Chicken Breast vs Thigh – In a two-part YouTube video/website series, we are comparing the difference between chicken breasts and chicken thighs. Part one of the video is about the chicken breast. Part 2 is about chicken thighs (boneless and bone-in). We show you the easiest and faster ways to cook them. We pan sear the breast, broil the bone-in thigh and grill the boneless thigh.
I will be upfront and say I am partial to the thigh, especially the boneless, skinless chicken thigh. Chicken thighs have more calories, more fat, less protein than chicken breast. However, each is tasty in its own right. We will cover Chicken Thighs in part 2 of our series.
Part 1 – Chicken Breasts
Chicken Breasts and Thighs
The great thing about a chicken breast is that it can be cooked in a variety of ways: pan-fried, boiled, broiled, grilled, put in a casserole, poached or baked, among others. It can be used in sandwiches, in salads, in soups, and in many other ways and it goes well with a lot of other ingredients.
When buying chicken breasts, get ones that are on the small side, not these huge chicken breasts that look like they have been lifting weights. You can also buy organic chicken breasts, because the texture and flavor are much better, and they are not quite as big.
Pan-Fried Chicken Breast in Cast Iron Pan
One tip: allow chicken breasts to come to room temperature before cooking. If you don’t, it will cause the breast to cook unevenly and possibly get undercooked and dried out.
Big chicken breasts are almost impossible to cook evenly. By the time the inside is cooked through, the outside is overcooked. The answer to this problem is to pound them a bit to make them flat and even.
How Do I Pound Chicken Breasts?
Lay a piece of parchment paper or plastic wrap down, place the chicken breast on top, and cover with another piece of plastic wrap that overlaps the chicken. Use the flat side of a meat mallet or a rolling pin to firmly pound down and to the side.
Pounding Chicken Breast
The goal is to make the boneless chicken breast more even. Don’t pound it into a pancake. Just make it so the breast is even all the way across, so it cooks quickly and more evenly.
Equipment
- Cast Iron Pan
- Kitchen Mallet for pounding
Ingredients
- 2 Skinless Chicken Breasts
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp Seasoning spice, such as Emeril's Essence to taste
Instructions
- Gently pound chicken breasts with a kitchen mallet, so it looks even in size2 Skinless Chicken Breasts
- Heat oil in cast iron (or similar) pan1 tbsp Olive oil
- Salt & pepper both sides of the breastsSalt & Pepper to taste
- Use seasoning spice also on both sides1 tbsp Seasoning spice, such as Emeril's Essence
- Pan-sear the breasts for 4 minutes on one side. Do not touch.
- Turn the breasts over at the 4-minute mark and sear the other side for an additional 4 minutes. (about 8-9 minutes total)
- Use an instant-read thermometer to check that the breasts are at 155 degrees
- At 155 degrees, remove breasts from pan and let rest for 4-5 minutes. The temperature will continue to increase to 160 degrees.
- Slice on the bias and serve with a side salad or green vegetable.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Cooking Secrets for Men
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Be sure to watch both parts of our two-part series – Chicken Breast vs Thigh. Part 2 – Chicken Thighs can be found here.
If you like this recipe for Juicy Pan Fried Chicken Breasts, you should try one of our recipes for Chicken Thighs. Like Boiled Chicken Thighs in 15 minutes or try Boneless Chicken Thighs with Jerk sauce
You can submit your own special recipe to us. We would love to recreate it and give you the credit. And make a YouTube Video. Just go to this link “Recipe & YouTube Suggestions”. And at the top of our home page. Click this link for an example of a Recipe Submission from a Subscriber.
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Part 2- Chicken Thighs is up next
I prefer chicken thighs over breast because of the moistness of the thighs. But lately, chicken thighs are so huge they look like they were raised at a nuclear power plant.
Bernadette, I agree, which is why my first comment about boneless thighs is to cut them in half. Still a decent size for a portion and you get twice as many!