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.
This recipe is my tried and true method for cooking the BEST chicken breasts in the oven. You’re going to fall in love!
Fail-Proof Method For Oven Baked Chicken Breast
Yes, it’s true, you CAN have tender and juicy white meat chicken that’s BAKED in the oven!
Check out my Google Web Stories for a quick preview!
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?!
3 Easy Steps
The trick to making ultra tender chicken (whether baked, grilled or cooked on the stove top) is all thanks to these 3 easy steps…
- Even Thickness
- High Heat
- Resting
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.
#1 Tip – Pound Chicken Breast
Is it really necessary to pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness before baking?
Yes!
It is absolutely necessary if you want juicy oven baked 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.
#2 Tip – High Heat Cooking for Chicken Breast
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.
#3 Tip – Rest The Chicken After It’s Baked
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 freshly cooked chicken breast to relax, giving the juices inside a chance to redistribute throughout.
You’ll be left with the most glorious, juicy chicken you’ve ever had.
Simple Chicken 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.
- 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.
Easy Side Dishes To Serve With Oven Baked Chicken
Chicken 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 – deliciously tender with a crust of parmesan on the outside
- Baked Potatoes (oven) or (instant pot) – with your favorite toppings of course!
- 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 Baked Chicken Breast Recipes:
- Broccoli Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts
- Salsa Chicken and Rice
- Chicken Caprese Skillet
- Spinach and Herb Baked Chicken Breast
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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Easy 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
I bake chicken but I haven’t pound it to make it thinner. Certainly would cut down on baking time. I will need to try over the weekend! Thanks for the new recipe.
I have never made chicken like this before. I am going to make it this weekend for my birthday dinner. I always dry out chicken when I cook it, so I hope this gives me better hope that I can have juicy chicken! Thank you. We love your recipes.
This looks yummy, can’t wait to try it. I have baked chicken but usually have better success when I take the time to marinate it! Thanks for sharing your recipes
Made this and we really enjoyed it. Served it with a chef salad so hardly any dishes which is always a blessing/1
I made this a long time ago and loved it. I’ve been wanting to make it again but couldn’t find it! I was looking for something else a few days ago and it popped up. My family loved it! This is that recipe everyone will want to have. It’s super quick with little prep. Great for a weeknight or company. This is a keeper.
Thank you for this recipe ♥️♥️ love the taste sm, always looked for a juicy chicken recipie I liked and this one is perfect!! will use it forever ♥️
This chicken recipe is SO GOOD! The whole family loved it.
Thanks for teaching me how to properly bake chicken! My son loves this recipe. My husband is not a big fan of spicy food so I’ll make him a few pieces separately with brown sugar and honey mustard seasoning.
I’m thrilled to hear you learned something new and enjoyed the recipe!
I am not a cook and am not sure how much of the spices to use for the rub! Could you give me a starting point – tablespoon of each, except salt of course or teaspoon of each? Not a big salt user and have never used cumin!
Thank you,
Gee
The measurements are listed in front of each ingredient?
This is always so juicy and comes together in no time. It’s really good on a salad too!
Great recipe! The chicken was flavorful and so juicy. Thanks Shawn!
This was horrible! Wasted chicken! Never again.
I made this tonight and it was amazing! Great flavor! I followed all instructions, for the most part. The only variation I made was, I wiped the chicken breasts with oil, by hand, covering everywhere. I mixed all the spices together in a bowl, and just rolled the chicken breasts around in the bowl for full coverage. KUDOS to the creator!
Absolutely awesome recipe! I just found this yesterday and printed it up along with your Honey-Roasted Carrots recipe and both were great. The chicken had a bit of a kick to it which we both loved and the carrots complimented it nicely. Both recipes are definitey worth putting into our regular rotation. I’ll make the Million Dollar Chicken Seasoning recipe ahead of time and keep it on hand like I do a few other rubs to save time — that’s how good it was. And an accidental note here… My brown sugar had gotten hard so I had to put it in a flour sifter to make sure all the lumps were out of it and then I ended up using that same flour sifter to liberally “sprinkle” the rub onto my chicken. That worked out great so I’ll be using that same technique again next time I make this or any other recipe that requires an all-over seasoning.
