Pan-Roasted Chicken Breasts

I had a couple very large bone-in chicken breasts to use , near 3/4 lb. each, and I found this recipe. On this cold January day I didn't have much hope of having usable fresh herbs and thought I was going to have to improvise with dry but I was surprised that I was able to scrounge up some rosemary and thyme out of my ice and snow covered garden to give this a try. A happy cook I was! De-boning the chicken was easy using my kitchen shears. I just followed along and cut as close to the bones/cartilage as possible, feeling my way through the thicker meat. Very easy to do and more cost effective than buying boneless in the store. I did substitute fresh lemon juice for the vinegar. I've tried vinegar in a similar recipe and didn't like the results. The lemon juice was a delicious addition. This chicken was done in no time at all and was tender, juicy and flavorful. This is a great method for a quick healthy chicken dinner.

I don't believe you have to have skin on. This worked fine with tenderloins. Do be mindful of the vinegar and butter amount used to the amount of chicken cooked. I used Basil for the seasoning. All in all, excellent alternative to the same old pan chicken I was doing for years!

As Chef John mentions in the video, boneless skin ON breast are hard to find in the market - I de-boned my own. They were still fairly large. Accordingly, cooking time had to be increased. I use a thermometer, not comfortable to go by 'looks'. The method is fine, although - I suggest using a splatter guard or it will make a mess of your stove. As for the sauce - for us it was too acidic. 1/4 cup of vinegar is quite a bit. Next time, I would use white wine and some lemon juice, instead of the vinegar, cook that down and then add the butter.

Like a few others, I also gave it a try using a skinless, boneless breast as that is what I had on hand and it turned out excellent! Not dry at all, absolutely nice and plump and juicy. I seasoned with sea salt, pepper and some herbes de Provence while cooking. For my sauce, I used a good quality white wine vinegar and a bit of lemon juice which gave the sauce a nice bite but not bitter or sour at all, thanks to the butter. Served with some fluffy mashed potatoes and some steamed green beans. With butter on both, of course! :) This will be a keeper for me because I am always looking for new ways to cook chicken breasts and I already have a few ideas in mind for different sauce combinations to try. An excellent recipe that I encourage any chicken lover to try.

This was really good! After reading some reviews I was worried about the vinegar but that was not at all an issue. As it cooked it mellowed and gave it great flavor. Don't fear the vinegar! No fresh herbs on hand so I used dried. It was even a hit with the kids and I will make it again!

Hands down the ABSOLUTE BEST chicken breast recipe that I've made in 25 years of cooking. The chicken was juicy, cooked through, the sauce was simple and heavenly. Normally I stay away from white meat because I have GERD and dry chicken breast is hard to swallow unless it's been slathered in gravy or sauce. But I didn't have a single problem with this chicken -- and wish that there had been enough for a second helping!

Made this tonight and it was delicious! My hubby and teenage son really liked the sauce. I made it as written and used fresh thyme. I thought the apple cider vinegar and butter made a wonderfully tasty sauce. I did use a couple splashes of chicken broth to thin out the sauce. Served with halved red potatoes and baby broccoli cooked in the oven, and fresh spinach salad. Yummy!

This is a quick, easy meat to whip up and add to veggies. I liked that it's light and doesn't have a heavy sauce. I used apple cider vinegar and dried rosemary because I didn't have any fresh rosemary, but it still turned out good.

I tried this recipe tonight and it was delicious. I halved the recipe and used skinless, boneless breasts, and prepared exactly as written, using apple cider vinegar and dried rosemary. The breasts were moist and tender. I think I'll be making this recipe again and again yummmmmmm.

After looking at the reviews, many of which said it was too acidic, I decided to add a touch of sweetness to the recipe. I used about a tablespoon of honey, which balanced the acidity perfectly. The flavor of the honey also complemented the recipe.

This simple recipe is very deceiving. With limited ingredients, basic herbs and spices and a couple of chicken breasts, you get a fantastic chicken dish to serve to your family. It comes out so moist and flavorful it's hard to believe that it is so quick and easy to prepare. The sauce is delicious, but there isn't much of it, so like Chef John, I served the chicken over a crisp salad with a bit of sauce drizzled over the top. Wow! So, so good!!

