How to Keep Chicken Juicy (And Stop Overcooking It..;)

Dry chicken is not an unavoidable part of being an adult. Whether you’re cooking chicken breasts or thighs, keeping them juicy mostly comes down to knowing which cut you’re working with and not treating every piece of chicken exactly the same.

Fortunately, this is easy.

Breasts and Thighs Aren’t the Same

Chicken breasts are lean, which means they can go from juicy to dry pretty quickly if you overcook them.

Chicken thighs have more fat and connective tissue, making them much more forgiving. It’s one of the reasons we love them around here: they’re flavorful, juicy and significantly harder to screw up.

Even Out Chicken Breasts

Chicken breasts are often thick on one end and skinny on the other. By the time the thick end cooks through, the skinny end can be dry.

Give the thickest part a few whacks with a meat mallet or rolling pin until the breast is relatively even.

No need to beat it senseless. Just even things out.

Pat Your Chicken Dry

Before seasoning, pat the chicken dry with a paper towel.

Getting rid of that surface moisture helps the outside actually brown instead of steaming in the pan. Better browning means better flavor.

Use a Meat Thermometer

This is probably the easiest way to stop overcooking chicken.

For chicken breasts, 165°F is the USDA-recommended safe internal temperature.

Thighs are different. They’re also safe at 165°F, but because of their extra fat and connective tissue, they can stay juicy at higher temperatures and often have a better texture when cooked a little longer.

Translation: breasts need more babysitting. Thighs give you some breathing room.

Let It Rest

Once the chicken is done, leave it alone for about 5 minutes before cutting into it.

This gives the juices a chance to redistribute through the meat instead of immediately running all over your cutting board.

Marinades Help, But They Aren’t Magic

A good marinade adds tons of flavor and can help with tenderness. We’re especially fond of Greek yogurt marinades around here.

But even the world’s greatest marinade can’t completely rescue chicken that’s been cooked into submission.

Pay attention to temperature first.

Already Overcooked It?

Don’t throw it out!

Slice or shred the chicken and add something with moisture: pan sauce, gravy, pesto, marinara, tzatziki or dressing.

You can also toss it into pasta, soup, tacos or a casserole, where nobody will ever know about the unfortunate series of events that occurred earlier.

The Easy Rule

For juicy chicken:

Know whether you’re cooking breasts or thighs.
Pat the chicken dry.
Season it well.
Use a thermometer.
Don’t overcook breasts.
Give thighs a little more latitude.
Let the chicken rest.

That’s it!

Put it to work with our Lemon & Greek Yogurt Chicken Marinade, Crispy Oven Baked Boneless Chicken Thighs, Garlic Butter Chicken or any of our Chicken Dinners That Never Miss!