I’ve never had tender chicken breast until now! Following the recipes and tips here, I was able to finally achieve juicy chicken breast without slathering it in butter or dressing. It tastes even better upon reheating
That’s so great to hear Mai! I’m thrilled you enjoyed the recipe. 🙂
I’ve never left a review on a blog, but this recipe is fire. Eating chicken breast is now an experience that I look forward to and I love the tenderness/flavor. Be sure to temp them periodically to avoid over cooking. A big thank you to the content creator!
I made this the other night. It was delicious. The whole family loved it. I think the spice mix would be great on pork too.
Reading some of these reviews is like getting a root canal. Your recipe and instruction were PERFECT! How some people critique is excruciating. At any rate… I can NOT wait to try this. I will, however, be subbing coconut sugar for brown sugar, NOT going to ask if it’s ok because your recipe did NOT include that info. I will surely let you know if it works. Thank you for all the time and effort you put into making life simpler for us.
Everyone said it was delicious and my mom who never eats a lot had 2 pieces of chicken! Served with the potatoes and brussel sprouts and will definitely make again and please visit us: https://www.beckandbulow.com
This chicken was awesome! I like having cooked chicken on hand to make a chicken sandwich for lunch every once in a while and this recipe is perfect for that. I must admit I was uncertain if it would be cooked through at just 20 minutes, but it was! And on top of that it was so juicy! A really great, easy chicken recipe to have on hand with many different uses. I plan on making this on Sundays so I have a healthy option to pack lunches. Thanks Shawn! Keep the recipes coming please. Your site is by far the best!
Do you cover it while baking or bake uncovered??
The chicken breast will bake UNcovered. You’ll loosely cover AFTER you’ve finished baking.
Apparently, weight is not the only factor in successfully cooking boneless, skinless chicken breasts. The chickens breasts I had were 9 and 11 oz. I butterflied them and pounded just enough to even them out. I cooked for 20 mts and they were over cooked.
I never said to butterfly the chicken breasts. If you do this, you’ll have super thin chicken, which will definitely cook faster. There is no need to butterfly the chicken breast with this recipe. I suggest trying it again with the instructions that are listed. enjoy!
What if I only have butterflied chicken breasts? (I buy in bulk and butterfly them all before freezing). Can I change the baking time or do you think it just won’t work at the high temperature?
I’m a 73 year old man who finds himself living alone who never needed to cook. I tried cooking chicken breast on a George Foreman grill, but it was overdone on the ends and undercooked in the middle. Someone suggested I try baking instead. So I found this recipe and it’s my first try at real cooking. I loved this chicken! I enjoy spicy food and liked the chili heat, but I found it overwhelmed the other spices, so will try with less next time. Same with the cumin (I had to smell the spices to know which I was tasting). I’ll cut those 2 spices in half next go around. Thanks for the recipe and the site! I see lots of stuff to try here!
I always have trouble getting chicken breasts cooked right. I usually overcook it because i’m afraid of under cooking it. I followed these instructions and it came out perfect! One of the best chicken recipes I have come across.
I was psyched to try this, and am not one to vary from the chef’s directions. I was surprised to find the results were disappointingly dry. . . and yes, I did let it sit. Not a winner chicken dinner
Hmm… sounds like you might have over cooked the chicken since it turned out dry. Make sure to pay attention to the times listed per oz. The best thing you can do is also check with a thermometer to make sure it’s not over cooked. Hope you try again with better results!
Can this be baked a day a head? If so, how do you recommend reheating without drying it out.
Thank you
I followed the recipe exactly how it was written but instead of baking I put it in the crockpot cooked on low until fully cooked, shredded into pieces by mixing around with tongs, added mayonnaise, sour cream, plain Greek yogurt, cut up grapes, added a bag of real bacon bits and cashews to make chicken salad. Worked very well. I tried it with chicken salad because I had made the regular baked version and loved it such good flavor.
I chopped up my chicken and used it for chicken soft tacos! Absolutely delicious!
Great idea. Thanks.
Made this without the cumin and the chili powder,I’m not a big fan of those spices but added paprika. Made it for chicken drumsticks. Cooked it for an hour. It was absolutely delicious. The skin was nice and crispy the meat was so tender and the juices in the bottom of the pan were delicious on top of white rice. This will definitely be my go-to from now on whenever I make chicken. I’m so glad I signed up for your daily tips.