In the video he showed a cut (of the split chicken breast)that is easily used to make chicken fingers - I had no idea! Glad to have that tip!

I've made this a number of times. The reviewer that said gross please give it another chance. You said maybe you reduced vinegar too much. No you reduced it not enough. Vinegar is very strong. I let the vinegar reduce a lot. I end up with chkn sticking again a little but then I finish with a little ckn broth to deglaze. I love the taste of Apple cider vinegar and butter as a sauce. Tonight I chicken thighs because my husband doesn't like white meat. It was good. Just adjusted cooking times. Ps. My go to spice for chicken is Herbes de Provence!

I've made this several times, although with chicken tenders. This recipe also works with boneless, skinless chicken. Very tasty.

This is a wonderful way to prepare chicken. It took me a couple of times to adjust to the stainless steel pan yet when I did the chicken turned out great. I love the flavor of the butter and apple cider vinegar. Sometimes I throw in some mushrooms and saute them at the same time.

I use bone in for the ultimate flavor,(and who doesn't love sucking the meat off those bones?), and I replace the Vinegar with Fetzer Chardonney, to mellow out the flavors.

I liked the method, but would use less vinegar with a blend of lemon juice.

This was great; it was even better than I expected. I used chicken breasts (cut up into 4 oz pieces) and it did well. I did need to flip them over for an additional few minutes but they still came out great. I used Herbes de Provence like another commenter and it was just what I'd hoped for. The vinegar is a nice touch. I was unsure, but it didn't leave a vinegar-y flavor at all. Just a nice hint of apple on occasion. I'll make this regularly and the chicken will be awesome on a salad.

This dish was awesome and I made no changes. Everyone enjoyed eating and gave the dish a “thumbs up.” I will definitely be making this recipe again and again. Thank you.

Instead of pan frying, I sauted about five minutes then put in 350 degree oven for ten minutes.

Chef John is one of the very extremely creative chef that I know of - including the famous TV chefs. This dish is another no-fail pleaser. I used the combination of cider vinegar and balsamic. This is in the "make it again" list.

the chicken was good but it ended up burning a bit then when i added the vinegar and butter it just boiled and got sticky. but other than the sauce really nice!

Super easy and full of flavor. I didn't bother with skin on or deboning. I just used skinless, small chicken tenders so that saved even more time. I also think the key to having enough flavor is the amount and number of spices used. I generously sprinkled on thyme, paprika, marjoram, parsley, basil, plus salt and pepper. I used dry spices. I also let the vinegar cook a bit. The sauce was not sour at all that way and with all the spices this had great taste. I am usually picky and don't like bland. I was worried something this quick and easy wouldn't be good but it was great! Going into rotation. The tenders were moist also.

I love this pan sauce. I've made it using boneless chicken breast with the skin on and B/S chicken breast, both turned out great! I usually just cook 1 or 2 chicken breasts so I cut all the ingredients in half and it's plenty. I also used this pan sauce on a hanger steak. The only thing I did different was remove the steak when it hit a 135 degrees, then added (finely chopped) half of a small shallot, the fresh thyme and let cook for like 1 to 2 min before adding vinegar and butter. It was fantastic. Keep em coming Chef John.

I made it with chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts. I did let the vinegar cook down with the thighs for two reasons. First the thighs needed more time to cook and second because I wanted the vinegar to cook a bit longer to cut down in the acidity. Very easy recipe from start to finish even taking into consideration that I had to defrost my chicken in the microwave.

