How To Cook Chicken Breasts Without Drying Them Out

Chicken breasts are a dinner staple, so you want to know how to cook 'em right! Is there a way to make sure your chicken breasts are cooked perfectly every time: moist and juicy, not dry and overcooked or undercooked? That's what one viewer wanted to know.

Q: "I overcook my chicken breasts all the time. Tips please!"
— Wendy, viewer

MONITOR INTERNAL TEMPERATURE

"It depends on how you're cooking the chicken breasts," Rach says. But regardless of how you cook it, chicken needs to reach an internal temperature of 165°F, she continues. "You need to train yourself to get an instant read thermometer and take the chicken out of the pan at 165°F for the breast meat, or the thigh meat. That's the easiest tip."

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MAKE SURE YOUR PAN ISN'T TOO HOT

It could also be about pan temperature, Rach adds. "If your pan is too hot, anything will brown quicker than you'd like."

Her tip here? "If the chicken looks very brown but you feel that it's still very tender when you press on it, finish it in the oven. Pop it in the oven at 300-325°F and let it finish cooking through gently with a little foil on top. Same deal out on the grill," Rach says.