How to Prepare and Cook Chicken Breasts in an Oven Broiler
Broiling a chicken breast in your oven is a basic kitchen skill that once mastered, will serve you well time and time again. When done correctly, broiled chicken breasts are tender, succulent and versatile enough to use in a variety of dishes. Pair hot chicken breasts with a vegetable or tossed green salad and rolls for a hot and healthy meal for your family, or incorporate the broiled chicken breasts into a variety of delicious sandwiches, pastas or salads. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Chicken breasts
- Knife
- Cutting board
- Waxed paper or plastic wrap
- Meat mallet or heavy object
- Salt, pepper or other seasonings
- Broiler pan with rack
- Vegetable oil or olive oil
- Tongs
- Barbecue sauce or olive oil (optional)
- Meat thermometer
Instructions
-
-
1
Cut larger chicken breasts so that all of your chicken breasts are similar in size. Broiling chicken breasts of similar sizes will ensure that cooking time is approximately the same.
-
2
Flatten thicker chicken breasts, as thicker meat will take longer to cook, and the outside of the chicken may be done cooking while the meat inside is still pink. Place the thick chicken breasts between two pieces of waxed paper or plastic wrap, then pound the breasts with meat mallet, using the flat side of the mallet. If you don't have a meat mallet, pound the chicken with a heavy object such as a cast iron frying pan. The breasts should be about 1/4 inch thick.
-
-
3
Pre-heat your oven broiler for about eight to 10 minutes.
-
4
Season your chicken breasts, as desired. Use salt and pepper, or use the seasoning of your choice, such as sea salt, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, dried thyme or dried rosemary. Place the chicken breasts on the rack of your broiler pan. Don't line the broiler rack with aluminum foil, as the juices of the chicken need to run freely into the bottom of the pan.
-
5
Coat your broiler rack with vegetable oil or olive oil, then place the chicken breasts on the rack of the broiler pan with the skin side down. Adjust your oven rack if necessary, as the tops of the chicken breasts should be about 5 to 6 inches from the broiler.
-
6
Broil the breasts until the top is brown, which will take about five or six minutes, depending on the thickness of the meat. Watch the breasts closely and check them often, as some breasts will need to be turned sooner than others.
-
7
Turn the chicken breasts, using a pair of tongs. Avoid turning the breasts with a fork, as piercing the skin will cause the meat to lose juices, resulting in drier chicken. At this point, the chicken can be cooked "as is," or you can brush the chicken lightly with barbecue sauce or olive oil.
-
8
Broil the chicken breasts until the both sides are brown and the internal meat temperature has reached 160 degrees Fahrenheit. If you don't have a meat thermometer, cook the chicken breasts until the juices are no longer pink and the meat is opaque.
-
1
References
- Photo Credit Grilled Chicken Breast with Potato,roasted Onion 4 image by Svenja98 from Fotolia.com
