Gimme Some Oven

Baked Chicken Breasts

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My favorite oven baked chicken breasts recipe! It never fails, thanks to this simple 5-step method that is easy to make and customize with your favorite seasonings.

Perfect Oven Baked Chicken Breast

A few weeks ago on Insta, I asked if you all might be interested in a back-to-basics series about the best ways to bake proteins (i.e. chicken, pork, steak, seafood, tofu, etc.) in the oven. Your answer? A resounding yes, please. Many of you had requests and questions about methods for cooking various proteins, plus more than a few tales to tell about proteins gone not-so-right over the years. And oh boy, I hear ya. My little kitchen has seen more than its share of overcooked steaks, completely dried out pork chops, salmon skin glued to pans, and not-so-crispy tofu over the years too. Which are never fun, especially since proteins can be pricey and intended for special occasions. But hey, it’s all part of the adventure of learning how to cook. And eventually, I’ve trial-and-errored my way to some basic methods for baking proteins that have become super-reliable, super-delicious staples in my kitchen.

So over the next two weeks, I thought we could work our way through each of them, beginning today with the #1 most requested protein here on Gimme Some Oven…

…chicken.

Specifically, boneless skinless chicken breasts.

Over the years, I’ve received countless requests for new chicken breast recipes, and many more for tips on how to bake chicken breasts in the oven. Because anyone who worked with chicken breasts before know that they can be incredibly versatile, yet also incredibly finicky to work with, especially when baked in the oven. Cook them the wrong way and you’ll end up with a dry, rubbery, tough, and flavorless disaster. But cooked the right way?! We’re talkin’ juicy, tender, flavorful, perfectly baked chicken breasts that you will love.

The good news is that they’re also totally easy to customize with your favorite seasonings or sauces. And also, incredibly easy to make with my 5-step baked chicken breasts method. Thousands of our readers have tried it over the years and reported back that this method was a game-changer with cooking chicken. So if you have yet to give it a try, let’s bake some chicken together!

Baked Chicken Breasts Recipe | 1-Minute Video

Baked Chicken Breast Ingredients

To make this baked chicken breasts recipe, you will need:

  • Boneless, skinless chicken breasts: You can either purchase fresh chicken breasts (my preference) or frozen chicken breasts (which you will need to completely thaw before using). Some chicken also comes pre-brined nowadays, in which case you can skip step one below.
  • Butter or olive oil: Your pick! I like the extra flavor that butter adds, but olive oil will also work well.
  • Kosher Salt: An essential ingredient in our brine, and we will also use salt to season the chicken before baking.
  • Seasonings: I included an all-purpose blend of smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt and black pepper in the recipe below, which is super-simple and goes with just about anything. But feel free to sub in any dry seasoning blend that you prefer.

Also, if you bake chicken (or any other kind of baked proteins) regularly in the oven, I strongly having a cooking thermometer on hand too. It is the most foolproof way to ensure that your chicken is not over- or under-cooked, and works like a charm. I recommend either this:

  • Instant-read cooking thermometer: which I have owned and used for years when cooking chicken, which currently retails for about $14 on Amazon.
  • Dual-probe wireless meat thermometer: which I also own and love because it can be used inside of a hot oven (especially helpful for baking steak, salmon and pork) plus it can either beep or send an alert to your cell phone, and currently retails for about $33 on Amazon.

How To Brine Chicken to make Baked Chicken Breasts

Baked Chicken Seasoning Recipe

How To Bake Chicken Breasts

Alright, so here’s the secret! To make perfectly baked chicken bbrrreasts, you simply need to follow this 5-step acronym: B.B.R.R.R.

  1. Brine
  2. Brush
  3. Rub
  4. Roast
  5. Rest

Brine (Step 1): I’m telling you — this step is an absolute must for anytime you want to bake chicken breasts in the oven. Brining chicken is super-easy, it makes your chicken extra juicy, and best of all, it can be effectively done in just 15 minutes.

