moist and tender chicken breasts

Oven Baked Chicken Breast (Juicy Recipe)

This simple recipe for baked chicken breast is juicy, flavorful, and so easy!

Baking chicken in the oven allows the flavors to come together beautifully. The result is tender, moist, delicious meat.

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The oven does the heavy lifting with this simple recipe, so its easy enough for beginners! Baked chicken was one of the first things I ever learned to cook, and for good reason.

Get ready to make the juiciest, most irresistible chicken youve ever had.

Baked Chicken Breast

Everyone wants two things from baked chicken breasts: flavor and juiciness. Luckily, this recipe ensures you deliver on both of those. IN SPADES!

The seasoning blend for this chicken is spot-on. And Ive included several tips to help you retain the chickens juiciness.

If you want something tasty, healthy, and filling for dinner tonight, look no further. This delicious baked chicken breast is just the thing for you.

Plus, it pairs well with whatever sides you feel like making.

Ingredients

You wont need much for this recipe. Heres the ingredients list:

• Chicken breasts I always stick to boneless, skinless chicken breasts. However, you can use this same seasoning blend on thighs, legs, wings, etc. Just adjust your cooking times/temps accordingly.

• Butter or Olive oil I personally prefer using butter. It adds a rich and savory flavor to the chicken. But you can also use olive oil if you prefer.

• Seasonings The seasoning mix includes salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. It gives the chicken a phenomenal flavor. Use smoked paprika for a smokier taste. You can also add cayenne or red pepper flakes for heat.

How to Make Baked Chicken Breast

Baked chicken is one of the easiest types of chicken to make. You dont have to bread and batter it or worry about scalding it in the skillet. Its a quick and effortless process.

Heres how you do it:

1. Prep your meal.Line a baking dish with parchment paper, and preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Make the seasoning mixture.Combine all the seasonings in a small bowl. (Salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and paprika.) Mix them well.

3. Season the chicken. Drizzle your chicken breasts in olive oil and rub the seasoning on both sides. Be generous. The more seasoning you use, the more flavor youll have.

4. Place the breasts on the prepared baking sheet.Bake them for 20 to 25 minutes until the chicken reaches an internal temp of 160 degrees. (See the best internal temp section below for why you should remove chicken at 160 degrees.)

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5. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes (and until it hits 165 degrees). Then, serve and enjoy!

How Long to Bake Chicken Breast

How long you should bake chicken depends on several factors. These include:

• How large the chicken breasts are
• How thick the chicken breasts are
• How many youre cooking at once
• Your ovens temperature
• Whether youre cooking them alone or with other ingredients

However, generally, you should cook chicken breasts for 22 to 26 minutes at 400 degrees. If you want to cook them at a lower temp, try 25 to 30 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Just be sure you dont overcook your chicken. Otherwise, itll be super dry.

Whats the Best Internal Temperature?

The simple answer is that the best internal temp for chicken is 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

Chicken needs to rest for about 5 minutes before you cut into it. Unfortunately, it continues to cook during those 5 minutes.

So, chicken that comes out of the oven at 165 degrees will be up to 170 degrees or higher after resting. Sometimes, thats not such a big deal. At other times, it can dry the chicken out.

Your best bet is to remove the chicken from the oven at 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, after it rests, it should be at the perfect temp for you to eat it.

Tips for the Best Baked Chicken Breast

Baked chicken is a super simple recipe to perfect. But here are a few tips to help you make the process even more foolproof:

• Pound it!For an even bake, pound the chicken breasts to a 1/2-inch thickness. You can use a meat mallet, rolling pin, or the bottom of a heavy pan.

• Dry it out. Use a paper towel to pat the chicken dry. The seasonings will stick better if you do.

• Butterflying is best.Slice the breast horizontally through the middle. Stop about 1/2 inch from the opposite end. Open it like a book to create two thinner cutlets. This will help it cook faster.

• Soak in the goodness.Let the breasts soak in the seasoning blend for 30 minutes to 1 hour before cooking.

• Add an herby twist.Rosemary, thyme, and oregano all make excellent additions to the seasoning blend. They also make your chicken extremely aromatic.

• Spice it up.Dont be afraid to add a dash of cayenne or red pepper flakes to the chicken. You can also vary the seasoning, selecting a Louisiana- or Cajun-style mix instead.

• Drizzle the juices on top.After your chicken rests, drizzle any juices from the baking dish over it. Itll make it juicier and more flavorful.

Serving Suggestions

Baked chicken tastes great on its own. However, a few sides to make it a complete meal. Pair any of these recipes with your chicken for a treat:

And dont forget dessert! This Heaven on Earth Cake is absolutely divine. These single-serve Mini Cheesecake Bites are another excellent idea.

How to Store

One of the great things about baked chicken is that the leftovers taste just as good as the fresh chicken.

To Store: Place the chicken in an airtight container in the fridge, where it should last for up to 4 days.

To Freeze: You can freeze your leftovers for up to 3 months.To make reheating frozen chicken easier, slice or dice it before freezing it.

To Reheat: Let frozen chicken thaw in the fridge overnight. Then, follow these instructions to reheat chilled chicken:

1. Place the chicken in a microwave-safe bowl.
2. Add a tablespoon or two of water on top of the chicken.
3. Cover the chicken with a microwave-safe lid.
4. Reheat for 2-4 minutes, depending on your microwaves power.

The water will cause the chicken to steam, rehydrating it so it doesnt taste dry. You can also cover it with a damp paper towel to achieve the same effect.

