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This simple method teaches how to make perfectly tender, juicy, and great-tasting baked chicken breasts. A perfectly seasoned chicken dinner is just 3 quick steps away!
Ready in less than 30 minutes, these perfectly seasoned chicken breasts will have dinner on the table fast. Serve with your favorite easy side dishes, like Instant Pot Baked Potatoes, Spaghetti Mac and Cheese or Seasoned Rice and a simple green veggie.
Table of Contents
- Baked Chicken Breast Recipe Highlights
- Ingredients for Baked Chicken
- How to Bake Chicken Breasts
- How Long Does it Take to Bake Chicken Breasts?
- Know the Proper Internal Temperature for Chicken
- FAQs
- Serving Suggestions
- How to Store Leftovers
- Expert Tips
- More Chicken Recipes You’ll Love
- Baked Chicken Breasts Recipe
Baked Chicken Breast Recipe Highlights
- Simple and Delicious Seasoning: My easy chicken seasoning is the best for chicken, pork or even fish!
- Fast and Easy: With this recipe, you can have an easy baked chicken breast dinner in less than 30 minutes!
- Simple and full of flavor: No need to add complicated sides, just serve with some Garlic Bread and your favorite vegetables or salad for a fast dinner your family will absolutely love.
- Tender and Juicy: White meat often gets a bad rap for being dry and flavorless. But this baked chicken recipe is so tender, juicy and has so much flavor you can hardly tell the difference. Plus it’s a much healthier protein than dark meat.
- Tested and True Method: This has been my go-to method for years for this quick and easy chicken dinner.
- Makes Great Leftovers! I always cook a couple of extra for adding soup, casseroles, chicken salads or my favorite Chicken Caesar Wraps. Keep it in a sealed bag in the fridge for a few days, or pop it in the freezer if you’re not using it right away for juicy chicken breast any time. So great for meal prep!
How to Bake Chicken Breasts
See recipe card below for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- Pound chicken to an even thickness. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Place chicken between two pieces of parchment paper or in a sealed plastic bag and lightly pound with a meat mallet. This will tenderize the meat and also help the chicken to cook faster and more evenly.
- Rub all over with olive oil. You could also use melted butter, or a variety of different types of oil, like avocado or corn oil.
- Season the chicken well. Rub salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika and onion powder all over the chicken. I like to add a sprinkling of salt over the top just to make sure it’s properly seasoned. Sometimes I’ll use chili powder instead of paprika.
- Place the chicken side by side in a glass baking dish. Arrange each piece of chicken in the opposite direction and you should be able to fit 4 pieces in a 13×9-inch dish. For best results, they can be close together but not on top of each other. They will shrink slightly as they cook.
- Roast in the oven at 450℉ for about 15-20 minutes. It doesn’t sound like a long time, but at the higher temperature the chicken will cook fast.
- Cook chicken to 165℉. Once the chicken reaches the optimal temperature, remove the pan from the oven and tent with foil to allow the chicken time to rest. Check out my free downloadable Meat Temperature Chart for more information on proper temperatures.
Pro Tip: Patting the chicken dry with paper towels will help the seasonings to stick. Don’t skip this step.
How Long Does it Take to Bake Chicken Breasts?
Boneless skinless chicken breasts are very lean, so it’s easy to overcook them. I always set my oven to 450℉, but maybe you want to cook something else at the same time and need the oven at a lower temperature. You can still get good results using this guide.
Here’s how long to bake chicken breasts at each temperature:
- 350℉: 30-35 minutes
- 375℉: 25-30 minutes
- 400℉: 22-25 minutes
- 425℉: 18-22 minutes
- 450℉: 15-18 minutes
Keep in mind that the exact time needed will depend on the size and thickness of the meat. It’s super handy to keep a digital instant-read thermometer in your kitchen to get the temp just right.
Thermopro Digital Instant Read Meat Thermometer
I highly recommend investing in a meat thermometer for your kitchen. It’s very affordable and often on sale! This is the one I’ve used for years and it has a hundred thousand positive reviews.
Know the Proper Internal Temperature for Chicken
No matter what part of the bird, all chicken should be cooked to 165℉. Use a digital meat thermometer and stick the pointy end into the center of the thickest part of the meat, or for bone-in chicken, the thickest part near the bone. Once the internal temperature registers at least 160-165℉ you know it’s time to tent and rest.
The time it takes to reach the proper temperature can vary by size. These times are based on 450℉ in my recipe:
- 6-ounce breasts: 13-16 minutes.
- 8-ounce breasts: 16-19 minutes.
- 12-ounce breasts: 22-26 minutes.