To brine chicken, simply fill a big bowl half full with lukewarm water. Stir in a handful of salt until it mostly dissolves. Add ice cubes or cold water to lower the temperature of the water so that it is cool to the touch. Then add your chicken breasts and let them sit in the saltwater to brine for at least 15 minutes. If you are doing this in advance, you can cover and refrigerate the bowl of chicken and saltwater for up to 6 hours. But you don’t want to let the chicken brine for much longer than that.

When you’re ready to go, remove the chicken from the brine. Give it a good rinse it with cold water to wash off the salt, and then pat it dry with some paper towels. And voila — your chicken is officially brined.

Really, don’t skip over this step! It makes a world of difference.

Note: That said, some store-bought chicken breasts are now sold pre-brined. So double-check your packaging beforehand. And if your chicken has already been pre-brined in a sodium solution, just move onto step two. :)

Brush (Step 2): Brush your chicken breasts with melted butter. Or at least, I highly recommend using butter. It adds great flavor and helps give a nice golden crust on the outside. But if you’d rather use olive oil (or another favorite cooking oil), feel free.

Brush the breasts liberally on both sides to prevent the chicken from sticking to the pan, and also to help the seasonings stick. Then place the chicken breasts in a large baking dish or roasting pan.

Rub (Step 3): If you’re really wanting to keep things simple, you can simply sprinkle some salt and pepper onto the chicken breasts. But again, chicken will pick up the flavor of whatever seasonings you add. So even if you’re making a simple dish that calls for “plain” chicken breasts, I highly recommend the simple chicken seasoning recipe I have included below that includes salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika.

Roast (Step 4): So this is the step that causes some squabbles amongst chicken lovers — how long to bake chicken breasts? And what is the correct temperature to bake chicken? Do you bake it low and slow (as in, 30 minutes at 350°F)? Or do you roast chicken high and quick (as in, 15 minutes at 450)? I have tested out both — and just about every interval in between — dozens upon dozens upon dozens of times. And in the end, I fall firmly in the latter camp when it comes to baked chicken.

I like to roast my chicken breasts on high heat.

Depending on the thickness of your chicken breasts, roasting chicken at 450°F should require a cooking time of about 15-18 minutes (depending on the thickness/size of your chicken breasts). It’s speedy and it’s easy. But mostly I love it because cooking at high heat quickly develops a nice crispier “crust” on the outside of the breasts, which also helps to lock in those juices and keep the oven roasted chicken perfectly tender on the inside. It’s the best of both worlds.

I highly recommend investing in a small cooking thermometer to measure the cooked chicken temp in order to tell if it is ready to go (the FDA says that the safe cooked chicken temp is 165°F), versus cutting into it with a fork, which lets those good juices seep out. I use this instant-read thermometer and it will accurately measure your internal chicken temperature in seconds.

Rest (Step 5): This one is a non-negotiable. You must, must let your beautifully baked chicken breasts rest before cutting into them — a tip which applies to cooking any meat, really. If you cut in right away, you will lose all of the amazing juices and some of the tenderness that we’re going for. But if you give your freshly baked chicken breasts a brief rest, it will finish cooking and lock in all of those delicious juices, resulting in the most tender and juicy and delicious baked chicken.

I recommend loosely tenting a sheet of aluminum foil over the pan to keep the heat in while the chicken rests. And then after 5-10 minutes, you can finally serve and enjoy your perfectly-cooked chicken breasts.

And enjoy every last bite. 

Oven Baked Chicken Breast Recipe

How To Season Baked Chicken Breasts

Again, I’m a big fan of the classic paprika-garlic-pepper mix in the recipe below. But if you’d like to mix things up, feel free to sub in any of your favorite dry seasoning mixes, such as:

How To Make Baked Chicken Breasts Recipe

How To Use/Serve Baked Chicken Breasts

The easiest way, of course, is just to serve these roasted chicken breasts fresh outta the oven. But feel free to also slice, shred, or dice these oven baked chicken breasts for use in another recipe, such as these faves:

How To Store Baked Chicken Breasts

Once the chicken has been baked, it can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Or you can freeze it for up to 3 months. (<– I recommend shredding, dicing or slicing the chicken before freezing for easier use.)

