Gimme Some Oven

Baked Chicken Breasts

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My favorite oven baked chicken breasts recipe! It never fails me, 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 (pictured below): which I have owned and used for years when cooking chicken, which retails for about $9.99 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), which retails for about $24.99 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. Plus, if you brine chicken in lukewarm water, it also helps bring the chicken to room temperature, which makes for more even cooking. Win-win!

To brine chicken, simply fill a big bowl with lukewarm (not hot) water. Stir in a handful of salt until it mostly dissolves. 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 that I bought on Amazon for $10, 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 1304 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

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 bowl with 1 quart of warm water and 1/4 cup kosher salt. Stir to combine until most of the salt is absorbed. 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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3,375 comments on “Baked Chicken Breasts”

  1. Took 34 mins to cook the breasts to 165°

    Delicious chicken, just plan for double the cooking time recommended.

  2. Way too much salt. I love salt. It was good, except for that. I rinsed under cold water and patted dry…but maybe need to rinse more?






  3. Increíble la ayuda y la técnica sorprendente, una de mis grandes dudas ahora la pondré en práctica se ve estupenda la pechuga, mil gracias 😊






  4. Very easy and I like the crispy top I did the 450° method with two large chicken breasts it took a little longer but the crust on top was nice!






  5. This was delicious and reminded me of how my mom used to cook chicken when I was young. I had bone-in split breasts but followed everything else…just cooked at lower temp and for longer. The brine really kicked this simple recipe to a new level!






  6. I went to this recipe in a pinch, and wow – the meat was very tender and flavorful. We will definitely be coming back for more. Thank you!






  7. I love this recipe it is simple quick and easy it tastes delicious I make it all the time thank you for posting such a great recipe 😋






  8. I’ve made this several times now and it always comes out perfect. The brine is the key, and I’ve never brined longer than 20 minutes. My go-to is to coat both sides of the chicken with taco seasoning, and slice the cooked chicken into strips. I roll them into a burrito with avocado, cilantro, Monterey Jack cheese, and sour cream. Then toast the burrito on all sides in a lightly oiled pan.






  9. As a chronic over-cooker of chicken, I was skeptical… could this really work? Verdict? Yes. This recipe resulted in the most tender, flavorful chicken I have even made. My entire family enjoyed it and we had NO leftovers. This is a great recipe. Thank you!






  10. Just wanted to say I’ve been coming back to this recipe for a few years now. It’s so elegantly simple yet produces the juiciest chicken I’ve ever tasted. You taught me to brine, something I’ve used in many other dishes with great results. Thank you.






  11. Made this tonight. It was delicious. Best baked chicken I’ve ever cooked. The brining made it melt in the mouth tender.






  12. So juicy and tender! Thank you!!






  13. Finally found my go-to chicken recipe! For my oven, 4, medium sized chicken breasts took about 26 minutes.






  14. After 50 plus years, this is the perfect baked chicken. Jim and I both enjoyed it and of course will do again…perhaps with different spices. I was pleasantly surprised that the brining did not make the chicken salty..thank you

  15. My go-to recipe whenever I need delicious, moist chicken breasts–for anything! Salads, sandwiches, etc.! I mix butter and olive oil and LOVE using a cajun rub! Never settle for boring chicken breasts again!






  16. Great recipe just wondering if the chicken should be covered in the over or not

  17. Thank you for answering all of my Baked Chicken questions. Seriously, I knew it couldn’t be that hard, I love it and have tried repeatedly with nothing to brag about. Dry or rubbery. Can’t wait to try it again !!

  18. Very tender but too salty. I don’t think I would add salt after the brining.

  19. I cooked this tonight. GREAT!! I never cooked chicken breast this juicy. Thank -You!!!






  20. Making it right now for a quick and easy dinner. It smells great so
    I know it will be tasty.






  21. I made this today for dinner. It was a great hit! Thanks for sharing!






  22. Good tip on the brine! Cook times vary…

    FYI, your recipe has a link to a baking dish that is rated for 400⁰. Given your warning on heat limitations of other bakeware, I urge you to consider linking a more suitable product.






  23. I use this recipe often, it is the very best and always turns out great. Tender, juicy and flavorful.






  24. I have made this recipe 3 times now – it was good all three times, but the first and third were just next level – so moist and flavorful. I realized I forgot to brine the chicken when I made it the second time, trying to make it from memory. The brining must make a big difference – won’t miss this step again! Thanks for a fabulous yet simple recipe!






  25. First time I’ve ever brined chicken breasts! Oh my gosh ..my go to recipe now. So good! Very tender and juicy.






  26. Thank you for sharing this recipe. I have made it a few times following your recipe step by step My husband cant get over how juicy and tender the spices are a perfect balance .. The recipe is so yummy.






  27. Very easy, tender and juicy, but beware of the salt. It is too salty for our taste so I will scrape some off before serving it today and simply take it easy next time. I used the 450 degree method for 20 mins and it is so moist! Paprika gives it nice color, too!

  28. Love this recipe!!! Easy to prepare. Resulting in moist, delicious, baked chicken! Thank you Ali.






  29. Sooo good. Made it for the first time tonight exactly as the recipe specified. My picky 3 kids gobbled it up and asked if we could have it every night! I made extra for salads, tacos, and wraps to use the rest of the week. So easy and delicious, thank you!






  30. My husband says no one makes better oven baked boneless chicken breasts than his bride. Now that I know the secret to perfect every time chicken, he says the same thing, make this every night!

  31. Amazing. Sooo good. I think best yet. I made 2, 1 for lunch….couldn’t wait. Thank you

  32. Didn’t like it! Never ate a white chicken breast with red seasoning on it! Shouldn’t it have browned some at 450 degrees!

