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”

  1. made this for tonight’s dinner, my husband and I loved it, the chicken wasn’t dry, the spices were perfect, thank you for the recipe!

  2. 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.






  3. 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)






  4. Made this today and chicken cooked perfectly! Thankyou for the recipe.






    • This was absolutely delicious. So juicy and tender. I made a honey and garlic glaze for it. Simmered it and with the last 10 minutes I brushed some on then let it rest. When I served the chicken I put more sauce on it. Everyone loved it.
      Thanks so much for showing me how to properly cook chicken. I will follow your steps for now on.
      Thanks Curtis.






  5. Absolutely perfect chicken breast! My husband followed the recipe as is and they chicken breasts were juicy and delicious. Thanks!






    • I’ve never succeeded in making a great chicken breast. They’re either underseasoned or overcooked and dry. This was a game changer! I followed the recipe to a tee. Flavorable and moist! I’ll never make them any other way.






  6. I came across this recipe a few weeks ago and I have made it several times since. I cooked it at 450° for about 15 minutes, and it is perfect. This is the best chicken breast I have ever had, super tender. I can’t see making it any other way now.






  7. The BEST baked boneless skinless chicken ever! My family raves about it every time I make it. The only way I make it anymore! #gimmesomeoven #companyworthy

  8. Absolutely delighted with this recipe! Nailed it all the way around with juiciness and spices!! I will definitely make this part of my life from now on!






  9. Followed very closely, making it for two with one large (12+ oz) chicken breast.
    Used a Corning “Individual Casserole” dish which just fit the chicken. Had room to add in some sliced shallots (and a couple tabs of butter for them).
    Seasoned with kosher, pepper and (lightly) za’atar.
    Baked right about 15 min to about 160 +/- – finishes cooking in foil. Can’t broil the corning though.
    DELICIOUS. Served with Orzo and carrots (using plenty of broth).






  10. I love the chicken recipe with five steps it’s make third something time baking it and I shared it too.

  11. Best chicken I’ve ever made!

  12. Can’t wait to try this as my chicken breasts always turn out dry.
    My one question is , is there another salt that can be used if you don’t have kosher salt.?
    Thank you!!

  13. OMG, Absolutely fantastic so juicy, succulent and tasty, it’s the only way I’m going to eat roast chicken from now on.
    This recipe was obviously written from the US, (I’ll forgive you for giving the cooking temperature in Fahrenheit only, for the rest of the world it’s 230⁰C)






    • This has become my go-to recipe for chicken! I just switch up the seasonings to keep it interesting. Always comes out perfectly cooked and juicy.
      I do have a question, though. I’ve seen others warn against the warm water brining as dangerously good for bacteria. My opinion is that the short time period of brining is why it’s ok. Any comments about this?

      Thanks for the great recipe!

    • I’m in Canada and we cook in F! Lol

  14. Cooked at 450° for about 25-30 min to reach 165°+ and didn’t develop a crust.






  15. I brined the chicken for 6 hours and baked it according to the recipe and it was so so so salty that it was inedible! Had to throw it away! I’ll try the 15 minute brine next. I trust that I did something wrong judging by all the other reviews.

  16. Don’t even think twice! Make this! It’s my go-to for oven chicken that won’t dry out AND my kids LOVE! It pairs well with any side dish. I’ve also made it for company and everyone was impressed by the juiciness. Don’t hesitate!






  17. I love the simplicity, and the taste of this recipe, but when I was cooking at 450 the butter began to burn and smoke filled my oven and kitchen. What did I do wrong?

  18. This is the best recipe I have found on cooking chicken breasts! They come out perfect every single time.

  19. So easy! Ty!






  20. It was almost comical how much both of my kids liked these enchiladas!!






    • Tried this recipe 2X.Fillwed instructions to the letter. Both were epic fails. Resulted in undercooked chicken that had to be tossed and completely ruined two separate baking dishes! Epic failure! The bottom of the breasts burned into the baking dish while the rest of he chicken was raw!

    • This recipe is for baked chicken breast, not enchiladas

  21. Do yourself a favor; Also add 2 cloves of FRESH garlic, minced along with some Italian Seasoning. Makes the difference!!

  22. My family ate this up. They told me it left no crumbs and they would hit it again. SO yeah TYPE SHIIII






  23. I don’t think I’ll ever do chicken breasts any other way! Even though I accidentally let them reach 170°, they were still super juicy and tender! In the past, I’ve struggled to keep them from drying out, even when I get the temp just right. I’m so happy to have learned this method! Thank you!