Perfectly Juicy Oven Baked Chicken Breast Recipe

Side Dish Recipe Ideas

Looking for some side dishes to serve with this baked chicken recipe? Here are a few of my faves:

Baked Chicken Breast with Roasted Asparagus

More Baked Protein Tutorials

Be sure to check out our tutorials for how to bake other meats, seafood and tofu too!

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Baked Chicken Breast Recipe

Baked Chicken Breasts

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.9 from 1414 reviews
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x

Description

Learn how to make juicy, tender, delicious baked chicken breasts with this simple 5-step method.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded to even thickness
  • 1 tablespoon melted butter or olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

Instructions

  1. Brine the chicken. (Check the label of your chicken breasts. If they have already been pre-brined in a sodium solution, please skip this step.) Fill a large mixing bowl with 2 cups of lukewarm water and 1/4 cup kosher salt. Stir to combine until most of the salt is absorbed. Add 2 cups of cold water (or a few ice cubes) to lower the temperature of the water so that it is cool to the touch. Add the chicken breasts and let them sit in the mixture to brine for 15 minutes, or you can also also cover the bowl and refrigerate for up to 6 hours. Remove the chicken breasts from the brine, rinse them with cold water, then pat them dry with paper towels.
  2. Heat the oven. Preheat oven to 450°F.
  3. Season the chicken. Place the chicken breasts in a single layer in a large baking dish*. Brush on both sides (turning once) evenly with the melted butter or olive oil. In a separate small bowl, whisk the salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika until combined. Sprinkle the seasoning mixture evenly over the chicken on both sides.
  4. Bake. Bake for 15-18* minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink. Cooking time will depend on the thickness of the chicken breasts, so I recommend using a cooking thermometer to know exactly when the chicken is fully cooked. The thickest part of the breast should measure 165°F. (If you want the chicken to be a little bit browned and crispier on top, you can turn the broiler on high for the final 3-5 minutes of the cooking time and broil the chicken until it is cooked through and golden on top. Keep a close eye on the chicken, however, so that it does not overcook and/or burn.)
  5. Rest the chicken. Once the chicken is cooked, remove the pan from the oven, transfer the chicken to a clean plate, and loosely tent the plate with aluminum foil. Let the chicken rest for at least 5-10 minutes.
  6. Serve. Serve warm and enjoy!


Notes

Baking Dish: Please double-check the maximum temperature of your baking dish for this recipe. Glass dishes (such as Pyrex) usually have a maximum recommended temperature of 425°F, so we do not recommend using a glass dish for this recipe. You can also cook this recipe on a thick metal baking sheet.

Storage instructions: Cooked chicken can be stored in a sealed container and refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months.

How To Bake Chicken Breasts

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3,565 comments on “Baked Chicken Breasts”

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  1. Chicken never browned, and I made sure to pound the breasts into even thickness (1 inch), cooked at 450 for 18 minutes, then broiled for 5 more minutes. They came out looking pale and undercooked but internal temp was 175-180. Lots of fluid in the pan, likely due to the salt brine and water excess coming out of the chicken. Chicken was just ok. Not that flavorful or appealing. This recipe didn’t work for me.






  2. Absolute delicious!! Made this last night and it was fabulous! Served with mashed potatoes and salad. I enjoyed how easy it was to make, and the sauce while admittedly a bit oily was very tasty!






  3. Love love this recipe! I crave making this all the time now. I too have always over cooked oven baked chicken breasts but with this recipe that’s not happening now for me! The seasoning is great as well!






  4. Made it this morning to use in a salad tonight, but I had some for breakfast. Perfectly moist. Looks nice on top. Definitely the most successful baked chicken I’ve made. However, I found it too salty and I’m wondering whether I should reduce salt in the brine or in the seasoning mix.






  5. Loved this! Added a few other spices including sage and parsley and thyme. Delicious, perfectly cooked, and INCREDIBLY juicy! Thanks a bunch.