This is the perfect chicken recipe to make when you are short on time and need to get dinner on the table quickly: not only is it fast to prepare, but it only requires ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry/fridge/freezer. We stock up on boneless skinless chicken breasts and freeze them, so I'm always looking for new ways to prepare them; after reading the reviews from others who had used boneless skinless breasts and had good results, I thought I'd give this recipe a try. I was able to go from rock hard frozen chicken breasts to having dinner on the table in less than 45 minutes (using the inactive time while the chicken was defrosting and cooking to prepare sides) - and everyone in the family liked it! I used fresh herbs (rosemary and thyme) the first time I made this recipe and dried herbs (rosemary, sage and thyme) the second time, and I don't feel like there was a huge difference in flavor, so I'll probably just use dried herbs in the future for speed and convenience. Also, I left the chicken and sauce in the skillet after it was done cooking the first time I made this recipe, and the sauce went from thick and creamy to kind of clear and thin, which I assume means it got overcooked and split. I was using a cast-iron skillet so the retained heat probably affected the sauce. It still tasted fine, but I would recommend removing the chicken and sauce to a separate dish once cooking is complete. Overall, a winner that I will definitely make again!

This was excellent even with boneless/skinless breasts. I think this process could work just as well with pork chops. This is a recipe that company would love but easy enough for a weeknite dinner, which is always a plus! Dont be afraid of the vinegar either.

Excellent, simple recipe. My husband and I ate it for lunch for 4 days...was juicy every time. Would definitely recommend.

i was looking for something quick to make and everything else needed a lot of ingredients. i made this and it turnred out to be great! i replaced the herbs with italian seasoning and sprinkled some cheese it was yummyyy ??

no changes, loved the spices used. very good

I followed the recipe to a "T".... It was delicious!!

Followed to a T. Sauce is good. Had to cook a little longer than suggested as I cook at a lower setting to keep from burning things. Wife gave it 5 stars, I made fried cabbage with garlic as the side.

Quick, easy, and delicious! I was nervous about the apple cider vinegar, for absolutely no reason, apparently. This will definitely be a staple from here on in.

Made it as directed. Crispy skin with moist meat. Will definitely make chicken breast utilizing this method moving forward.

This recipe is DANGEROUS! I almost burnt my eyes when the vinegar started to jump on the frypan!! The author should had warned about the temperature. The chicken itself didn't get any especially good flavour. Besides, the chicken turns out too oily. Try something else.

Adding this recipe to my quick, easy, and delicious weeknight recipes. What's not to love about Chef John?! All of his recipes are amazing, and this one is one of his best!

Flavorful and moist. The sauce was must tastier than I expected. Will make again....often.

I used tarragon, oregano & thyme. Only had boneless skinless breasts. After cooking the chicken and removing it to another container, I added a chicken bullion cube to the sauce and two tablespoons of flour and some milk to make a gravy . Served it with instant smashed potatoes, Yum My picky daughter didn't like it , cause it was "different"! Good, more for me I think it may have been the tang from the vinegar. I liked the tang but next time I may try wine for my picky eaters.

Didn't add chicken broth because we didn't think we needed to thin the sauce.

I made it with skinless breasts and while the skin would have added visual appeal and extra flavor, it was still very good. I did not remove the "tenders" portion and that caused the tail to be slightly over-cooked. It was still good but did not have the rich moisture as the rest.

This is an excellent recipe. It's easy, tasty and fast too. A good base recipe that can be modified to your preference. I used skinless chicken breasts and they came out pretty tender. Instead of using vinegar I substituted marsala cooking wine. The chicken was delicious and my husband felt like we were eating an entree from a fancy Italian restaurant. Thanks Chef John for this versatile, easy to follow, and very yummy recipe!

Made it with boneless skinless chicken breast as that is all I had. I used lemon juice and white wine and basil. Can't wait to try it as written!

Tried this for dinner and it was amazing! Who knew vinegar and butter would be so good. I served the chicken with some steam broccoli and mashed potatoes. It was scrumptious! I will be doing this again

I only had boneless, skinless chicken breasts but they still turned out really good! Not dry...very flavorful and easy! Simple ingredients that I happened to have...salt, pepper, fresh rosemary, cajun seasoning, and garlic salt. Luckily I had cider vinegar, olive oil and butter for the sauce! Yummers!

