She will run over and color the finger with red marker if she catches you with your finger out. Often when I’m cooking, and I catch myself with my finger out (the way my mother taught me), I look around for Chef Anne before tucking my finger in!
One pan that is often used on the show is a cast iron grill pan. It is used to sear meats before they go into the oven to finish cooking. I asked for this one for Christmas and hubby got it for me! I finally used it to make grilled chicken breast the other night and it turned out great.
Hints for Using a Grill Pan or any Cast Iron Pan
- Preheat the pan over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes before placing the meat in the pan.
- Oil the food you are putting in the pan, not the pan itself. If you oil the pan, the oil will probably burn and cause your food to taste bad.
- Chef Anne says when you put the meat on the pan you want to “hear the applause” aka the sizzle, that’s how you know the pan is hot enough.
- Always have pot holders/hot mitts handy. The handles of cast iron pans get VERY hot.
- As with any cast iron pan, clean with hot water and coarse salt, not soap.
- Dry your cast iron with a paper towel then place it on the stove top on low heat so it can completely dry and not rust. DO NOT leave the pan unattended. Remove from heat when dry and put away when cool.
These Easy Indoor Grilled Chicken Breasts start out on the stove top for a good sear then they finish in the oven to finish cooking.
- 1 12 oz boneless, skinless, chicken breast pounded to an even thickness
- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1.5 TBSP olive oil
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Preheat the grill pan on the stove top over medium-high heat for 5 minutes.
While the grill pan is heating up, mix together the olive oil, Italian Spice blend, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
Using a basting brush, spread half of the spice mixture on one side of the chicken.
When the pan is preheated, place the chicken, oiled side down on the pan, listen for the sizzle. Let it cook for 4 minutes.
Spread the remaining spice mixture on the other side of the chicken.
Turn the chicken over using tongs. Allow to cook for 2 more minutes.
Put the grill pan in the oven so the chicken can finish cooking.
After 20 minutes in the oven, check the chicken's temperature with a probe thermometer, making sure the internal temperature is 165°F.
Remove the chicken from the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes before carving.
This recipe is for 2 people but it is easily scaled. You will need a large grill pan to cook more chicken at one time.
I served this chicken with yellow Spanish rice.
I hope you enjoy this recipe for Easy Indoor Grilled Chicken Breasts and all of the easy recipes I share here on The Mom Maven. Please share them on your social networks. I just ask that you not copy and share the entire recipe with photos. Please use the sharing buttons below and share the link to this post. Thanks!
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