This Juicy Oven Baked Chicken Breast Recipe is ultra tender chicken every time thanks to these quick tips and tricks I’m sharing with you!
Say goodbye to boring, bland and dried out baked chicken breasts.
Yes, it’s true, you CAN have tender and juicy white meat chicken that’s BAKED in the oven!
No, you do NOT need to brine your chicken before baking. You also do NOT need to bring it to room temperature. Who has time for that?!
The trick to making ultra tender chicken (whether baked, grilled or cooked on the stove top) is all thanks to these 3 main factors…
- Even Thickness
- High Heat
- Resting
How To Get Perfect Results Every Time
Let’s get right to it, shall we?
Follow these steps and you’ll be majorly impressed with how your baked chicken turns out. It really is this simple.
- Pound Chicken – Start by using a heavy rolling pin or meat mallet to pound your chicken breast to an even thickness.
- Season – Season liberally with my special seasoning blend (in the recipe card below).
- Bake – Bake for just 20 minutes at 425 degrees F, then let rest for 5 minutes under foil before slicing.
Pound Chicken To an Even Thickness
Is it really necessary to pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness before baking?
Yes!
It is absolutely necessary if you want juicy chicken. Here’s why…
The natural shape of a chicken breast is teardrop, with a thicker, meatier portion at the bottom of the teardrop. Chicken must be cooked to 165 degrees F before safely consuming. If you do not pound the chicken down, the thicker portion will take longer to cook to the safe temperature, while the thinner section of chicken breast will get overcooked and result in a dried out, choke-it-down chicken breast.
This method also applies to chicken that is to be grilled, and even chicken that you’re going to cook on the stove top.
Do yourself a favor and pound the chicken.
The Perfect Seasoning Blend
I spent many, many years working on perfecting my go-to chicken seasoning. It’s both sweet and smoky, while not being too overpowering. The simple, yet complex flavors blend perfectly together and are great served alongside any side dish you’re serving with your baked chicken.
You could season your chicken breasts with just salt and pepper and they would still come out fine, but this blend of spices will take your baked chicken to the next level.
- Brown Sugar – the sugar helps to tenderize the chicken, trust me, it’s a good idea.
- Chili Powder – adds a delicious smoky flavor, plus gives great coloring to chicken
- Parsley – great for adding a balanced herb flavor
- Salt – the seasoning of life
- Pepper – because it goes with salt
- Garlic Powder – adds delicious flavor
- Onion Powder – compliments the garlic powder
- Cumin – this really gives the chicken something special
Combine the spices together and rub generously into the chicken breast before baking.
PRO TIP: I will usually double or triple the seasoning blend and store any extra in a zip close bag for the next time I’m baking chicken.
How Long To Bake in Oven?
Since we’re not going to sear chicken in a skillet before finishing of in the oven, you’ll want to start your chicken at a high temperature in the oven.
Make sure your oven is preheated to 425 degrees F before baking. Cooking at a high temperature will help to lock in those juices, resulting in tender, juicy chicken every time.
- 4 to 6 ounce chicken breasts – 18 minutes
- 7 to 8 ounce chicken breasts – 20 minutes
- 9 ounce and above – 22 minutes
Remember to use a meat thermometer to check for an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
Resting The Chicken
One of the biggest rookie mistakes when baking chicken is to immediately slice right into it after it’s done cooking. Chicken breast is a muscle and what happens to a muscle when it gets cooked? It tightens up! If you cut into the chicken right away it will be tough and chewy, and all the juices that you worked so hard for will immediately run out… resulting in dry, tough chicken. Sad.
Let chicken breasts rest for 5 minutes under a loose sheet of foil before slicing.
When the chicken comes out of the oven (or even off the grill or skillet), let it rest under a loose sheet of foil for about 5 minutes. This will allow that muscle to relax, giving the juices inside the chicken a chance to redistribute throughout, and you’ll be left with the most glorious, juicy chicken you’ve ever had.
Easy Side Dishes To Serve With
There really is no wrong answer here, chicken is one of the most versatile proteins in my opinion. It pairs perfectly with just about anything. Serve it sliced up, shredded, or whole for a pretty presentation. We usually slice all the chicken up before serving so it’s easy for my kids to eat.
Here are my go-to sides when baking chicken for dinner:
- Parmesan Roasted Green Beans
- Baked Potatoes (oven) or (instant pot)
- Cucumber Tomato Salad – perfect for a light dinner on a warm day
- Creamy Corn Salad
- Vegetable Rice Pilaf
- Garden Salad with Ranch Dressing
More Easy Recipes To Try:
I’m confident that you’ll get fantastic results with this recipe as long as you follow the tips and method I’ve shared here.