This was a delicious recipe and tasted like it was baked in the oven. I was surprised and my husband loved it. Would have been good with a side of stuffing. We had a baked potato and small salad. Must try and don't substitute ingredients or method of cooking.

I was a bit apprehensive about the vinegar but I needed a quick dinner so I went ahead with it. My husband said it didn't smell very good when it was cooking, but once we tasted it, we decided it''s definitely going into the favourite recipes file.

Got lots of compliments but I was surprised that there was so much liquid in the skillet . I cut the chicken into tenderloins thinking that the seasoning would more evenly be distributed but then they didn't brown. The result looked more like boiled chicken but with good flavor and moisture. I will probably cut back on the vinegar next time.

Love this recipe. Served with noodles and pan sauce. Absolutely delicious!

I made this recipe as written. My husband thinks this is the best chicken he has ever had - I agree. Thank you for sharing this outstanding recipe.

Deliciously perfect! The moistest chicken breast I've ever eaten. Used 1/2 vinegar and 1/2 lemon juice; and 1 Tbs. of dried herbs. Tossed the bones into a pot of cooking rice for added flavor. Breasts were extra large, 3/4 pound each, so cooked an extra five minutes.

Great recipe ,I din't care for chicken with skin, but regardless it browned perfect and the touch of a good cider vinegar make it a 5 star recipe ,used fresh herbs from my garden....

The chicken turned out fine, but I guess my breast were large and had to be placed in the oven.

Wow! Sooooooo good! I saw the video and used the measurements on the video.I followed the video exactly. However, I only used 1 tb of apple vinegar instead of the two shown in the video. I was hesitant because of all the bad reviews on vinegar. I cooked the two skinless large breasts in 2 tb of olive oil and used 2 tb of butter. For the herbs, I used dried Rosemary and fresh thyme. The cooking for the breasts took much longer because the breasts were too thick. I think next time I will cut the breasts in half. My family loved it!

I had chicken thighs and made it and used dry spices at this time of year and it turned out pretty good. Will make again and again when fresh herbs will be more available. Very good subtle flavor with moist chicken.

I made this dish following the recipe instructions exactly, except my chicken breasts didn’t have the skin on. . It was fast and easy to make and was absolutely yummy. The addition of butter and apple cider vinegar sounded odd to me, but the sauce turned out to be amazing. Would definitely recommend it.

This is a super fast, easy, flavorful dish that turned out great. My husband is very particular and he enjoyed it so much that he had seconds!

Wow, this is the first chef john's recipe that wasn't a hit. Yes, the chicken was moist even though I overlooked it ( my thermometer was broke and I had to wing it ). I'm not sure if I liked the vinegar. I was generous with the salt and pepper and used thyme. It was bland. I will say though that I learned how to "properly" debone a chicken breast and I will end up getting three meals because of that.

4/1/18: This was so easy to make and delicious. Love the recipe for it's simplicity and flavor. No changes needed to this simple recipe and I used boneless/skinless chicken breasts. I also used dried herbs instead of fresh...simply sprinkled over the top of each chicken breast.The chicken was moist/tender and had a perfect balance of flavor with the sauce. I didn't have to add more broth/water to thin out the sauce either. Used apple cider vinegar as that's what I had on hand and over medium heat did not have any issues with the sauce as noted in other reviews. Served with asparagus and scalloped potatoes. Thanks for sharing the recipe, Chef John! 5/12/19: I'd add some minced garlic to to this next time.

Very good and easy.

I have made this recipe before and each time I make it there are no leftovers. My husband requests it on his low carb diet. it is tasty and low carb. I will keep this one handy for future use.

I made this as described. The chicken was moist and tasty. Definitely on my list of weeknight dinners!

Made with skinless chicken breasts. Taste was great. Not as tender as l expected, might have over cooked it. Will make again but reduce cooking time.

. The vinegar was overwhelming!! It tasted terrible and I'll not be making this again.

I received compliments! I used chicken breasts without the skin because that is all I had. Substituted balsamic vinegar. It is a must make again easy recipe!

omg this is soo good. a keeper!

Very good! Used boneless skinless breasts and fresh rosemary. Enjoyed the vinegar/butter sauce.

