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This Foolproof Grilled Rosemary Chicken is fast, easy and consistent! Moist, juicy chicken breasts in just under 12 minutes! Don’t miss a professional chef’s tips for perfect chicken every single time.
We all need a fail-safe, go-to chicken breast recipe and this is it! Perfectly cooked chicken in 12 minutes? Now that is something worth getting excited about! It is delicious enough for entertaining but easy enough for weeknight cooking. Just throw my go-to roasted acorn squash slices in the oven and some quinoa pilaf on the stove for an easy dinner.
I abhor dry chicken, so over the years I have developed some easy cooking methods that consistently deliver moist, juicy chicken with minimal risk of over-cooking. The secret is in the sear and cooking the breasts under the weight of a cast iron pan.
A simple rub of salt, pepper and fresh rosemary are all you need to create a flavorful grilled rosemary chicken breast that is as good on a salad as it is on its own! And if you’re starting from a whole chicken, I’ve got you covered with this easy deboning video.
The pan-sear and then bake method is one of my favorites like in this Baked Chicken Marinara or this Maple Chipotle Barbecued Chicken. I also use this method in my Spicy Peach Pork Chops and their sassy cousin’s, Mustard Crusted Pork Chops!
I always make a few extra breasts to slice up for lunch. It is the perfect topping for this Grapefruit Kale & Avocado Salad or my Grilled Onion Strawberry Salad! I also add it to this Healthy Kale and Cabbage Slaw salad and sundried tomato pasta to eat on repeat in the Summer.
Foolproof Grilled Rosemary Chicken
Ingredients
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ½ tablespoons rosemary chopped
- 2 skinless boneless chicken breasts
Instructions
- Preheat your grill pan (or grill) over medium heat until it is searing hot.
- While your pan preheats, chop your rosemary and combine with salt and pepper in a little bowl. Rinse and pat your chicken breasts dry and rub the rosemary mix on both sides. Set aside until your pan is finished heating.
- When it is searing hot, brush olive oil over the grates with a heat proof grill brush.
- Immediately place both chicken breasts in the grill pan towards the center but not touching. Place a 10” cast iron skillet on top of the chicken. You should cover the bottom of your skillet with aluminum foil for easy cleanup and zero cross contamination. Cook on first side for 5 minutes.
- Remove skillet and swap out the foil, flip chicken and place skillet back on top of the chicken. Cook for an additional 4-6 minutes. For medium sized breasts I usually cook it a total of 8 minutes. Be sure to test with an instant read thermometer or, if you cook chicken frequently, you can probably press on it and know when it’s done.
- Remove from skillet, tent loosely with foil, and let rest 10 minutes before cutting.
- Done! How easy was that?!
Video
Nutrition
Before You Go
I hope you enjoyed this professional chef-tested recipe. Check out our other delicious, chef-developed chicken recipes, or head straight over to my ground chicken burgers next!