FAQs
I have tested boneless skinless chicken breasts at a variety of oven temperatures and have found that the higher temperatures seal in the juices and produce the juiciest baked chicken. In my opinion, 450℉ is the best temperature to bake chicken at, but going as low as 425℉ would work fine.
It really depends on the recipe. Typically, I cook chicken uncovered to give it a chance to brown evenly. But for a recipe like Chicken and Rice Bake, covering the pan with foil is crucial to seal in the moistrure.
The seasoning blend I use for this chicken recipe is simple and easy, using spices that are usually readily available. It is my favorite blend and I use it with a variety of recipes. It works great with boneless or bone-in breasts, chicken thighs and drumsticks, and in the oven, on the stovetop or even on the grill! Just rub the seasoning into the chicken and cook accordingly.
Boneless, skinless chicken thighs can be cooked at the same temperature as this recipe but may need an extra 5-10 minutes depending on size. Bone-in chicken will always take much longer; at least an extra 20 minutes. Chicken tenders work wonderfully as well and should just take about 10 minutes.
You can prep the chicken up to 24 hours in advance and keep it tightly covered in the refrigerator. Remove from the fridge while the oven preheats and bake as directed.
Absolutely! It’s easy to double as long as you have the oven space. Double the amount of chicken and seasoning but cook for the same amount of time.
Serving Suggestions
The beauty of this recipe is that it is incredibly versatile. You could serve it with just about anything from pasta to salad and have a delicious meal. My go-to meal is serving with roasted red potatoes and salad. But here are some favorite sides to serve with chicken:
How to Store Leftovers
Refrigerator: Store leftover cooked chicken up to 4 days in the fridge in an airtight container. Perfect for meal prepping for the week and for using in a variety of recipes from salads to soups.
Freezer: Cool completely and store cooked chicken in a freezer safe container for up to 6 months. I recommend wrapping each breast in parchment paper before freezing for easy portioning.
Expert Tips
White meat can be tough to get just right. It’s all too easy to overcook and end up with dry, rubbery chicken. I’ve got lots of expert tips to share when it comes to my favorite chicken breast recipes.
- Add healthy fat with olive oil. Rubbing the chicken with a little olive oil before baking helps add moisture to the chicken and also helps the seasonings stick to the breast.
- Keep the seasoning simple. I use a very simple seasoning of salt and pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and chili powder or paprika. Oregano, thyme, Italian seasoning or even taco seasoning are also great to use. Pick the spices, herbs and flavors you enjoy.
- Chicken breasts do best at a high temperature (roasting) around 425-450℉. This allows the meat to cook quickly and retain a lot of moisture. Lower temps result in a longer cooking time and a higher chance of dry chicken, which is not something anyone wants!
- Make sure to let the chicken rest. When cooked at a high temperature the juices in the chicken quickly rush to the center, so when you cut into it right away, all those juices come pouring out and boom – dry chicken. Resting allows the juices to redistribute through the breast and gives you a tender, juicy piece of meat every time.
- Serve with the juices. Adding a drizzle of the juices from the pan with add extra flavor and moisture to the meat.
- Slice against the grain. This will result in the most tender, easy to chew chicken.
- Use a deep baking dish. I use this baking dish (or one similar) for making my baking chicken. You could also use a foil or parchment lined rimmed baking sheet, but a high sided baking dish seems to do better at keeping the meat juicy.
- Add a topping. Try topping with some Homemade Garlic Butter to mix with the juices for extra flavor.
More Chicken Recipes You’ll Love
If your family loves this baked chicken breast recipe as much as mine does, try some of our other favorite chicken dinners, like Creamy Baked Chicken, Easy Oven Baked Chicken Drumsticks and Juicy Baked Lemon Pepper Chicken.
Or try one of these chicken recipes next:
- Roasted Lemon Chicken Drumsticks
- Bacon Wrapped Chicken Thighs
- Mexican Chicken Casserole
- Chicken Thigh Marinade
- Crispy Baked Chicken Wings
- Easy Baked Barbecue Chicken
Baked Chicken Breasts
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts about 4 medium size breasts
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika or chili powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Pound chicken breasts lightly so they are of even thickness.
- Pour olive oil in a 13″ x 9″ baking dish. Lightly coat the chicken with the oil to coat it, then place chicken breasts side by side in the dish.
- In a small bowl, whisk together salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and chili powder (or paprika). Sprinkle the seasoning mixture over both sides of the chicken and rub it in with your hands. Place chicken breasts side by side, making sure there is no overlap.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, until juices are clear or a meat thermometer reads 160-170 degrees. *Note – depending on the size of your chicken breasts, it could take longer. Mine were pounded to less than an inch thick.
