{Perfectly} Baked Chicken Breast
Updated
Updated
This Oven Baked Chicken Breast recipe is coated in a simple, but flavorful seasoning mixture, cooked to tender and moist perfection in less than 20 minutes! It’s a foolproof, delicious weeknight dinner go-to that will never let you down.
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5 STAR REVIEWS
Baked chicken breasts do not need to be boring! They never disappoint me thanks to this simple baked chicken breast recipe that is a constant lifesaver when I’m struggling with dinner choices. The chicken breasts bake up so tender and delicious (in just 20 minutes!) that nobody complains about chicken for dinner again.
My seasoning blend provides the chicken with a gorgeous and flavorful crust, and even though brown sugar is the main ingredient, don’t fret about it being sweet – it’s savory. Pinky promise. The brown sugar (and high/fast cooking – see tips below) actually helps the chicken cook up all nice and juicy!
Oven Baked Chicken Breast
Ingredients
- 4 (6 ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 & 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, (cut back to 1/2 teaspoon if using table salt)
- 3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- chopped fresh parsley, , for garnish
- roasted vegetable and rice pilaf, , for serving (or choose your favorites!)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil.
- Using a meat mallet or rolling pin, pound each chicken breast to a little more than 3/4-inch at the thickest part. (Make sure your fillets are all the same thickness to ensure even cooking.)
- In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar, Italian seasoning, kosher salt, smoked paprika, pepper, and garlic powder until thoroughly combined.
- Place chicken on the foil; drizzle with the olive oil and massage into the chicken on both sides. Sprinkle with the seasoning, on both sides, coating as much surface area as possible.
- Transfer to the oven and cook for about 18 minutes or until an instant read thermometer reads 165 degrees F. (Times can vary depending on the size and thickness of the breasts and your oven. I usually pull the chicken out of the oven when it reaches 162 degrees, then allow it to climb to 165 as it rests on the pan.)
- You want to allow the chicken to rest for about 5 minutes before slicing to lock in the juices.
- Serve with your favorite sides and enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and any changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are very important to you, I would recommend calculating them yourself.
Did you make this? Leave a rating below!
4 Keys to Making The Best Baked Chicken Breast
Chicken Breast Size. Chicken breasts can vary in size between 5 and 10 ounces, so the cooking time can vary. If baking more than one breast, make sure they’re all the same weight, so they cook at the same rate. Make sure your fillets are all the same thickness to ensure even cooking. Pound each breast out to a little more than 3/4-inch at the thickest part (0.6″ to be exact!)
What Temperature to Bake Chicken Breast. I’m willing to bet you’ve been baking your chicken at 350 for 1 hour, right? I did that for years, as well. Stop doing that! The best temperature to bake chicken breasts at is 425 degrees F. Cooking them fast at a higher temperature seals in the juices and the key to caramelization.
How Long to Bake Chicken Breast. So, you’ve pounded the chicken breasts out to 3/4-inch even thickness and preheated your oven to 425 degrees F. But how long do you bake them for? Large chicken breasts (7-8 ounce) take about 20-22 minutes to cook. Medium-sized breasts (5-6 ounces) take about 18-20 minutes. They are finished cooking when an internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. (I usually take them out of the oven when they reach 162 and then let them climb to 165 as they rest on the pan.) The safest way to test for doneness is with an instant read thermometer.
Let the Baked Chicken Rest Before Slicing. Allowing the baked chicken to rest for about 5 minutes before slicing locks in the juices and keeps the chicken breasts super moist!Let the baked chicken rest before slicing
Storing Leftovers
Cooked chicken should be cooled completely, then stored in an airtight container in the fridge. It will keep for up to 4 days.
What to Serve with Baked Chicken Breast
Make it a meal served with any of our roasted vegetables or rice dishes. Particular reader favorites include our roasted broccoli or roasted carrots, mashed cauliflower or mashed potatoes, and mushroom rice or rice pilaf. Any of those are a winning combination your entire family will love.
