Forget dry chicken with our Juicy Oven Baked Chicken Breast Recipe! Deliciously seasoned before being cooked in the oven until golden with mouthwatering crisp edges!
Tender and full-flavored, our simple and easy-baked chicken breast recipe uses skinless and boneless chicken breasts baked in the oven until golden and caramelized. For extra flavor, garlic butter mixes through the cooked pan juices to serve your chicken drizzled in the best sauce!
THE JUICIEST OVEN-BAKED CHICKEN BREAST RIGHT HERE!
For years I tried so many recipes and techniques for a juicy baked chicken breast. Disappointed every single time having to chew through a mouthful of dry chicken, dipping each forkful in mayonnaise just to get through it. If you love food as much as I do, this is usually a completely heartbreaking experience.
Enter our recipe: easy, fast, and simple. No weird steps, no wrapping, tenting, brining or marinating needed. Just a good flavored seasoning rubbed all over our chicken and let your oven do all the work.
This is how I make the most incredible baked chicken breasts that retain all of their natural juices!
The best part about this recipe is the pan juices that mix through the seasoning to give you a little something extra to drizzle them with when serving.
CHICKEN BREAST SEASONING
You only need a handful of seasoning ingredients for this one: paprika (mild, sweet, or smoky), brown sugar (or a brown sugar substitute for Keto readers), dried herbs, onion and garlic powders, salt, pepper, and chili powder or cayenne.
Adapted from our Cajun Butter Chicken recipe without the heat! Of course, you can add the heat if you love a kick of spice.
All of these ingredients together smothered all over your chicken breasts make MAGIC and the perfect balance. The brown sugar lets the chicken sweat while baking, making our baked chicken breast even juicer! Much like your favorite Chili Lime Chicken.
HOW LONG TO COOK CHICKEN BREASTS
Large chicken breasts (7oz or 200g) take about 20-22 minutes to cook. Medium-sized breasts (5 – 6oz or 150 – 180g) take about 18-20 minutes. You also have the option of throwing on your broiler in the last 2 minutes to get crispier edges!
Cooking them at high heat ensures the crispy, caramelized edges while keeping your chicken super juicy on the inside. Once the chicken is golden and caramelized, it’s cooked! Let it rest for about 5 minutes to recirculate all of those natural juices through the meat.
COOKED CHICKEN TEMPERATURE
If unsure your chicken is cooked through, use a meat thermometer. It should read 165°F (75°C) when inserted in the thickest part of the meat.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH BAKED CHICKEN
So many options go with this recipe!
- Mashed potatoes
- Mashed cauliflower for a low-carb option
- Simple tomato salad
- Black beans and rice
- Smashed potatoes
MORE CHICKEN BREAST RECIPES YOU WILL LOVE
- Balsamic Baked Chicken Breast With Mozzarella Cheese
- Caprese Stuffed Balsamic Chicken
- Crispy Chicken Parmesan (Parmigiana)
- Creamy Garlic Chicken Breasts
- See all chicken recipes here
Juicy Oven Baked Chicken Breast
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar (FOR KETO use brown sugar substitute)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika, (smoked or sweet)
- 1 teaspoon chili powder or 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano,
- 1/2 teaspoon each dried thyme and dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon salt (for extra flavor use seasoned salt, Adobo, or chicken salt)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper to taste
- 4 large chicken breasts (7oz | 200g each)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
OPTIONAL:
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons fresh chopped parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F | 220°C (standard oven) or 390°F | 200°C (fan forced/convection).
- Pound each chicken breast to 0.8-inch | 2cm at the thickest part. Make sure your fillets are all the same thickness to ensure even cooking.
- Combine sugar, paprika, chili, herbs, salt, powders and pepper. Set aside.
- Line a baking pan with aluminum foil (or parchment/baking paper). Transfer chicken to the pan, drizzle with the oil, and rub seasoning into the chicken to evenly coat.Â
- Bake chicken in preheated oven for 16 minutes. Broil (grill) on high heat during the last 2 minutes until internal temperature is 165°F (75°C) using a meat thermometer. It should be golden with crisp edges.
- Remove pan from oven, transfer chicken to serving plates, and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
- OPTIONAL STEP: While chicken is in the oven, melt butter in a small skillet. Sauté garlic until fragrant (30 seconds), and remove pan from heat. Stir in parsley, then pour the butter mixture into pan juices, stirring well to combine all of the flavors.
- To serve, drizzle pan juices over the chicken and garnish with freshly chopped parsley.
K Johnson says
I made this for my family for the first time this evening and we were thoroughly impressed! My kids said, “your chicken isn’t usually THIS good” 😆 We all loved it.
The kids, even my picky eaters, all cleaned their plates. I never leave reviews on recipes, but this one I just had to!
Tam says
My family loves this!
Maggie says
Excellent flavor and easy preparation.
Macey says
Delicious!! I’ve never tried brown sugar on chicken before and its a delight. It adds something extra to the chicken in regards to flavour and texture. I used light brown sugar for this, would it work with dark brown sugar as well?