- Cover with foil and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes while the juices settle before slicing.
- Serve hot.
Do you think some diced tomatoes would be good on this recipe?
You could use plain diced tomatoes, but maybe add some seasoning like oregano and salt and pepper, maybe even olive oil and vinegar like a bruschetta.
I never leave comments but since this’s my
8th time making these, I am.
By far the BEST SBCB recipe.
Oh and the easiest!
I must admit, sometimes I cook them on
a rack in a sheet pan.
Both work well.
Nice! Thank you so much Corina for the awesome feedback.
Great recipe, and great overall advice on chicken. Pretty new home cook here – Cooked this week – perfect, simple, good!
Thank you for the great feedback JD!
I apologize, I watched the video and got the answer. But have another question. If you don’t have a meat pounder what else can you use? Thanks.
The back side of a skillet works great!
Going to make this tonight. When you say let it rest, does that mean turn off oven but leave chicken in oven? Thanks!
No, you’ll pull it out of the oven and let the chicken sit in the pan, covered with foil. This lets the juices redistribute so the chicken stays nice and juicy.
450 degrees convection or normal baking?
Regular baking.
I made this last night and we all loved it! My kids said it was the best chicken I’ve ever cooked! And not just in quarantine, but ever!!! We eat a lot of chicken, so this will absolutely become a regular around here – thank you!! As we were enjoying all the flavors, it dawned on me that I always cook chicken at 350 or 375, and it was such an ‘A-ha!’ moment. Thank you again for a delicious (and so easy!) healthy dinner recipe that we’ll be enjoying on the weekly rotation.
Delicious and ohhh so easy.Juicy and tasty. I used cutlets and they tasted as yummy as they looked. I served with oven baked fries and asparagus. You really can serve this with anything. Used Avocado oil just because I had some. Also added all ingredients (chili powder and paprika). My hubby asked if there were any leftovers? Wants to have with his lunch salad tomorrow. Will make this again and again. Super easy, super delicious… Thank you for this great recipe.
You are so welcome! Thanks for stopping by.
Hi Kristin,
WOW! This was the best chicken I ever ate, it was so juicy and succulent. Thank you so much for this easy, quick recipe, I will use it from now on..
You are so welcome Louis! Thanks for stopping by.
I am super excited to try this tonight1
I appreciate you sharing
If I use one chicken breast and cut it in half and pound them to be even do I need to adjust the cook time?
It’s hard to answer that question because it can differ. I’d maybe check the temperature/doneness a couple minutes sooner.
What if you use 2lbs of chicken tenders… Should cooking time or oven temp vary?
Yes, chicken tenders cook much faster. Use a temp of 425 and cook for 10-12 minutes. Check the internal temp – it should be 165. Let them rest for several minutes before serving.
My wife was incredulous as i started to make this last week. She was afraid I’d serve up another lackluster and dried out chicken dinner. She was over the moon with how well this simple recipe delivered a moist and tasty dinner
Nice! Thanks for stopping by MIchael.
What sides wouldnyoi recommended serving this chicken with ?
Hi Erin, We have a great list of options in the post, but really this chicken will go with anything like potatoes or rice, veggies and bread.
Should the chicken breasts be covered wihile baking in the oven?
No they do not need to be covered.
Just got done eating mine. This was a easy, delicious meal that I will be serving in the future. Thanks!
I also read the note and did research like suggested and ended up following the recipe with extra virgin olive oil and it was perfect. The ONLY thing I did differently was, I used BOTH chilli powder and paprika instead of either or.
I’ll have to try it with both next time!
LOVE this chicken recipe and so does my family! SO DELICIOUS!!
I plan to make this recipe today and would love to also do your potato wedges. But how do you handle the different oven temperatures? Chicken at 450 degrees and potatoes at 375?
Thanks for addressing this.
One option would be to boil the potatoes for 5 minutes to par-cook them. Make sure they are really dry before seasoning, then bake them with the chicken at 400-425. You could probably get away with 20-25 minutes at 400 for both. Keep in mind that’s not idea. Another idea would be to start cooking the potatoes for 10 minutes at 375, then add the chicken and turn up the oven to 450 for the remaining time. Since I haven’t tried this, it may need to be a little trial and error. Good luck!
Thanks! I made the chicken and it was moist and delicious! I’ll try the potato/chicken combo another day.
Your so welcome Rhoda!
Kristin,
Can I substitute Avocado oil instead of Olive oil in this recipe?
Sure, any oil with a higher smoke point will work.
Amazing, wow this was truly delicious!!! A perfect combination with brown rice and broccoli.
Thank you Sara!