Comforting, affordable, versatile. Those are three attributes of chicken breast that make it a great go-to meat for many people. Plus, there’s something about golden-brown chicken breasts that make them hard to resist.

A new favorite of mine is preparing the breasts on the stovetop. And more often than not, I like to substitute pheasant for chicken, a perk of successful upland hunting in the fall.

Here’s a recipe I found recently while browsing the internet. I tweaked it a bit to suit my taste for herbs. The result was juicy and crisp breasts that took little preparation and were on the table in less than 30 minutes.

I guess you can add quick and easy to the list of things that make chicken breasts one of the most sought-after meats in supermarkets these days.

Stovetop Chicken
3 tablespoons vegetable oil or canola oil, divided
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (can substitute pheasant)
1 egg
½ cup flour
Salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon smoked or sweet paprika
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet; use a 10-inch or 12-inch skillet.
Dip chicken breasts in egg. In a small mixing bowl combine flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, basil and paprika. Dredge each chicken breast with the prepared seasoning; rub it all around.
Place chicken breasts in hot skillet. Cook breasts for 5 to 7 minutes without moving them around. Flip chicken breasts over, add butter to the skillet; swirl butter around and continue to cook the chicken for 7 more minutes, or until done. (Cooking time can vary depending on the thickness of the chicken breasts.
Remove chicken breasts from skillet and serve with vegetables.
Yield: Serves 4.