Learn how to make the best oven baked chicken breasts that are extra juicy and oh-so-tender. All you need are a few simple seasonings, an oven and 30 minutes!
Why You’ll Love This Baked Chicken Breast Recipe
Perfect for meal prep, an easy dinner, or using in other recipes, this is the best method for juicy baked chicken breast in oven! Here’s why:
- Quick and Easy: With just a few pantry staples and one baking dish, this recipe is ready in less than 30 minutes!
- Juicy and Tender: Is there anything worse than dry and bland chicken? This recipe will give you the most succulent and flavorful baked chicken breasts ever. Trust us, you’ll be amazed by the results!
- Budget Friendly: Aside from the chicken breasts, everything else is likely found in your spice cabinet.
- Versatile: Pair it with your favorite side dish, or use it to make salads, sandwiches, wraps, and more. You can also change up the seasonings to suit your mood!
Looking for more easy chicken breast recipes? You’ll love our baked lemon pepper chicken, these easy baked chicken drumsticks, and this flavorful ranch Ritz cracker chicken!
What You’ll Need
You probably have everything you need to make this juicy oven baked chicken breast recipe! Scroll down to the recipe card for exact amounts.
- Chicken: We’re going to use boneless skinless chicken breasts.
- Oil: Olive oil or avocado oil both work great.
- Seasoning: We used garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper.
- Butter: Optional, but we love adding a pad of butter on top of hot baked chicken breasts adds flavor and juiciness!
How to Bake Chicken Breast
Just a few simple steps and 30 minutes is all it takes! Scroll to the recipe card at bottom of the post for full detailed instructions.
- Prep: Preheat your oven to 350°F and spray a baking dish with non-stick spray.
- Flatten: Place your chicken breasts on a cutting board and pound them flat with a meat tenderizer.
- Season: Coat both sides of the chicken breasts with oil and seasonings.
How Long To Bake Chicken Breasts
- Bake: Place chicken in a baking dish and cook the chicken breasts, uncovered, for about 25 to 28 minutes. The chicken breasts are done once a meat thermometer reaches 165°F degrees.
- Rest: Add a little butter on top of each breast and tent the baking dish with foil. Let chicken rest for 5 minutes. Then serve as desired!
Cook’s Tips
Baking a chicken breast is a core skill for any home cook to master. Follow these tips and tricks to ensure perfectly juicy baked chicken breasts:
- Browning: You can pop the chicken under the broiler for a minute if you’d like to brown it more on top. Just watch it carefully so it doesn’t burn – this will only take a minute or two.
- Tenderize: You can skip tenderizing the chicken breasts with a meat mallet. However it really helps the chicken breasts to cook more evenly and become tender, so we recommend making the time!
- Don’t Skip the Resting Step: It’s really important to let the chicken rest for at least 5 minutes when it comes out of the oven. This allows the chicken to relax and the juices to redistribute in the meat, making it tender and juicy.
- Don’t Over Cook: Using an instant read thermometer to check for doneness will ensure they do not over cook, which will make them tough and dry!
Variations
- Seasoning: Chicken is super versatile so season these baked chicken breasts any way you like! Try using ranch seasoning, Italian seasoning, chicken taco seasoning, or cajun seasoning for a fun twist. Some people even like to add a little brown sugar on top before baking.
- Make Gravy: Make gravy with the pan drippings from baking the chicken for an extra delicious and easy dinner! If you are not making gravy, pour the drippings over the breast before serving. The drippings have lots of flavor and keep the meat juicy.
- Butter: A little butter added to the breasts when resting makes the chicken extra flavorful! For extra flavor, use our garlic herb butter.
What to Serve With Baked Chicken Breasts
These baked chicken breasts truly go with anything, so get creative! Here are some ideas for you to get started:
- Veggies: You can’t go wrong with any kind of vegetable side dish, but we’re partial to parmesan roasted broccoli, green beans almondine, or skillet fried corn!
- Potatoes or Rice: We’re partial to chicken breasts with garlic mashed potatoes or parmesan garlic rice, or go all out with these crockpot cheesy potatoes to go alongside!
- Salad: Served alongside or right on top, some of our favorites are our strawberry and spinach salad, arugula with fried goat cheese (yum!), or this warm wilted lettuce salad!
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
We love making chicken breasts in the oven for meal prep. It’s super easy to make a double or triple batch for lunches, dinners, or to freeze for later. Here’s how:
- Fridge: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Reheat: You can heat up chicken in the microwave or in the oven based on how much time you have.
- Freeze: Place room temperature chicken breasts in an airtight container, or freezer bag, and freeze for up to 3 months. We place parchment paper between the breasts so they’re easier to separate and take out. For best results, thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
More Easy Chicken Breast Recipes
- Pan Seared Chicken Breast
- Grilled Chicken Breast
- Stuffing Stuffed Chicken Breast
- Crockpot Shredded Chicken
- Smothered Chicken
Yield: 4 servings
Baked Chicken Breast
Juicy and tender oven baked chicken breasts are so easy to make! All you need are a few simple seasonings, 30 minutes, and an oven!
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, or avocado oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Butter, or garlic herb butter, optional topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a baking dish with nonstick cooking spray, set aside.
- Place chicken breasts on a large cutting board. Use a meat tenderizer to pound the breast until they are even in size. (This step may be skipped, but tenderizing the breast will help them cook evenly and become much more tender.)
- Coat all sides of chicken with olive oil. Season both sides with the garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Place the chicken in the baking dish in an even layer.
- Bake uncovered for about 26 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and a meat thermometer reaches 165°F degrees.
- Remove chicken from the oven. Optional: Add a little pat of butter on top of each breast.
- Place a piece of foil over the chicken and let it rest 5 to 10 minutes before serving. This will help your chicken to be more tender and juicy!
Notes
Store: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Reheat: You can heat up chicken in the microwave or in the oven based on how much time you have.
Freeze: Place room temperature chicken breasts in an airtight container, or freezer bag, and freeze for up to 3 months. We place parchment paper between the breasts so they’re easier to separate and take out. For best results, thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Browning: You can pop the chicken under the broiler for a minute if you’d like to brown it more on top. Just watch it carefully so it doesn’t burn – this will only take a minute or two.
Don’t Skip the Resting Step: It’s really important to let the chicken rest for at least 5 minutes when it comes out of the oven. This allows the chicken to relax and the juices to redistribute in the meat, making it tender and juicy.
Seasoning: Chicken is super versatile so season these baked chicken breasts any way you like! Try using ranch seasoning, Italian seasoning, chicken taco seasoning, or cajun seasoning for a fun twist. Some people even like to add a little brown sugar on top before baking.
Make Gravy: Make gravy with the pan drippings from baking the chicken for an extra delicious and easy dinner! If you are not making gravy, pour the drippings over the breast before serving. The drippings have lots of flavor and keep the meat juicy.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 serving, Calories: 326kcal, Carbohydrates: 1g, Protein: 48g, Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 7g, Trans Fat: 0.03g, Cholesterol: 145mg, Sodium: 555mg, Potassium: 860mg, Fiber: 0.3g, Sugar: 0.1g, Vitamin A: 71IU, Vitamin C: 3mg, Calcium: 16mg, Iron: 1mg