  6. Made this for dinner last night. It turned out great. Found my new baked chicken recipe. Thank you.

  7. Just made this recipe, and it is the juiciest chicken I have ever made! I was really surprised because I have found that boneless, skinless chicken breasts tend to be dry. Wonderful suggestions for rubs! Will definitely make these again! Thank you for sharing! :)






  8. Today I really wanted to grill chicken but it was so hot out! I was looking for recipes that would still give me “grill” vibes when I came across this one. How the heck did I even cook chicken before?! This recipe made our tastebuds dance! It was literally perfectly done, tender and juicy! My go to recipe for baked chicken now!






  9. I almost never follow a recipe exactly as written but today I did and I wish I would have listened to my instincts! Way too salty. Inedible. Straight to the compost bin for this recipe. Sooo disappointed.

    • My husband loved it! I had no smoked paprika, so I used smoked sea salt and regular paprika along with the other ingredients.

  10. Just tried this now. I forgot to pound the chicken breast but I just added time in the oven. So good. Thank you!

  11. Delicious dish. Chicken was moist and tender . Will certainly make again. Thanks






  12. Thank you for this recipe! I wanted to cook some chicken breasts to put on a sandwich. I never realised that the best results would come from brining the chicken first. Thanks to you and your recipe I made the best chicken breasts I’ve ever cooked in my life. :)

  13. One part of the recipe calls for the chicken breasts to be pounded to an even thickness (“4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded to even thickness and brined in saltwater”)…but pounding is not mentioned in any of the other places the preparation of the chicken breasts is described and all the photos show chicken breasts which have obviously not been pounded to an even thickness.

    So what’s the final recommendation…pound (and ignore the photos/other preparations instructions) or follow the photos/other instructions (and ignore pounding the breasts to an even thickness)?

  14. The chicken turned out good but the butter started smoking around minute 12 and my smoke alarm went off and sent me scrambling.






  15. I have worked in restaurants through HS and College, I love to eat out, and my wife is a self made good cook.
    Today, she made me your chicken. WITHOUT A DOUBT, this chicken is Five Stars Plus. THE BEST that I have EVER tasted, and I am 78. I cannot wait for leftovers tomorrow.






  16. Been using this recipe for a few years now. Never fails! Thank you!






  17. If you use this brine, DO NOT add any other spices that have any salt in them. If you do, you will not be able to eat the chicken breasts. Think ahead!

  18. this is a genuinely easy and delicious way to make flavorful and moist chicken breasts. well worth making






  19. Followed all the steps, ended up with a tasty moist chicken breast. Will definitely make again.






  20. I don’t know why this worked so well or why it was so good but the chicken was moist af and delicious.






  21. My chicken was rather salty after baking. I brined for 5 hours.
    Any suggestions?

  22. Excellent! I had large chicken breasts so I did I did the 18 minutes. Turned out perfect! Thank-you






  23. Thank you for this recipe, our only animal protein is organic poultry and dry breast is very difficult to eat, particularly for anyone with swallowing issues. I prepared it exactly as you suggested using butter which does provide great flavor but it smoked so next time I will try it with ghee instead. I turned the temp down to 400 degrees when it began to smoke and finished the cooking, let it rest and sliced it with the pan drippings. We loved the tenderness and enjoyed it with a cauliflower and potato mash and some sautéed Cremini mushrooms. My mate said it reminded him of Thanksgiving turkey it was so moist. Wonderful game changing recipe which I will use again & again fro a variety of dishes from Mexican to Italian, thanks again!






  24. Love this recipe and felt it’s worth noting for those people complaining about saltiness that you really must invest in some kosher salt as the recipe is written not any salt will do and she says to rinse the chicken after brining in cool water which makes a big difference. I didn’t pound the breasts since the photos don’t appear to be and mine came out perfectly.






  25. I love the dish. I also love bone in skin on breast. Can this recipe be successfully modified by rubbing the seasoning under the skin?

