Chicken is the most popular protein to cook with. It’s versatile, delicious, and nutritious. You just need to keep the variety in the mix. To help, these are our 5 best ways to cook chicken breasts. There are many cuts of chicken from legs and thighs, to tenders and wings, but breasts tend to be one the easiest and juiciest cuts. The size allows for a good crisp cook while retaining the moisture. It can also be cut up into tenders or cubes for a variety of uses.
There are thousands of chicken recipes out there. We have our own set of favorite chicken recipes as well. Check out this blog post next for our top chicken recipes:

Why Meal Prep Chicken Thighs
Meal prep better tasting and more nutritious chicken! The secret is meal prep chicken thighs. Chicken thighs are a less common cut of chicken so it’s generally more affordable. With the price of groceries what it is, every little bit of savings helps. Chicken thighs can be up to a third of the price of chicken…
We even wrote a specific article just for chicken thighs, a very underrated cut of chicken. You should definitely consider this post as you work through chicken recipes.

Top 10 Meal Prep Chicken Recipes
Chicken is an amazingly versatile and healthy ingredient with a delicious flavor so we pulled our top 10 meal prep chicken recipes into a convenient list. Our chicken recipes come from many cuisines to provide a ton of variety, with easy cooking instructions. Don’t know where to start or getting fatigued on your current meal…
5 Best ways to cook chicken breasts
Pan-seared chicken
Pan-searing chicken is first in our list of the 5 best ways to cook chicken breasts for a couple of reasons. First, it gives a golden brown sear while locking the juice inside. The sear imparts so much flavor and the moist meat has the perfect texture.
Second, it allows for a lot of control over flavor and flexibility as you’re cooking it. This is a great cooking skill to work on as pan-seared chicken can be added to any dish to make it more delicious and nutritious.
Tips
- Hammer or flatten the chicken to a uniform thickness for an even cook.
- Let the chicken rest for a few minutes after removing from heat to lock in the flavor.
General Pan-searing Instructions
- Step 1: Heat a tablespoon of olive oil or butter in a skillet over medium-high heat.
- Step 2: Season the chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and other seasonings of choice (like garlic powder or paprika).
- Step 3: Place the chicken breasts in the skillet, smooth side down. Cook for 6-7 minutes without moving them.
- Step 4: Flip and cook the other side for another 5-7 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F (75°C).
Oven baked chicken
Oven baked chicken is healthier and it’s better for cooking in bulk. This makes it a better option for meal prep. It’s also incredibly versatile with many different ways to flavor/cook the chicken in an oven, on a baking sheet, in a casserole dish, on a rack, with veggies, in a sauce. You can also marinade the chicken beforehand to add flavor and moisture.
Oven baked chicken is also much easier. Check the thickness of the chicken and match the cooking time. Set it and forget it. Little effort, maximum flavor. It’s also a little more forgiving than pan-searing chicken.
Tips
- Baste your chicken to avoid dryness.
General Oven Baking Instructions
- Step 1: Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Step 2: Season or marinate your chicken breasts, then place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or foil.
- Step 3: Bake for 20-25 minutes, depending on the thickness, until the internal temperature reaches 165°F (75°C).
Grilled chicken
This is another favorite among the 5 best ways to cook chicken. Grilled chicken mixes the flavor of chicken with the flavors of the grill. You also get such a crispy skin with a succulent inside. It’s easy to gauge, it’s flexible, and you can continue to baste for flavor or just let it smoke. After grilling you can slice it up and enjoy it in sandwiches, salads, and more. You can easily grill a lot of chicken quickly so it’s perfect for meal prep.
Tips
- Butterfly thick breasts for an more even cook that’s faster, or flatten the chicken before cooking.
General Grilling Instructions
- Step 1: Preheat your grill to medium-high heat.
- Step 2: Season or marinate the chicken breasts. Brush them with oil to prevent sticking.
- Step 3: Grill each side for about 5-6 minutes until grill marks appear and the chicken reaches 165°F (75°C).
Slow cooked chicken
Slow cooker or crock pot chicken, is the easiest of the 5 best ways to cook chicken breasts . It doesn’t require any attention and it’s the most forgiving cooking method. Add your chicken breasts to a crock pot, add stock, or water, or tomato sauce, or marinade or anything. That’s all that you need for great chicken but it’s even better with some spices and veggies added. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of crock pot chicken recipes and such a wide variety. From chicken soups to chicken chilis or even just pulled chicken that you can keep in the fridge and add to any other meal, crock pot chicken is such a great option for meal prep.
Slow Cooker Instructions
- Step 1: Place chicken breasts in a slow cooker along with a cup of broth, salsa, or sauce for flavor.
- Step 2: Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours or on high for 2-3 hours until the chicken is tender and easily shreds with a fork.
Fried chicken
A crowd favorite, fried chicken may not be the healthiest but it is one of the most delicious. There are ways to make it a little healthier. Instead of deep fry, do a shallow fry. It takes a little longer, requires a flip of the chicken, but doesn’t absorb as much oil. You can also coat the chicken in less batter. This also helps reduce the amount of oil that is absorbed.
Another option is use an air fryer which can be much healthier although it doesn’t really work with a wet batter chicken.
Tips
- Add spices to the batter.
- Rinse and pat dry the chicken to help the batter stick.
- Season the chicken directly.
Shallow Fry Chicken Instructions
- Heat a small amount of oil (about 1/4 inch deep) in a pan over medium-high heat.
- Fry the chicken on one side, then flip and cook until done.
- Drain the cooked chicken on paper towels to remove excess oil.
Honorable Mention
Cubed chicken
Cubed chicken didn’t make it into our list of the 5 best ways to cook chicken breasts since it’s a cutting style not a cooking style but we had to mention it. Cubing chicken breasts makes it faster to cook and increases the surface area so you can season it even more. Cubed chicken also cooks more evenly, better for kebabs. It’s bite sized, perfect for curries and rice bowls where you don’t want to have to cut chicken as you eat. You just want to spoon it in consistently.
Stir-fry
This really is one of our most common ways of cooking but in general, it’s not as versatile as the options above. Stir-fry can be done with many different spices, sauces, vegetables, and so on but so can the options above and they’re easier. If you have the skill to stir-fry this is an absolutely amazing way to cook chicken.
Ready to start cooking some chicken?