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 caramelised. As succulent and juicy as our Baked Chicken Breast With Honey and our Creamy Garlic Chicken Breasts, this staple chicken dish is the perfect addition to your weekly lunches and dinners.
THE JUICIEST OVEN-BAKED CHICKEN BREAST RIGHT HERE!
For years I’ve been trying dozens of different recipes and techniques in an attempt to achieve the perfect, juicy chicken breast. This left me beyond disappointed having to naw through dry mouthfuls of chicken breast, occasionally dipping it in mayo to make it more tolerable (the ultimate food faux pas).
Then finally, this recipe was born! Easy, fast, and simple. No weird steps, no wrapping, tenting, brining or marinating needed. Just chicken breast rubbed in a tasty seasoning and left to bake in the oven.
Letting your oven do most of the work is the best way to attain the most perfect, baked chicken breast. One of the best things about this recipe is the aromatic pan juices which you can use to make a jus or enjoy as is, poured over your juicy baked chicken.
BAKED CHICKEN SEASONING
You only need a handful of simple seasonings 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 but without the added heat! Of course, if you’re looking for a bit of a kick, feel free to add a little spice.
Mix all of these ingredients together and voila – the ultimate baked chicken seasoning! Why brown sugar? Well, the brown sugar allows the chicken to sweat while baking, making your baked chicken breast even juicer! Much like our succulent Chili Lime Chicken.
HOW LONG TO BAKE 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 for the last 2 minutes to achieve crispier edges!
Cooking them at high heat ensures crispy, caramelised edges while retaining a moist, tender consistency on the inside. Once the chicken is golden and caramelised, it’s cooked! Let it rest for about 5 minutes to recirculate all of those natural juices through the meat.
HOW DO I KNOW MY CHICKEN IS COOKED?
If you’re unsure whether 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
The great thing about this recipe is that it can be paired with just about any side:
- 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
Juicy Oven Baked Chicken Breast
Ingredients
- 3 teaspoons brown sugar, (for keto - use a brown sugar substitute)
- 1 ½ teaspoons paprika smoked or sweet
- 1 teaspoon chili powder or ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt for extra flavor use seasoned salt, Adobo, or chicken salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper, to taste
- 4 large chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
OPTIONAL:
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 cloves garlic minced or finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons parsley fresh, chopped
- ½ teaspoon dried 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. 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.
Katie says
Made this from the stellar reviews and how easy it was and WOW it did not disappoint!
I marinated my chicken for a few hours in the spices and cooked in the air fryer. Used a bit of extra cayenne and it almost got this kind of… blackened chicken taste? It was DELICIOUS and we will be making again! Would recommend having it with like a southwest salad or chicken tacos if you make it spicy like I did!
benjamin says
i am 35 and never liked eating chicken and started working out with my son so i decided to eat better food and this is the first recipe i seen to cook chicken breast and my son and i both love it. so thank you so much
Bethany S. says
Super delicious recipe! I’ve always hated boneless, skinless chicken breasts… but wow, these were super good, quick and easy! I will be making again!
nick says
Great Recipe!!! Tried this today. Everybody enjoyed it . thanks for sharing
R says
I’ve cooked a LOT of recipes with 5 stars but this is the FIRST time I’ve taken time to comment. Absolutely EXCELLENT recipe. Delicious, juicy, quick and easy. Winner, winner chicken breast dinner!
Linda Green says
Agree, my husband really liked it
Angie Andrews says
I was looking for something different and made this based on all the 5 stars reviews. I’m glad I did. Absolutely amazing and my picky special needs child asked for 2nds and 3rds. Will forever be my favorite chicken recipe.
Sarah Hendrickson says
Never rated a recipe before but this was so good – easy peasy and delicious. It’s totally worth the extra step with butter garlic and parsley!
Karina says
Hi Sarah, I’m honored to receive your first recipe rating! I’m delighted that you found the dish easy, delicious, and worth the extra step with butter, garlic, and parsley.
Kate says
Could not agree more! Follow the directions and you can’t mess it up! So tasty!
Lydia says
I’ve been making this recipe for 4 years now! SO GOOD, with some garlic asparagus on the side (: Yum! Your recipes never disappoint!
Mo says
It was absolutely delicious, had it with some pesto pasta & lemon and the flavor combination turned out otherworldly.
Misciel Macaraig says
I usually do not leave reviews for recipes but this recipe was so freaking good that I had to. This was soooo good and so incredibly easy. This was good and honestly good for meal preps, I paired it with some steamed white rice and vegetables! It was so easy and delcious. Thank you so much!!! You’re a lifesaver.
Jae says
Wow wow and wow! The spice blend is amazing!!!! My new go to!!!
Dianne says
This was delicious! A total hit!
Tony P says
Moist and flavourful chicken. Wonderful recipe- thank you for sharing it. I will definitely make it again!
Tara & Stuart says
The flavor was amazing and the chicken was not dry. It’s 114 degrees here in Phoenix today. I had two chicken breast thawed but no way was I going to cook in my kitchen. I put my Nesco roaster on the patio and put a cast iron pan in it and let the roaster preheat to 450. I drizzled pan with light olive oil before I placed the chicken in it, turned it down to 425, and put the lid on. Even though we only had two breasts (I cut each in half before pounding), I used the full recipe of seasonings. It cooked for 20 minutes, then I added about a tablespoon of Irish butter and a bag of snap peas and let it cook another 5 minutes. I brought the pan inside, didn’t broil it, but let it sit for another 5 (the pan was still really hot). We spooned the juice from the pan over the chicken on our plate. We also made tomato/cucumber/red onion salad with Greek dressing. So good, we licked our plates, lol. It was an easy meal I will make again.