With its crispy skin and juicy meat, this skin-on chicken breast is amazing. Such golden brown, buttery goodness!
This is chicken perfection, and it's ready in about 35 minutes, making it ideal for a weeknight dinner.
I've been making chicken breast for many years now. I used to think it was dry and bland until I learned how to bake chicken breast that actually came out juicy.
Then I upgraded it even more. I started making interesting variations, all of them excellent. Such as Cajun chicken, parmesan-crusted chicken, bacon-wrapped chicken, and blackened chicken.
I still prefer duck breast or even turkey breast, but now that I've started making skin-on chicken breast, I'm completely enamored. In fact, this recipe has quickly become one of my favorite ways to cook chicken. I tend to make it about once a week, and no one complains!
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Ingredients
You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this tasty chicken recipe. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:
Chicken breast: I use boneless but skin-on pieces in this recipe.
Sea salt and black pepper: If you use kosher salt, you can use a little more of it.
Avocado oil: This oil has a neutral flavor and a high smoke point, making it an ideal cooking oil.
Butter: Salted or unsalted, whatever you have on hand.
Spices: Garlic powder, paprika, and dried thyme.
Instructions
This is such an easy recipe! Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps:
- Your first step is to season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper.
- Next, cook them in an oven-safe skillet, skin side down, to crisp up the skin.
- Now turn the heat off. Turn the chicken pieces and add the butter and spices to the skillet. Spoon the tasty sauce on the chicken.
- The last step is to place the skillet in a 450°F oven and roast the chicken until cooked through, for about 10 minutes.
- Spoon the pan juices on top and serve.
Expert tip
To ensure crispy skin, I sauté the chicken first, skin side down. Then I roast it in the oven until it's fully cooked. The crispy skin is a delicacy!
This is a somewhat annoying extra step, and I'll admit that my go-to chicken recipe is still the basic boneless skinless baked chicken breast. It's just so easy and versatile. But when I'm inspired to invest just a little more in making dinner, this recipe s absolutely wonderful.
Frequently asked questions
The ones I use have the skin intact, but they are boneless. I haven't tried making this recipe with bone-in chicken.
I don't recommend that. Finishing the dish in the oven ensures the chicken is fully cooked on the inside after you've crisped up the skin.
Pan-frying chicken breasts typically requires either flattening them or butterflying them. And you'd need to cook them for longer over lower heat. In other words, that would be an entirely different recipe!
I typically find it at Whole Foods. It's not usually pre-packaged but you can ask the butcher for it. And if they don't have it, they can order it for you.
Variations
The best way to vary this recipe is by using different spices. I like to use garlic powder, paprika, and dried thyme. Other interesting options include onion powder, dried oregano, chili powder, and ground cumin.
Serving suggestions
This is such a versatile main dish. It truly goes with anything. But since I bake it in a 450°F oven, I like to serve it with side dishes that I can bake in the same oven.
So I often serve it with buffalo cauliflower, carrot chips, or roasted bell peppers.
Storing leftovers
You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 3-4 days, although the skin does lose its crispiness. I usually remove the skin and shred the meat to use as a salad topping.
Sometimes I cube the meat and use it in a chicken cobb salad. Another option is to gently reheat the leftovers in a 250°F oven.
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Recipe Card
Skin-On Chicken Breast
Ingredients
- 2 boneless skin-on chicken breasts 8 oz each
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 450 degrees F.
- Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels and season them on both sides with salt and pepper.
- Heat the oil in an oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat, for about 3 minutes.
- Place the chicken breasts in the hot skillet, skin side down. Cook without moving them until the skin is crisp and golden brown, about 5 minutes.
- Turn the heat off but leave the skillet on the hot burner for now. Turn the chicken breasts skin side up.
- Add the butter to the skillet - it will melt immediately. Swirl it into the pan juices, then spoon the pan juices on top of the chicken breasts and sprinkle them with garlic powder, paprika, and dried thyme.
- Transfer the skillet to the oven. Bake the chicken for 10-12 minutes, until cooked through and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 165 degrees F.
- Remove the skillet from the oven and transfer the chicken to a cutting board. Loosely cover with foil. Allow the chicken to rest for 5 minutes.
- Slice the chicken, arrange on plates, spoon the pan juices on top and serve.
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Nutrition per Serving
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Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, and Country Living. 
Rox
Delicious crispy skin. Juicy breast. I forgot to debone breast. Didn't seem to matter.
Vered DeLeeuw
I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Rox! Thank you for letting us know that this recipe works with bone-in chicken breast.
Alicia
Absolutely wonderful! The only change I made was using dried oregano instead of thyme. This is now my go-to chicken recipe!
Vered DeLeeuw
Glad you liked it, Alicia! Thank you for leaving a comment.
Erik
This was such a lovely dish! I paired it with your mashed cauliflower. My wife RAVED about it, and she's not usually a fan of chicken.
Vered DeLeeuw
I'm so glad you and your wife enjoyed this recipe, Erik!