Easy to make & super yummy :) I wasn’t sure with the apple cider vinegar but dang totally delicious

This was easy to make and our four year old grandkids enjoyed it as well. Based on the vinegars he uses, I used half apple cider and half rice vinegar. It has an excellent taste and it's a nice twist on a chicken dish.

Very good and easy! Chicken was very juicy.

I couldn't believe how easy this delicious chicken was to make. I'm not a fan of vinegar, so I substituted with white wine and a splash of lemon juice. Next time I'll double the recipe because we didn't have any leftovers. Everyone loved it!

Delicious. Used lemon juice instead of vinegar. Tasted like a delicious lemon picatta sauce.

Not liking the vinegar smell its overpowering. Im afraid to taste it!

This was so good and easy! Vinegar was not overpowering at all

Took a lot longer than expected. Spent probably 35 minutes instead of 17-19. And that was with only two chicken breasts, not four.

This was my first time cooking chicken. I watched the video and followed the recipe and it turned out great. I used a digital thermometer or it would have been way undercooked. Looking forward to trying different seasonings and vinegars to play with the flavor.

First dinner I fixed alone as a new cook and I had no left over.

Very easy and good flavor. I used Balsamic Vinegar instead of Apple Cider only because I had run out. I didn't need to add the water/broth at the end, the consistency was fine. The part that took the longest was prepping the herbs from my garden.

Very good and easy.

This recipe is awesome! Works great really good flavor . I use fresh herbs from the garden and that I believe is the icing on the cake. Really good for a quick easy main course or great on salads.

Excellent!! My whole family loved this recipe ..... I will definitely make it again!

Yet, another fine recipe, Thank you Chef John!

Ok, yum! I used boneless skinless since that's what I had. Just make sure not to overcook-- it calls for like 5 min on each side, I did much less due to the risk of it being dry. I would add a little more apple cider vinegar since I think I would like more flavor in the sauce. BUT: Delicious, easy, and quick! Definitely a keeper!

Smells good! I used partially frozen chicken, make sure it is thawed fully as it dries out some when cooking this way otherwise. Will probably make again. Thanks!

Very easy recipe and they tasted GREAT!!! I used my hubbys cast iron frying pan and WOW the flavor! came out really well!!!

Loved it! I used boneless, skinless breasts- followed directions exactly as written. Perfect! Great flavor. Will make again and again and...

OK. Straight up, I used olive oil to fry the chicken... Big mistake! I should have followed the recipe because the end result was that the chicken skin didn't turn out crispy. Flavor was insane, and my wife loved it. Will be making this again very, very, soon! Awesome!

This was such a quick and easy meal and everyone in the family enjoyed it. I will absolutely be making it again. I mostly followed the recipe but I decreased the apple cider vinegar by just a little and added minced garlic to the sauce. I also added powdered garlic to the chicken because we love garlic. I only had chicken breast tenderloins so that's what I used.

This was so good! I will definitely make it again!

Had a good flavor but as all chicken breast it was dry.

Best chicken ever, just enough pan juices, super easy. Thanks for a great recipe!

SO DELICIOUS!!! I did this with skinless breasts and they were delicious.

It turned out quite well I think. I used boneless skinless chicken, and followed the same instructions (had to adjust cooking times, but the temperature guide helped greatly). Would definitely recommend this to others.

I will make it again. An easy one pan meal.

The recipe calls for apple cider vinegar, but it can be substituted for white cooking wine and it will still taste the same. We all loved it, and we've made it 4 times since discovering it.

I used white wine and lemon juice rather than the vinegar. It was delicious!

I had chicken breast with the back. I kept the apple cider vinegar in. Put spices on. Followed their directions. I also put slithers of garlic under the skin. What an amazing dish. Love love

I followed the recipe as it’s written and it’s delicious

Excellent. I followed the recipe exactly!!!

I made this, & was surprised how tasty it was. The chicken had a deep flavor of rosemary. I did use Riesling vinegar. It was so good. I will definitely make this again.