  24. So simple and so perfect






  25. Can’t wait to try this tonight.






  26. I made this and no joke! The chicken breasts werè just delish. I used mine to make soup. Better than rotisserie chicken!! Tasty and tender!






  27. Hi! I did it with your help. But mine were a little too salty but I only used 3 breasts. Should I cut back on the amount of salt used in the brine? Thank you!Dianne






  28. This is the best baked chicken I’ve EVER made and tasted! And, I thought, until now, that I didn’t even like chicken! BRAVO!,






  29. got rave review from my guest! thanks so much






  30. Best baked chicken we have had! Love the high heat baking.






  31. I made this today, and at first was going to lay my skinless, boneless breasts on a rack over a pan, then read your instruction to bake them in a dish. The bottom of the breasts turned out very mushy, (the breading) and awful, of course because it was sitting in the melted butter. I then dried out that side with (you guessed it) broiling them a little more with a rack on a pan. Perfect.

  32. I have used your recipe for the chicken breast and it came out beautifully just as you said. Can I brine bone in skin on chicken thighs?

  33. Didn’t work. At 20 minutes my breasts had an internal temp of 105F. It took 45 minutes, and they didn’t brown at all. I don’t know why everyone is raving about this recipe. Others talk about searing them before baking. ???

  34. This was awesome. I always overcook chicken breast and this recipe came out so juicy and succulent like restaurant quality. I brined for 30 minutes, cooked for 17 minutes, and rested for 20 minutes. I used less salt on the chicken after rinsing than I normally would, thinking the brine had added some salt, but I should have just used the normal amount: Don’t be afraid to over season it. I’ll always cook chicken breast like this.






  35. Delicious and moist! Thank you! I would like to comment, though, that the idea that high heat cooking or searing holds moisture in meat has been shown to be a myth. Hope you will help dispel the myth. See food scientist Harold McGee, for example.






  36. I am obsessed with this recipe. It is so easy and versatile. I cook this chicken 4 times a week and use it so many ways. Thank you. Your recipe does not disappoint.






  37. I just commented how great this recipe is but forgot to mention this is my first review. That said the most important step I found is to pound your chicken to equal heights. And make sure you let it rest. Again this is a Great recipe!






  38. Delicious. Thank you for this recipe!






  39. The best
    Made this and the breast were so tender and tasty. Brining did the trick and loved the simplicity of how to make this. Perfect spicing.






  40. Anyone who cooks should learn this technique. Truly easy and a game changer.






  41. Great recipe. Only issue for me is I guess I use larger breasts (boneless/skinless). Mine take well over 30 minutes at 450 to reach the proper temperature. Otherwise, they’re great!






    • Same for me and still no crust either.

    • Yeah it’s about 30 mins or a little more with jumbo big chicken breast. I just keep checking it with a thermometer every 5 mins after about 25 mins. Still turns out soft and juicy.

  42. Hi Ali! Thank you so much for this! I bought my chicken breasts pre-brined, butterflied, and seasoned with chimichurri. Baked at 450 for 16-17 minutes, sat for 5 while I made a chopped salad, and they were PERFECT. Soooo yummy.

  43. Absolutely a family favorite! I’ve made this several times – especially after a weekend of highly seasoned foods – think tacos, enchiladas – served with a caked potato and a veggie !! Everyone is happy!! ( I make a quick gravy with better then bouillon roasted chicken base )

  44. I made it today. It’s very good and I will make it again for sure!

  45. I’m a terrible cook. If I can make tasty, moist, tender chicken breasts from this recipe, anybody can. This is excellent. Just follow the instructions & use your thermometer.






  46. Ok so I am not a good cook…hence why I’m looking up how to bake chicken. I also hate chicken, but it needed to be made. I’m not joking when I say this came out SO GOOD. My picky son had seconds. and I even ate it. I added a little lemon pepper seasoning and drizzled some of the juices in it after cutting it up and it was delicious. Thank you so much for this recipe! I hate when they make it so complicated and a thousand ingredients and steps. This was so simple and seriously so good

  47. Best chicken ever. Thank you for including the brining step. It really made a difference.






  48. Hi Hayley, 5 stars all the way! We really enjoyed your recipe. My husband and I loved it. Thank you so much for sharing. Enjoy your day. 😊






  49. Guess this is a website that wants absolutely NO constructive criticism. That’s too bad because that is how we all improve. I had to bake them @450* for 35 minutes, not as the instructions said, 15-18 minutes. Is that a terrible thing to say. So sorry! :(