Name: Jalapeño Lime Pan Seared Chicken
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 2 boneless chicken breasts; 1 tablespoon paprika; 1 teaspoon dried parsley; 1/2 tablespoon coriander; salt and pepper (to taste); 1 tablespoon dijon mustard; 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce; 1 lime, (juice and zest); 1/4 cup olive oil; 1 jalapeño, (seeds removed & sliced or diced); 1/2 tablespoon ghee

Jump to Recipe

Pan Seared Chicken is juicy on the inside and slightly crisp on the outside. It’s one of my favorite recipes for cooking chicken on the stove top!

If you love this chicken recipe, you’ll also love this Air Fryer Chicken, Chicken Parmesan Burgers, or this Weeknight Skillet Chicken.

Table of Contents

Pan Seared Chicken Recipe

If you want to spice up your night with some delicious, juicy chicken, then you certainly came to the right place!

One of the reasons I love cooking with chicken is because it’s basically a blank canvas ready for all types of flavors!

There are so many ways to prepare it so you don’t get bored. It’s also a great source of lean protein.

Pan-Seared Chicken Ingredients

Meat: For this recipe, I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts. You can use bone-in chicken breast, or chicken thighs, but you might need to adjust the cook time a bit.

Jalapeños: A key ingredient! Fresh jalapeños are best, but you can substitute with canned or jarred jalapeños if necessary.

You can also use serrano peppers instead, but be careful because they are about 5 times hotter than a jalapeño!

seasoned chicken on white parchment paper

Spices: You will need a handful of pantry staple spices like: paprika, dried parsley, and coriander.

Wet ingredients: dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and lime juice.

Butter: I used ghee to keep this recipe Whole30 compliant, but you can substitute with butter or olive oil.

Did you know: Ghee is a clarified butter that originated in ancient India!

How to Make Pan Seared Chicken

1. Season the chicken. In a small bowl, combine the paprika, coriander, dried parsley, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle the seasoning mixture over both sides of the chicken breasts.

2. Prepare the marinade. In a small bowl, whisk together the dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, lime juice and zest, olive oil, and jalapeño.

3. Marinate the chicken. Pierce the chicken with a fork all over and place in a large Ziploc bag with the marinade. Let the chicken marinate for at least 30 minutes, 2-3 hours is ideal.

4. Cook the chicken. Heat a large, heavy-bottomed skillet (I love my enameled cast iron) on medium heat with a splash of olive oil.

Sear the chicken for 5-7 minutes, flip and add 1/2 tbsp of ghee and cook 5-7 minutes on the other side. Transfer the chicken to a plate and let rest, covered, for 5 minutes before serving.

Note: if you want to make your chicken a little spicier, you can include some of the jalapeño seeds in the marinade or you can put all the marinate ingredients in a food processor or blender so the jalapeño becomes more incorporated.

What to Serve with Pan Seared Chicken

One thing I love about chicken is the variety of sides that go with it! You can keep it simple and serve it over jasmine rice or Cilantro Lime Farro. Or you can top it with some Mango Salsa for some added flavor.

If you’re doing Whole30 or eliminating grains from your diet, try serving it with cauliflower rice or zucchini noodles!

More Delicious Side Dishes

Whole30 Jalapeño Lime Chicken

Whether you are following Whole30 or not, you are going to love this chicken recipe!

This Jalapeno Lime Pan Seared Chicken is a flavor-packed meal that deserves a permanent spot on in your dinner rotations.

It’s one of my favorite ways to make chicken when doing a Whole30 because it has SO much flavor.

pan seared chicken with mango salsa in a white dish

If you are unfamiliar with Whole30, it’s a consumer-friendly version of an elimination diet that cuts out potential food sensitivities for 30 days, as well as drastically decreases inflammatory food intake and increases key anti-inflammatory foods like fruits, vegetables, and omega-3 fatty acids.

Questions you may have

Is pan seared chicken healthy?

Overall, pan-searing food is considered healthier than deep-frying due to it using less oil. I recommend using olive oil because it is stable at high temperatures.

If you’re concerned about cooking with oil, you might want to try air frying!

What does it mean to sear the chicken?

Searing (or pan searing) is a technique used in grilling, baking, braising, roasting, sautéing, etc., in which you cook food (usually meat or seafood) at high temperatures until a browned crust forms.

Can you cook raw chicken in a pan?

Yes! To cook raw chicken in a pan, add a teaspoon of olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat, place chicken breasts in the pan.

Cook until edges are opaque which is roughly 5-7 minutes. After the 5-7 minutes has passed, flip the chicken and cover the pan, lower the heat, and cook for another 10 minutes.

Is it better to sear chicken before baking?

Yes! Here is my cooking secret…sear the chicken in a hot pan on both sides and then slide the pan into a pre-heated oven for a few minutes.

This creates the perfecting browning on the outside, while sealing in all the flavors from your seasoning, and the oven will finish off the cooking.

Is pan seared the same as frying?

No, pan searing and pan frying are two completely different cooking techniques.

When you pan-fry something, it’s done when the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165 F. This technique is much more unhealthy as it requires a lot more oil.

Searing is done in a pan on the stove and can also be part of a two step cooking process.

More Chicken Recipes To Try

Whole30 Recipes You Might Like

WANT TO TRY THIS PAN SEARED CHICKEN RECIPE?

PIN IT to your chicken recipes, dinner recipes, or Whole30 recipes board to save it for later!
Find me on Pinterest for more great recipes. I’m always pinning!

Did you make this recipe? Post a photo on Instagram and tag me @JZEATS or #JZEATS so I can see! Leave a comment below and let me know what you think, too!