NaTaya Hastings is a food and recipe writer for Insanely Good Recipes. Shes an educator, boy mom, dog mom, and whatever-stray-enters-the-yard mom. As a result, she's constantly cooking for both humans and animals.

Luckily, she enjoys it!

Though born, raised, and still living in Alabama, her specialty is NOT down-home Southern cooking. Instead, she loves to experiment with Asian, Mexican, Italian, and other ethnic cuisines. She has two mottos when it comes to cooking. The more spice, the better! and Theres no such thing as too much garlic!

Shes also pretty good with desserts. Especially the easy, no-bake ones.

Her favorite things are cuddling with her four giant dogs, traveling, reading, writing, and hanging out in nature. Shes also pretty excellent at Dominoes.

Oven-Baked Chicken Breast (So Tender and Juicy!)

This post is sponsored by Foster Farms Air Chilled Chicken but the content and opinions expressed here are my own. 

This oven-baked chicken breast is a must-try chicken recipe! It's so delicious! The meat is so juicy and perfectly cooked with a homemade chicken seasoning blend! It's an easy weeknight dinner meal, fast, and packed with flavors!

There are so many chicken breast recipes out there! If you really want to know the secret to tender and juicy chicken, please keep reading because I am going to show you the best way to cook chicken breasts in the oven! I think you really have to try this oven-baked chicken breast recipe! No marinating or brining required!

This easy chicken recipe is made with simple seasoning! The chicken breast is baked in the oven at a high temperature until caramelized. Always cooked in perfection every time! It never fails me and I know that you're going to love it!

Check Out More Delicious Chicken Recipes:

Chicken breasts are a good source of lean protein without consuming a lot of fat depending on how you cook them. For many people, dark meat or chicken thighs are always the winners in my chicken recipes because they consider it to be more tender and flavorful than white meat. Well, not anymore! This chicken breast recipe proves that you can cook chicken breast beautifully, juicy, tender, and without drying it out!

Now, let's talk about the ingredients!

The Chicken Breast Seasoning Blend:

It's made with basic pantry ingredients: light brown sugar, paprika, ancho chili pepper, oregano (which can be replaced with any of your favorite herbs such as thyme), cumin, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

The brown sugar is the most important ingredient in this recipe. It adds sweetness to the meat, it makes the chicken sweat while it bakes and resulting in more tender and juicy meat, and also gives that beautiful caramelized color on the surface.

To balance out the sweetness flavor from the sugar. I added ancho chili pepper and paprika. These spices add both vibrant colors and flavors to the dish. Both spices have a mildly sweet flavor but don't have much heat at all. The ancho chili pepper adds a nice smoky flavor to the meat. Therefore, this oven-baked chicken breast recipe is not considered as spicy food and very kid-friendly!

Feel free to add a small amount of chili powder or cayenne pepper if you want to add an extra spicy kick to the dish.

How to Oven-Baked Chicken Breast:

In this recipe, you are going to use medium-size chicken breasts that will take about 18 minutes to bake at 425F. It's relatively quick and easy! And the result is phenomenal!

You Should Pound Chicken Breasts Before Cooking Them:

Chicken breasts come in different sizes, therefore, they will cook at an uneven rate. For that reason, you will need to pound them out so they can cook at the same time. The pounding will also tenderize the meat, making them more tender.

Pounding the chicken breast to even thickness is very easy. Basically, you just need to place the chicken on a cutting board, cover it with plastic wrap, and pound using a meat mallet or rolling pin or the back of saucepan until all the pieces are of an even thickness. You want to start pounding from the thicker part area first.

Also, if the chicken breasts are too big, you can slice it in half horizontally, starting at the thickest end, working away from you and toward the thinner end.

In this recipe, I usedFoster Farms Air-Chilled Chicken.Because air-chilled chicken doesnt absorb excess water, it tends to cook faster than when chicken is water- chilled. It also offers other benefits such as better taste and texture. By using Foster Farms Air-Chilled Chicken, you will spend less time in the kitchen and more time with family eating quality, healthy ingredients!

You can learn more aboutFoster Farms Air-Chilled Chickenhere.

I hope you will enjoy this chicken breast recipe! Don't forget to share and come back here to tell us what you think about this recipe!

Recipe

Oven-Baked Chicken Breast

Rika

This oven-baked chicken breast is a must-try chicken recipe! Its so delicious! The meat is so juicy and perfectly cooked with a homemade chicken seasoning blend! Its an easy weeknight dinner meal, fast, and packed with flavors!

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 18 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 4

Calories 214 kcal

Instructions

• Preheatoven to 425F and line the baking sheet with foil and parchment paper.

• Trim any membranes or fat from the breasts with a knife.

• Put the chicken on a cutting board and cover with plastic wrap or put it in a large ziploc. Pound with the flat side of a meat mallet, rolling pin, or the back of the saucepan to an even thickness.

• In a small bowl, mix in all the seasoning ingredients: light brown sugar, cumin, paprika, ancho chili pepper, oregano, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.

• Place the chicken breasts in a single layer in a large baking sheet.

• Rub chicken breasts with olive oil and sprinkle and rub both sides evenly with homemade chicken seasoning.

• Bake for about 15-18 minutes depending on the thickness or until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink.Note: An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).

• Remove the cooked chicken breast from the oven then transfer to a clean plate. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

If the chicken breast is too large, you can slice it in half horizontally, starting at the thickest end, working away from you and toward the thinner end.

Nutrition

Calories: 214kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 24gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 72mgSodium: 721mgPotassium: 427mgFiber: 1gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 330IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 18mgIron: 1mg