How to Cook Frozen Chicken Breasts:  Easy Guide

Can I have the perfect grilled chicken breasts without a grill?

Yes, Summer time means that it’s time to grill, right?  However, what if it is 30 degrees f outside and snowing, lol.  Of course, my son has been know to grill with snow on the ground, LOL!   But, I believe that y’all will love this simple, yet delicious Italian Seasoned Chicken Breasts Recipe.  “How to Cook Frozen Chicken Breasts:  Easy Guide”

I didn’t grill this chicken, however I did cook it on the stovetop in a cast iron skillet.  Which is one of my favorite ways to cook chicken.  I added a little olive oil in a cast iron skillet and cooked the FROZEN chicken breasts until brown.  But, I can only imagine how much more flavor it would have if I had grilled it!  This recipe only has 4 ingredients and 3 of those are seasonings, so this recipe could not get any easier!  

The recipe card for this Easy Italian Seasoned Chicken Breasts is down below.  

What side dishes go with chicken breasts?

• garden salad
• green beans
• corn on the cob
• cole slaw
• baked beans
• baked potatoes
• choose your favorite veggies to go on the side of your juicy chicken breast

This is great served as a main course with some side dishes or it makes for a flavorful salad! And, the way that we have been growing all the romaine lettuce in the garden, I think we will be eating lots of salads this summer.

The seasoning is so simple and I didn’t use 10 different spices. Other than salt & pepper, I only used 2 seasonings. But, it still has all the wonderful spices of basil, oregano, thyme and rosemary.

I used Garlic Powder & Italian Seasoning.  We have always cooked chicken breast and seasoned it with salt, pepper & garlic powder, which has been good. I wouldn’t have ever thought that by just adding the Italian seasoning that it would have so much more flavor to it!

What can I season my boneless skinless chicken breasts with?

• salt 
• black pepper
• garlic powder
• Italian seasoning
• bbq sauce
• lemon juice
• taco seasoning

How can I cook raw chicken, like chicken thighs or boneless chicken breasts: 

There are so many methods of cooking chicken.  My favorite method is stovetop cooking in a cast iron skillet, but here are a few other cooking ideas:

• stovetop – The best way!  Place large skillet over medium heat, add a little olive oil and once the oil is hot add the chicken to the skillet and cook until brown, turning half way thru the cooking process until the internal temperature reaches 165 degree f.  
• oven – this is the easiest way to cook flavorful chicken.  Place a sheet of aluminum foil on a cookie sheet or baking sheet (or you can use cooking spray on your pan), then place your chicken in a single layer and bake at 350 degree f. until the internal temperature is 165 degrees f. with a meat thermometer or instant-read thermometer.  
• charcoal grill, propane gas grill or pellet grill – grill at 350 degrees f for approximately 8 minutes on each side, depending on the thickest part of the breast, best chicken flavor!
• Instant pot – If using frozen chicken, set the Instant Pot to High pressure for 10 minutes.
• air fryer – Place chicken in air fryer basket, cook at 375 degree f.   5-7 oz chicken: 5-10 minutes, 8-10 oz chicken: 10-12 minutes, 11 oz 12-16 minutes for juicy chicken with seasoned outside of the chicken.
• slow cooker or crockpot cooker – This is an EASY way to cook chicken, place chicken in slow cooker on low and cook for 4 hours. 
• pressure cooker – pressure for 30 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165 degree f. 

HUGE TIP!

These chicken breasts are frozen separately and can be cook right out of the freezer!

Method of Cooking Chicken Breasts Q&A’s!

Can I eat leftover chicken breasts?  Yes, as long as the leftovers have been placed in an airtight container, plastic bag or a meal prep bowl and refrigerated.  Leftovers can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and up to 3 months in the freezer.  

What can I do with leftover chicken breasts?  Make chicken salad!  We love chicken salad and it is so easy to make.  Chop up or shred your leftover chicken, add mayo, relish and onion.  Mix well and refrigerate.  Hint:  sweet relish is the best!  Yum!

How long should cook chicken?  This depends on the size of the chicken breast or whole chicken.  In the oven, a chicken breast can take approximately 20 minutes, as where a 3 lb whole chicken will take about an hour depending on the oven temperature.  Check the internal chicken temperature with an instant read thermometer or meat thermometer and when the internal temperatures reaches 165 degree f. the chicken is done.  

What is the safe internal temperature for chicken?  The general guidelines for the cooking process of chicken is for the minimum internal temperature to reach 165 degree f.  The cooking method can vary, but not the temperature for food safety reasons.  

Do I need to add chicken broth to my chicken in an Instant Pot?   Yes, a good idea is to add 1 cup of water or 1 cup of chicken broth to your chicken when cooking in an Instant Pot. 

Can I cook chicken breasts from a frozen state?  Yes, I love to buy the frozen bags of chicken from the grocery store, because they are frozen separately.  So, if I forget to lay them out ahead of time it is ok to add them frozen to my skillet, place a lid on top and cook.  

How do I cook frozen chicken breasts or fresh chicken breasts?  Easy Italian Seasoned Chicken Breast Recipe (scroll down for recipe card)

This is my go-to method for cooking chicken.  Add your favorite side dish or add seasoned chicken to the top of pasta and a pan sauce.  And enjoy!

1. Place a large skillet over medium-high heat
2. Add a little olive oil to the pan
3. Place frozen chicken breasts into the pan
4. Sprinkle with salt & pepper, as much as you prefer
5. Sprinkle each breast with 1/4 tsp each of garlic powder & Italian seasoning ( I sprinkle both sides of the breast)
6. Place lid over skillet
7. Cook until chicken breasts are brown on both sides and until internal temperature is 165 degree f.

The best methods for cooking chicken is those tried and true ones that have worked for your family.  It really depends on if a recipe calls for much time needed or if it is a quick recipe.  Just keep trying different ones until you find your favorite.  

TIPS!

• Buy the bags of frozen chicken breasts.  These uncooked chicken breasts are frozen individually.
• This chicken is great to freeze. After the chicken has cooled from frying just place it into a freezer bag, whole or cut into strips (for a salad). Then, it is ready to pull out anytime that you would like to top some on a salad or have with a salad.
• BUY a cooking thermometer if you don’t have one! Do not overcook. In all the years cooking, I have never owned a cooking thermometer and when I finally bought one I now never have overcooked dried chicken! LOL. I was always afraid that I would not cook the chicken long enough and so I overcooked it. BUT, not anymore! 
• I cooked 3 chicken breast and that will feed our family of 6. I cut the breast in half lengthways down the middle, so they would be thinner and cook quicker.
• I just sprinkled the seasonings on each side and cooked over medium heat in a cast iron skillet with a little olive oil. However, if you do not have a cast iron skillet, then any skillet will work for this recipe. But, a cast iron skillet is a great investment that you will not regret.
• Cook on each side until nice and golden brown, then flip and cook until no pink in the middle.
• As I previously mentioned this is great on top a salad (my moms favorite way to eat it,) and it also goes great on top of pasta with a cheesy, homemade sauce!

This Creamy Mozzarella and Tomato Pasta topped with Italian Chicken recipe will be coming later this week. I’ll be sure to come back and tag it here so y’all can find it. Trust me, this is one that you will want to make!

I’d love to see what all you create using our recipes! Be sure to tag us @thelazykkitchen on Instagram so we can see!

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