Easy Skillet Chicken Recipe + Garlic Butter Sauce Cooking Classy (2024)

FAQs

Should I saute chicken in butter or oil? ›

Can you cook chicken with butter instead of oil? You have to cook chicken at a lower temperature if you bake or pan-fry chicken using butter instead of oil. This is because butter has a lower scorching temperature. Your chicken will cook more slowly, but it's also likely to be juicier and full of more flavor.

Pan-fried chicken breast recipe

Take off the cling film and season well. 2. Heat the oil in a frying pan then add the chicken breasts (skin-side down, if they have skin) and cook for 2-3 minutes or until browned. Then turn over, cover and cook on the other side for 7-8 minutes or until cooked through.

Because it browns easily and can burn when cooked at high temperatures, butter is usually unsuitable for dishes that require a high cooking temperature. Instead, cooking oils are the best option and there are a variety of choices available from peanut oil, to avocado oil, vegetable oil and olive oil.

But which one — butter or oil? Each is best suited for different kinds of sautéing: When cooking over very high heat, use oil, which is less likely to burn. When sautéing with medium-high heat, you may opt for butter, which adds a nice flavor.

Without a cover, the heat can directly reach the surface of the chicken, resulting in a desirable golden-brown color and crispy texture. Browning and caramelization. Not having a cover promotes browning and caramelization, which adds depth of flavor to the chicken.

Low and slow cooking methods like braising, stewing, or smoking are most effective when trying to create tender, succulent chicken.

Chicken breasts must be at room temperature before going in the pan as cold chicken can cook unevenly and tends to be tough. Allow the chicken breast to sit out for 20 minutes. That should do the trick.

Covering the skillet does make a racket, though — it's the drops of condensed moisture dropping into the oil that create all that carrying-on.” “I cover the skillet for the first half of cooking time, then uncover it for the second half. As soon as I get all my chicken pieces in the skillet, I cover it,” Anderson said.

Fry chicken pieces until done, about 20-30 minutes, turning pieces so they brown evenly. Chicken should reach an internal temperature of 180°F and should no longer be pink at the bone, juices should run clear. Cooking time will vary by size of pieces. Larger pieces will take longer to cook.

In 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat about 2 cups oil (1/4 inch) over medium-high heat. Cook chicken in oil, skin sides down, about 10 minutes or until light brown; reduce heat to low.

Is it healthier to cook chicken in butter or olive oil? ›

The bottom line. The health differences between butter and olive oil have a lot to do with the types of fat they contain and where that fat comes from. Because olive oil comes from a plant, it has unique health benefits from nutrients like polyphenols — which aren't found in butter.

For one thing, butter is made up of 63% saturated fat, whereas olive oil only has 14%. Olive oil also contains heart-healthy monounsaturated good fats and antioxidants. Butter's high saturated fat content, on the other hand, is shown in studies to lead to heart disease and other health issues.

For savory dishes where meat or vegetables are cooked on the stovetop or in the oven (like sautéing, pan frying, or roasting), you can almost always swap out butter for olive oil. Keep in mind that extra-virgin olive oil has a strong flavor that is very different from butter.

Her recommendation is to save cooking with butter for when it's really going to add to the dish. As a rule of thumb, she says if either one can be used, go for olive oil. "When able to, cut back on butter and replace it with olive oil as you gain the nutrient-dense benefits highlighted in the study," she says.