  26. I wanted to love this recipe. The flavor was good, but it was really spongy. :(






  27. Best chicken breast I’ve ever made. I usually over cook chicken breast but haven’t as yet. Simple to make!!!






  28. Super easy and delicious!!
    I seasoned with Weber Kick’n Chicken seasoning. Served with jasmine rice. Yummy!






  29. Be careful. Cooking the chicken at this temperature after basting the meat in butter filled my kitchen with smoke and made one big mess to clean up.

  30. It’s the brine that makes this so tasty and tender. Thank you for sharing. 👏👏👏👏👏






  31. I’ve NEVER went back to cooking chicken any other way! This recipe is amazing, thanks so much for sharing! I’ve done it with boneless or bone-in, and it NEVER fails! 10/10! 🍗






  32. I have been cooking chicken breasts for what seems like forever – I have cooked it about every way possible. I have never personally been satisfied and have always tried to figure out what I am missing. This recipe was awesome! I am not sure if it was that I always tried to cook it too slow, I never brined the chicken first, never used butter over oil…. but this was EXACTLY what I was looking for. And using different spices I can change the flavor and I am able to serve it as a dish or mix it in with other dishes such as pasta, stir fry, salads, or even sandwiches! This was just amazing!

  33. Quick and easy recipe with delicious results! The chicken was tender, juicy and flavorful. I would definitely make this again.






  34. YES YES YES. Follow this recipe exactly. Perfect every time!






  35. Perfectly juicy!






  36. Don’t know what all the raves are about this recipe. I had to adjust the recipe because I just make 1/2 of breast a whole breast is too much for me. I cooked it for about 12 minutes and and at that time the internal temperature was 165 degrees. It was dry and about as tender As shoe leather. Gave it to the cat who wasn’t sure if she wanted to eat it either. What a disappointment.






  37. Hi, Ali, I am making your rice and chicken dish this weekend for my daughter’s birthday, can I Sousvide the chicken breast? and please visit us: https://www.beckandbulow.com






  38. Used hot chipotle salt and garlic salt instead of salt and garlic powder. Kept pepper and paprika. Turned out great and more tender and faster than other recipes I’ve tried. Easy family pleaser!

  39. I made this with one thick chicken breast so only used a 1/4 teaspoon of the seasonings. Absolute perfection!!!

  40. This was the best baked chicken I have ever made!






  41. MAKE THIS RECIPE! It’s the only way I cook chicken now. 💯💯💯






  42. Best way to cook chicken breasts hands down! PERFECTION 🤌👌






  43. Delicious. The butter adds to the flavor and mine came out really juicy. Thanks for testing and sharing!






  44. OMG, I thought I don’t like chicken breast! This recipe changed my mind! Followed the recipe to a tee, and it turned out fantastic, thank you for sharing your recipe. You are completely right, brining is the key.






  45. I have made this chicken breast dish over a 100 times and it is ALWAYS a HIT with everyone I make it for. They can’t believe how juicy and moist the breast are. Thank you for this recipe.

  46. Really!!!
    use alright if you like it and don’t care that it’s not the favored form. There’s nothing essentially wrong with it.






    • Hello! I’ve made this a bunch of times by habit using the fan oven setting and it’s always gorgeously moist but sadly no crust! Would it be better to use the top and bottom oven heating elements without fan instead and bake the chicken in the centre of the oven? This recipe is wonderful and I know my lack of crust is of my own making but would love to know if you think this change would help!






  47. Ali, we’ve probably used this recipe a hundred times now, so I realized I’m long overdue for leaving a comment. We obviously think it’s the best! :)






    • This is the absolute best chicken breast guide anywhere! This transforms dry tasteless breasts into delicious, juicy, savory meat! I will never cook breasts that haven’t been properly prepared again!

  48. Don’t cook until temperature is 165 as it will be over done because it keeps cooking after you take it out. I pull it out at least 5 degrees before recommended temperature.






  49. Delicious!! I just fixed this for my family, and everyone loved it! The chicken is tender, juicy, and so flavorful.






  50. It was delicious!!! I baked at 425 degrees, 30 minutes. Used Montreal chicken seasoning. It was so so good!!