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Juicy Oven Baked Chicken Breast Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 (7 to 8oz) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp brown sugar, light
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp parsley flakes
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp cumin
Instructions
- Pre heat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with non stick spray.
- Place the chicken breasts between two sheets of parchment paper and pound to an even thickness. Drizzle both sides of chicken with olive oil.
- Combine seasonings and sprinkle generously over both sides of the chicken breasts. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cover loosely with foil for 5 minutes before slicing. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
PIN THIS IMAGE TO SAVE THE RECIPE
Kid Friendly
One Skillet
Pressure Cooker
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9x13 Recipes
15 Minutes
30 Minutes
Freezer Friendly
This looks so great!! I will definitely try this recipe!
Hope you enjoy it!
Would this chicken recipe be okay to serve with pasta and Alfredo sauce? A good flavor match up?
Yes, definitely!
This looks so good! Do you think after cooking I could freeze these? Thank you!
Yes! Definitely, I would just let them cool first.
This chicken was cooked perfectly! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe Jim!
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I’ve made it several times now and we love it just the way it is! The spices are just perfect for us. I was wondering, though, if you could give some pointers on grilling the chicken instead of baking it? Can it be grilled over charcoal?
Grilling is a great way to cook this chicken! Here are some tips… use a little extra oil to brush the grates of your grill so the chicken doesn’t stick. If using charcoal, make sure you have some really nice and hot coals going before you add the chicken. As always, make sure your chicken breast is pounded to an even thickness, and once cooked through, let rest under foil for 5 minutes before slicing. Hope that helps!
Love you! You do inspire me a lot! Though I haven’t tried any of your recipe but it just gives me so much joy of seeing your recipe
I hope you get a chance to try the recipes too!
Too sweet. I didn’t think sugar was necessary.
I don’t think I’ll use any of her recipes.
Wow! Sounds a little harsh based off of one recipe.
Recipe was quick and simple. Chicken turned out juicy, tender and full of flavor! I followed recipe with the exception of substituting minced garlic for the garlic powder. I also adjusted the cooking time due to thickness of chicken breasts. My husband loved the recipe I will definitely make again.
So glad you enjoyed the chicken!
I made your chicken today and I even doubled checked the 1 Tbs of Chili powder. Way too much! If I do it again I will only use 1 tsp! I don’t know why nobody else made a comment about this. I’m not making this again! Sorry not for me!
Hmm… well if you’re not a fan of chili powder, I guess you can reduce it. Taste is subjective, and I’m assuming nobody else mentions that it’s too much because they don’t agree with you? Either way, I hope the chicken was at least juicy and tender!
This sounds amazing, I’m going to try it!
Hope you enjoy!
Made this a couple weeks ago and the family loved it, even my son who is in Culinary School said awesome chicken. They are asking when I will make it again, so it is on the menu for dinners this week. Best Chicken Breast Recipe out there in my opinion.
That’s so great to hear Diya! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This really is the BEST chicken recipe! I have already made it three times since finding it one night when we couldn’t grill because it was hailing and we needed an oven recipe. Sorry grill, no more chicken for you. So delicious and easy with ingredients in my pantry already!
I’m so glad you’re enjoying it Pam! Thanks for your great feedback!
Extremely good and easy!!! Love it, thanks
That’s wonderful to hear!
On the first bite, my husband said, “Mmmm!” This recipe is a keeper! I just made it tonight, and it’s a great way to use all the spices I normally keep on hand anyway!
Haha! Love that! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Chicken is my favorite, I’m trying to br more health conscious. I’m dow from sz18 to 14. So thank u for this recipe cant wait to try it.
That’s so awesome! Keep up the great work!
Chicken was incredible. Will definitely be making it again. Do you happen to know the grams/amount per serving?
We typically just divide the amount of chicken between us (for 6 servings total).
My hubby and I really enjoyed this chicken recipe. Thank you for sharing your culinary talents with us. I plan to follow you on FB to gather more delicious recipes.
So happy to hear it Leigh! Thanks for following along!
This was delicious. Even my picky 8 year old liked it. Next time I make it I’ll use less chili powder but other than that, perfect!
That’s so great to hear Nicole! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Hi Shawn, I like your Juicy Oven Baked Chicken Breast Recipe. Tonight, I made it and all member in my family love it.
That’s so great to hear Roses!
Hello,
I stumbled across your recipe and website while looking for a recipe for easy and juicy chicken breast. I followed your instructions exactly and the result was terrific… got rave reviews from a tough audience. The video was a real confidence booster.
I do have a question: Do you think that it would be safe to pre-mix and store the seasoning in order to throw this together even more quickly? If so, how long would it keep? And, how to store it… pantry, refrigerator, freeze it?