  33. Mine didn’t turn out – son couldn’t eat it – top was seasoned but not impressed. Lots of it wasted unfortunately

  34. Great recipe






  35. I have never been able to bake chicken in the oven without it being dry until this evening. Brining is where it’s at! So tasty! Thank you!






  36. I’ve struggled with overdone chicken for ages, and resorted to oven thermometers ages ago. IF you slice your breasts into cutlets, read on for a few pointers.

    But this particular combination–brining and this particular batch of seasonings–was fab. I did NOT add salt to my seasonings, because we’d sliced the breasts in half, length-wise, and thus had cutlets, effectively, which we also pounded. (Since year two of COVID, all the chicken we get is woody as hell.) I brined them for 15 minutes, only, because the pounded cutlets were thin, then rinsed them thoroughly with water, patted them dry with paper towels, brushed on the butter and sprinkled on the seasonings. And I’m glad that I did not use the kosher salt in my seasonings–with the size of the pieces and the brining, it would have been uber-salty. (In case someone else wants to to this.) Mr. Wonderful loved them. And honestly, I was still taking bites out of the 2nd pair of cutlets (which were meant to be for tonight’s dinner, ha, as-if!) late at night. Delish.

    Highly recommend. Also, with cutlets, be very aware of cooking times. I don’t think mine spent 7 minutes in the pan (I non-stick pan-fried them/sauteed, no oil.)

    THANKS for this!






  37. Perfection. I followed to a t and it came out so moist. Thank you!






  38. Im new to cooking so I’ve never brined chicken before but this recipe has definitely upped my game! It was so juicy, tender and flavorful. I’ll never go back. I lost the website on my phone and frantically looked through my history to find it again.






  39. My family loves this recipe. Thank you!






  40. Chicken recipe review

    WOW! Thank you for solving my dry as dust chicken breast problem forever! My family LOVED it, noting it was juicy and perfectly cooked. Using the thermometer is essential to success. Next time I will reduce the salt- both in the brine and the seasoning blend. My adjustments: 1) Didn’t have plain butter so used garlic butter from Sam’s Club ; 2) Used Chihuahua smoked salt instead of plain kosher. Dang that stuff is so good!






  41. Absolutely fantastic!

    I thought I melted too much butter (2 TBS) , but used the excess butter, pan juices, a paste of corn starch and Kitchen Bouquet ( a browning liquid for gravy) to make a sauce/gravy. And it turned out excellent. The chicken was moist, flavorful . Served with brown rice, peas and corn. It was a dinner to be proud of. Thank you for posting the recipe.






  42. Thanks so much for posting.






  43. Stumbled upon this recipe toward the beginning of Covid and have been using it ever since! Even my incredibly picky kid likes it! I normally use plain paprika though I recently tried smoked, to me they’re about the same. The only thing I do differently is sometimes when I’m busy I throw all the ingredients in a bag and let them sit in fridge til I can pop in the oven. Works a treat!!






  44. I don’t know why I always thought that brining was more difficult, but it really helped keep our chicken wonderfully moist. My only problem was the chicken spitting like a ticked-off kitty-cat in the gas oven, so I had to loosely cover it with foil for the bulk of the cooking time. Just like with our Thanksgiving turkey, I took the foil off for the last five-ish minutes of cooking, flipped the breasts & spooned some of the pooled butter over the other side, & everything browned just the right amount. Thank you so much for the tutorial!






  45. I found this recipe about 2 years ago and it has changed the way I cook chicken. All meat, actually. No white meat gets cooked without Brining and all meat gets to Rest. It’s getting close to Thanksgiving and I’m wondering if you’ve found the perfect way to roast turkey. Last year I found a wonderful citrus brine, an amazing garlic/herb butter, and of course I let it rest. The family has been talking about it since last Thanksgiving. What I want to know is how to roast it. High heat for a shorter time like with the chicken? Or low and slow like most recipes call for? Do I need a special pan? I just knew I had to get your thoughts on it if I wanted to keep the family talking for another year. lol.

  46. Took about 30-35m for five ounce breasts. I probably didn’t flatten them enough, but so be it. The chicken was incredibly juicy and tender – the most tender/juicy chicken breast I have ever had! :)
    A couple issues I had:
    The breasts were buttered, but did not brown.
    The breasts were very salty.
    I brined for about five hours, then rinsed in cold water.
    Should I brine for a shorter period of time to take away some of the salt taste?
    Did anyone else have these issues, or what did I do wrong?
    I don’t know how much salty taste came from the garlic and herb seasoning (first time use).

  47. I made this tonight. Brined it, pounded cooked it to 165°F. It tasted fine but came out stringy and hard to cut. I used frozen breasts which I had thawed first before the brine. Should I put the frozen breasts in the brine instead of thawing first? Perhaps pounding them broke it up too much. Help.






  48. I was very skeptical, to say the least, at trying this recipe. Let me just tell you… it is the best baked boneless/skinless chicken I’ve ever made. My family absolutely loved it!
    I followed the recipe precisely, and it was ready in 15 min @450° This recipe will be my go to chicken bake from here on out 😋 Thank you @gimmesomeoven
    I look forward to trying some of your other recipes soon! Kari from Arizona 🌵

  49. I’ve made many baked chicken recipes, this is the best one and a total winner with my kids. Super easy and great flavor. Leftovers didn’t stand a chance.






  50. This is such a perfect recipe for chicken breast!!! Thank you!!! I usually find chicken breast a rather boring choice, but the brining, the brushed butter and the spices made for a succulent meal. I had this with braised cabbage, steamed broccoli with mushrooms and a small amount of freekeh (middle eastern whole gain)