This low-fuss method for skillet-roasted chicken breasts produces perfectly tender, juicy white meat and flavorful pan juices that are easily transformed into a bright, buttery sauce. Bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts are used—the skin and bones make the breasts less prone to overcooking.
Salting under the skin seasons the meat directly, while piercing the skin helps it render efficiently. Spraying the chicken—not the pan—with cooking spray minimizes the fat in the skillet and, thus, grease splatters, and starting in a cold pan gives the skin time to render and brown before the meat overcooks.
Finishing the chicken in the oven brings it up to temperature gently, so the thinner portions don’t dry out. It is fast and easy to reduce the juices left in the pan, creating a rich fond for the sauce that doesn’t require boxed broth.
To cut back on knife-work, leave the garlic, zest, and herbs in large pieces and simply add more of them. Melting a generous amount of butter all at once is much faster and easier than emulsifying it piece by piece and results in a rustically elegant sauce. The meat is sliced and served it in the skillet, which keeps the chicken and sauce warm.
For the best results, buy chicken breasts of similar size. Use kitchen shears to snip off the ribs and trim the excess fatty skin from the thick ends of the breasts. (See illustration box below.)
Illustration above from Cook’s Illustrated No. 198, January, February 2026
Skillet-Roasted Chicken Breasts with Rustic Orange-Thyme Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 (10- to 12-oz.) bone-in* split chicken breasts, ribs removed, trimmed
- 1½ tsp. kosher salt, divided
- Vegetable oil spray
- 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
- 4 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
- 4 (3-inch) strips orange zest, divided, plus ÂĽ cup orange juice
- 10 sprigs fresh thyme, divided
- 1½ Tbsp. whole-grain mustard
Directions
- Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Use your fingers to carefully separate skin from 4 trimmed chicken breasts, ribs removed. Peel back skin, leaving skin attached at top and bottom of breast.
- Sprinkle 1½ teaspoons kosher salt evenly over chicken (⅜ teaspoon per breast). Lay skin back in place. Using metal skewer or tip of paring knife, poke 6 to 8 holes in fat deposits in skin of each breast. Spray skin with vegetable oil spray.
- Place chicken skin side down in 12-inch skillet and set over medium-high heat. Cook until skin is well browned, 7 to 9 minutes. Carefully flip chicken, transfer skillet to oven, and roast until chicken registers 160 degrees, about 30 minutes.
- Transfer chicken to plate skin side up. Place skillet over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until juices in skillet form dark fond, about 1 minute. Add 4 tablespoons unsalted butter and 4 smashed and peeled garlic cloves and cook, stirring constantly, until butter is fully melted, about 1 minute. Add 2 (3-inch) strips orange zest and 5 sprigs thyme and cook, stirring constantly until fragrant, about 20 seconds.
- Stir in ¼ cup orange juice and 1½ tablespoons whole-grain mustard. Off heat, add remaining 2 (3-inch) strips orange zest and 5 sprigs thyme. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Carve meat from bones and slice breasts on bias against grain into Âľ-inch-thick slices. Return slices to skillet along with any accumulated juices and serve.
Recipe by Lan Lam for Cook’s Illustrated
Accounting for Taste 