Thanks for inventing and posting this!
bob
Hi Bob! That’s so great to hear! I’m actually in the process of packaging and selling my spice rubs and this one will be one of them!! Woohoo! I can tell you that you should be safe to store at room temperature in an air tight container and it should keep for a few weeks. It’ll last longer in the fridge. 🙂 Hope that helps!
Surprisingly easy and delicious
So glad you enjoyed it Diane!
This is my favorite kind of recipe: super simple and utterly delicious!! I made them to treat my husband for our wedding anniversary today. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe, it’s going to become a staple in our house for sure.
First off, Happy Anniversary!! Second, thanks for your sweet comment! I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
This recipe was juicy & delicious. I normally do not like breasts cooked in the oven because they tend to dry out. But these turned out juicy. I think I used too much chicken to the seasoning recipe because it needed more (for my taste). I did skip the pepper flakes as we don’t really like hot spice. However, the spice rub was delicious as is. I sprinkled it on 4 large breasts and it was a subtle and delicious flavor. But I’d like to punch it up and will double or even triple the spice recipe so that I have more of a spice coating on the meat. Definitely recommend. These will go great for a dinner or sliced and added to a green salad.
That spice rub is definitely one of my favorites! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe Veronica!
Hi Shawn,
Thank you for this delicious recipe! It was the perfect mixture of spicy and sweet. My family loved it and so did I.
The chicken was very moist and tender. Tenderizing the chicken and cooking it on high heat as instructed made all the difference. I served the chicken with rice, black beans and homemade pico de gallo. Next time, I’ll double the recipe, so we can have seconds and leftovers. Thank you again!
So great to hear! I love what you served it with too, sounds like a great dinner!
I tried your recipe once before and loved it. I did a marinade for the chicken and let it sit overnight before trying it again. It was a hit with all my family members young and old! Thank you for the sugar advise!
Super good!!!
This was delicious. All 5 of us enjoyed this. Do you think this would be good grilled on a gas grill? Thanks.
I’m so glad you all enjoyed it! Yes, it would work GREAT on the grill!
This recipe was banging! I used tenders instead of breasts. 20 minutes was a bit long for them, but they were still pretty tender if just a little dry. Next time I’ll do 15. Thanks for a new staple recipe!
Chicken tenders are much smaller than chicken breasts, so you will not need to cook them nearly as long. I’m glad you still enjoyed the recipe though!
Best chicken ever! Pounding really does the trick!
I was hoping for more flavor based on the reviews. I had to dip it in ranch dressing for it to taste better. Believe the chicken should have been grilled.
Sorry you didn’t enjoy the flavor. You can definitely increase the different spice levels to your taste. 🙂
Where dose the oil go
It definitely came out juicey. It did have too much sweetness, I felt. If I were to make it again, I’d garnish with parsley at the end, make the brown sugar 1 tbs, and I’d leave cumin out. Again, people can tinker the spices as they would like. Just my boyfriend and I found the sugar took too much of the flavor, but we still enjoyed very much.
You’ll rub the oil on both sides of the chicken breasts before seasoning.
I did it and it was awesome. I reduced the sugar and it was still great.
So glad you enjoyed it!
It really was juicy and had such a good flavor. Next time I will cut back on the chili powder just a bit but I will be making this again for sure. My whole family loved it.
So great to hear Robin! Glad you guys enjoyed it!
This is a recipe worthy of not only a review, but 5 stars. My husband and I enjoyed this recipe so much that I’ve made it 3 times in the last month and each time the chicken has turned out veryyy juicy and flavorful! 425 F for 20-22 minutes is key, plus you can easily add more or less of an ingredient and make it your own. thank you!
Soooo glad you enjoyed it Ney! 🙂
This is by far the best baked boneless chicken I’ve made. It was absolutely moist and delicious!!!
So great to hear Marian! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I tried this recipe last night! I’m not a “spicy” fan so while this recipe isn’t spicy it was to me cause I’m a wuss. I plan on making this recipe again, just with a little less chilli powder and I will check it for doneness before 20 minutes as mine were dried out… overall 5stars
If you’re using smaller chicken breasts, you wont need to cook as long. Definitely check the weight of the chicken breasts before cooking and adjust the times as needed. Glad you enjoyed it though!
This was so delicious! I am not a great cook and I am always looking for fast easy recipes with few ingredients. We are a family of 5 and everyine loved it. This was my 1st time brining, which was suprisingly easy.
So great to hear Lisa! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Hello Shawn,
I plan to make this for dinner tonight alongside yellow rice and collard greens. Just one question; is the brown sugar light, dark, or does it even matter?
Thank you
I use light brown sugar, but I’m sure dark would work as well.