Glad to know the recipe worked well for chicken drumsticks too! Thanks for sharing Marina!
Probably one of the best baked chicken recipes I’ve ever tried. I will ad a photo next time but had to eat right at the 5 Min rest time. (We were starving) I followed it exactly, I did wonder about the amount of Cumin but decided to go with it and boy oh boy it was so worth it. I only had two chicken breast so I have more spice for next time. My light brown sugar was Trulia but I don’t believe there was any noticeable difference. I noticed question regarding the salt content and IMHO I think you could use less salt as the combo of spices make up foe any missing salt! You are my idol ❤️
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe Deborah! If you want to share a picture on instagram make sure to tag me in the photo! (@iwashyoudry) Thanks!!
Did anyone try this without pounding out the chicken breast? I didn’t and wondering if it will still turn out well.
I thought this was delicious even though I baked mine too long. I wish I could make a sauce out of the seasonings to make over rice. My husband was surprised that it was sweet since it smells so savory while cooking.
Before try out this recipe, is it spicy?
no it is not
This is our FAVORITE RECIPE. We make it all the dang time, and so does our extended family. SO GOOD
Trying this tonight. Do you cover chicken to while backing?
No, you do not cover the chicken while baking.
Amazing meal! We together tried to follow the recipe. Everything looked really good. I just turn on the oven overheat, so chicken little bit burned, but almost perfect. Hope next time will better.
I have made this! Loved it! Thanks for such a easy tasty chicken recipe!
When i brought this baked chicken breast to the dining room and put on the table. My family couldn’t believe that i do it myself. Really, this is the most delicious chicken roasted i have done. Thank you so much!
I prepared spices double. And every time i cook this recipe it very easy. Just only our daughter can’t eat red pepper, so i decided do not use this spice. I have prepared sauce separately with red pepper.
Can I use boneless thighs with the skin on ? If so how long would I bake it for? We’re not fans of chicken breast.
I would use this recipe for Chicken Thighs with the skin on instead…Oven Roasted Chicken Thighs
I tried to cook this recipe. We’ve already had perfect roasted chicken. Additional some red wine. Just a thing, this is the first time, so it took me more than 25 minutes, but i certain will try again.
So tasty! The color is very attractive. This recipe will be a surprise for a weekend dinner. I like enjoy chicken with salad at lunch.
Sounds delicious. Learned several things here. Anxious to try it. One question, is the salt necessary? My hubby and I have to be on a low sodium diet and I try to cut out all unnecessary salt.
Thanks
I do find the salt enhances flavor, but you can definitely scale it back to fit your dietary needs.
To Kay: Try using KOSHER Salt instead of fine salt. The dodium level is the same by WEIGHT,…BUT by the teaspoon measurement ,it is far less ( 1/2 I think?) That is simple because the granuals of Kosher salt are bigger, do less fits on the spoon.
We too sre on s sodium restricted diet. One tip I got from a dietisn is to check sodium levels in store bought bread. The sodium levels varie ALOT. Rye, pumpernickle, and presliced Italian breads have the most sodium. But white snd wheat breafs varie alot by brand. Hope this helps. Oh, and yes, ALL chicken recipes DO need some salt. This recipe is really not that high in salt though.
Ok, thanks. Yes, I already check the sodium level in bread and have started making some bread myself. I have to check every single label of everything I buy.
I didn’t add any salt, and it was great, added cayenne pepper to infuse more flavor
As per my picky husband … “I love this chicken”. It was so juicy and flavourful. I will be repeating this recipe. One question: Is it ok to marinate in advance and freeze the marinated raw chicken for future use? Thank you.
Hi Laura, I’m so glad you all enjoyed the recipe! Since this is just a dry seasoning you can definitely preseason the chicken and freeze while raw.
Just what I am looking for today a simple new chicken recipe. Love you site.
Thank you Lynn! I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Oh my! This was everything you wrote and more. It was quick. It was moist. It was full of flavor. I’ve made other recipes of yours too and they are so delicious.
Fantastic! I’m so glad you enjoyed it and the other recipes too! 🙂
Do you have Pinterest so I can save?