Cast-Iron Chicken Breast

Step 1

Wash and zest the lemon. Juice it, but start only with half the juice when making the marinade.

Step 2

Mix together the lemon zest, lemon juice, parsley leaves, honey and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small blender. Process until you have a smooth paste. Add salt and pepper to taste and more lemon juice or honey according to your liking.

Step 3

Place the chicken in a shallow dish and pour the marinade over. Turn the chicken a few times in the dish to coat all over. Cover with plastic foil and leave to marinate in the fridge for a few hours or overnight. If you marinate it for a shorter time, like 30 minutes, leave it on the counter, if not take out of the fridge at least 30 minutes prior to cooking to make sure that the meat reaches room temperature.

Step 4

Heat a cast-iron skillet very well. Heat the remaining oil, add the chicken, turn the heat to medium-low and cook for a total time of 20 to 25 minutes, turning several times in between, but not disturbing the chicken for the first 6-7 minutes or so.

Step 5

After the initial 6-7 minutes, if you notice that the chicken breast gets too dark too soon, lower the heat and move the chicken around in the skillet.

Step 6

Check if the chicken breasts are cooked through by inserting a skewer in the thickest part of the chicken breast, the juices should run clear.

Step 7

You could start checking shortly before the first 20 minutes have come to an end, to make sure that you don't overcook the chicken, especially if the chicken pieces weigh a bit less than 200 g/ 7 oz. Smaller chicken breast pieces weighing about 120-150 g/ 4.2 – 5.3 oz should be ready in about 18 to 20 minutes.

Step 8

Or use a kitchen thermometer, the internal temperature of the chicken should be between 73 – 82 degrees Celsius/165 – 180 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step 9

Serve immediately with side dishes of your choice (most anything fits) or let cool and serve on a salad.