How To Cook Chicken For Salad (with a Cast Iron Skillet)

If you are looking for the easiest, tastiest and most fool-proof method for how to cook chicken for salad recipes, this cast iron skillet chicken recipe is for you.

Many salad recipes call for grilled or cooked chicken breast. You can use store bought seasoned chicken breast, but it is much healthier, cheaper and tastier to make your own at home.

My favorite method is to use a cast iron pan, which produces the best results consistently every time.

Jump to:

• Recipe Highlights
• Ingredients & Substitutions
• Step By Step Instructions
• Expert Tips
• Recipe FAQs
• 📖 Recipe

Recipe Highlights

• Easy, fool-proof recipe — Once you get the hang of your cast iron skillet, this is a simple recipe that delivers consistent results every single time.
• Better than store bought — Cooking your own chicken at home is healthier (no preservatives), and tastes much fresher than buying pre-seasoned chicken breasts.
• Minimal clean up — All you have to clean is your skillet, bowl and a pair of tongs!
• Great for meal-prep — Cook a large batch of chicken breasts at a time, slice them into strips and store them in the fridge so you can easily make protein-packed salads throughout the week.

Ingredients & Substitutions

• Chicken Breast: You’ll need two boneless, skinless chicken breasts for this recipe.
• Olive Oil: Since you’ll be cooking on a cast iron skillet, it is important to use regular olive oil, not extra virgin olive oil. Regular olive oil has a higher smoke point than extra virgin olive oil does.
• Lemon Juice: Use freshly squeezed lemon juice.
• Garlic: You’ll need a couple cloves of freshly minced garlic.
• Oregano, Thyme & Paprika: Oregano, thyme and paprika are used for the chicken marinade. However, you can use your own preferred mix of spices as well (such as rosemary, italian seasoning, or parsley for example).

Step By Step Instructions

Step 1: Combine the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, thyme, paprika, salt and pepper together in a small bowl. Pour over the chicken breast and massage to coat the chicken evenly. Marinade for at least 30 minutes.

Step 2: Heat a pre-seasoned cast iron skillet on medium heat. Once hot, add the chicken breasts and sear them on each side until they are golden brown. This should take about 1 to 2 minutes on each side.

Step 3: Transfer the cast iron skillet to the oven and cook the chicken breast for another 15 to 17 minutes at 375F, to an internal temperature of 165F.

Expert Tips

• Use a digital thermometer. A digital, instant read thermometer is essential to make sure you cook the chicken to just the right temperature. This is key to getting consistent results every single time.
• Don’t let the cast iron get too hot. Since this recipe uses skinless chicken breast, it is important not to heat the cast iron on too high of a temperature, otherwise it can burn the chicken. You should be using a temperature of about 6.
• Don’t flip the chicken more than once. Try not to flip the chicken more than once. At first, you may have to, but after making this recipe a few times, you will get a better idea of when the chicken is ready to be flipped.
• Remember your settings. Everyone’s cast iron pan, stove & oven are going to be slightly different. Write down the exact temperature and times that work for you, so each time you make this recipe, you will have perfect results.

Recipe FAQs

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📖 Recipe