I cooked chicken in the oven, pan and air fryer to find which delivers the juiciest, most flavourful results.07:59, 12 Jul 2026Chicken is an exceptionally adaptable ingredient that can serve as the basis for countless recipes, from Marry Me Chicken and Caesar salad to a satisfying Sunday roast. It also performs wonderfully as a standalone dish, accompanied by delectable sides such as sautéed cabbage, honey-roasted carrots and creamy mashed potatoes.‌Meal prepping chicken is something I absolutely stand by, guaranteeing I always have some on hand for a swift snack or to add into sandwiches and salads. While most people prefer chicken thighs for their flavour and texture, chicken breasts are my preferred cut.‌Many people find this particular cut challenging due to how they cook it. Make no bones about it, if prepared improperly, chicken breast can end up terribly dry and tasteless.‌Whenever I cook chicken breasts, I consistently marinate them using two crucial ingredients and keep a close eye on the cooking time.The air fryer has traditionally been my preferred method, though I hadn't previously tried alternatives. With this in mind, I decided to compare the air fryer against pan-frying and oven cooking.‌The findings truly took me by surprise, revealing one method I appreciated and another I completely loved.Before cooking each chicken breast, I left them to come to room temperature before covering them in olive oil and two flavourful seasonings – Nando's Peri Peri Rub and Aromat.As the three chicken breasts were somewhat on the larger side, each method needed a marginally longer cooking time.‌Air fryer-cooked chickenCooking time: 20 minutesPreparing chicken in the air fryer is something I absolutely love, as it's quick, easy and delivers beautifully tender results. With this method, there's no need to preheat the air fryer; I simply popped the chicken in the basket and set it to 200C for 20 minutes.For smaller chicken breasts, I would normally leave it to cook for only 16 to 18 minutes.To guarantee it is properly cooked, I like to use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature has hit 74C.‌One significant disadvantage to this method is the restricted space of the air fryer, making it challenging to cook more than a few chicken breasts at once.After cooking, I removed the chicken from the basket and let it rest for five minutes. This helps the meat retain more moisture and flavour than cutting it immediately.‌The chicken had a gorgeous, consistent colour throughout; it was evenly cooked, and when sliced open, the centre was wonderfully moist.Rating: 8.5/10Oven-cooked chickenCooking time: 30 minutesI've always linked oven-cooked chicken breasts with being dry, but this belief was completely overturned after trying this technique.‌The main disadvantage of this method is the time needed to preheat the oven and cook the chicken, although the results were quite impressive. I heated the oven to 200C Fan and placed the chicken inside for 20 minutes before inspecting its progress, although it needed an additional 10 minutes.The steady heat of the oven allowed the chicken to cook gradually and evenly, maintaining its moisture and tenderness throughout. Following cooking, I let it rest for five minutes before carving.It didn't acquire much colour while baking, resulting in the chicken appearing quite pale. Despite the absence of colour, the carved chicken breast proved to be beautifully moist.‌Without the desirable golden-brown exterior, the baked chicken breasts had limited visual appeal and were slightly deficient in flavour. Consequently, it wouldn't shine as a focal point on the dinner plate, although baking remains a perfectly suitable technique for meal-prepping chicken breasts to incorporate into other recipes.Rating: 7.5/10Pan-fried chickenCooking time: 10 minutesI tackled this technique with some apprehension, fully conscious that chicken can quickly adhere to the pan when cooked at elevated temperatures.‌To pan-fry the chicken, I started by covering the pan with oil before searing the meat on a high heat, then placing a lid over it for two minutes.I subsequently flipped the chicken over and allowed it to cook for another two minutes, before introducing some water to the pan and returning the lid for five minutes on a medium-low heat. Just as with the earlier two approaches, I allowed the chicken to rest on a plate for five minutes before slicing it open.Cooking the chicken over direct heat delivered a beautifully golden-brown crust on both sides. However, as the heat stays constant and focused at the surface, the outside turned slightly overdone before the inside achieved the proper temperature.Article continues belowThis produced a remarkably moist interior but a marginally firm exterior, which wasn't especially unpleasant.This approach delivered the most tender and succulent chicken of all the techniques tried, with the sole downside being that the pan was left severely burnt afterwards, demanding substantial time and effort to scrub clean.Rating: 9.5/10