I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube!
Excellent! So yummy and a bonus… it’s easy to make! :)
Success! So glad to have an alternative to my usual pan searing chicken. I’ve never baked chicken under 30 mins haha ! Moist & flavorful. I did have to add more salt after baking & added a pinch of cayenne to spice mix. My teen daughter approved! Will definitely make again. Thank you
I used the spice mixture and olive oil on chicken drumsticks and then air fried them in my oven at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes. Turning the pan around halfway through. They turned out perfectly juicy and very flavorful! Thank you Amy for this recipe and all of your recipes!
Love this so much flavor ! Wondering about cooking in the Nigna Crispi ??
It came out perfect! Definitely a keeper as ingredients are always on hand. Thanks Amy!
What to use if you don’t have olive oil? Can regular vegetable oil be used?
You can, but since vegetable oil is a neutral oil without any flavor, it won’t add to the taste. I would maybe try some avocado oil if you have that.
This baked chicken was very flavorful and tender. Y husband loved.
Easy to make and a quick meal. Will definitely make this again
I have made this recipe about 30 times, it’s in our weekly rotation! It is delicious and always comes out perfectly !!! Thank you!
I made this today for friends for lunch they loved it! I sliced it up, we put it over our salads! The chicken was moist & delicious! Definitely use a mallet & make them all the same size & let it rest after baking!
This Is Now One Of Favorite Go To Chicken Breast Recipes. Juicy & Flavorful. Everyone Loved It.
I have been experimenting with different recipes for baking chicken breasts and your recipe is the best yet.Thank you
My daughter usually won’t touch baked chicken, but she love this.. Thank you so much.
This was so good. I always have trouble working with chicken breasts. Not this time. Simple yet excellent..
A really tasty great recipe. Love how easy it is as well.
This has changed my life for the better! I will Always make my chicken this way. So Easy, Simple, and Dee-licious!
So easy! I had everything in my spice cabinet & it was done so quickly! I roasted some asparagus at the same time – they cook at the same time & temp.
Always delicious!
Entire family loved this!
Best chicken ever! So flavorful and tender.
Really easy and quick to make. My very picky daughter ate two chicken breasts!!
I loved this recipe. The chicken was moist, tender and delicious!
I’m 76 and apparently have been making chicken wrong my entire life. Juiciest chicken ever. We’re never to old to learn new things.
Awesome recipe! I will never go back to cooking boneless breasts on 350 again. Finally juicy breasts! Thank you so much!
Just made this today. It was excellent!
What??? This chicken was so jucy and flavorful! It cooked up really fast. It took less time and I accidently over cooked it, but it was still jucy. Leftovers the next day we’re still jucy. I thought it would dry out over night. No it did not. I’m blown away!
So juicy and tender. I didn’t have any olive oil so I used butter. I’m sure it was not as healthy but it was delicious.
So tender & juicy! Wonderful flavor. I didn’t have enough seasoning but I tend to overdo it.
Made this recipe tonight for dinner with Rice pilaf, baked potatoes and Cesar Salad! Let me start off by saying this chicken dish was AMAZING! Everyone loved it in my family! That is not always an easy task somehow tonight I picked a winner! Thank you so much for this idea for a quick dinner!! We’ll definitely be making this again!!
Very flavorful! My 12 year old son and I made this so I could teach him how to make baked chicken. He absolutely loved it and insists we HAVE to make it again! ? (I’m a vegetarian, so I can’t give an opinion). My other kids and husband all loved it as well!
This is the second time I made this recipe and it is delicious. I didnt change a thing.
My family loved it. Trying to get them to eat healthier. Used jasmine rice and broccoli as sides. I heard no complaints. Clean plates.
This was the best baked chicken recipe I have ever made! I was wondering what is the best way to reheat the leftovers to keep it moist?
I just looked at this recipe and followed it up with my big beautiful chicken breast,,been in oven for a few minutes now and I am excited to try this one,, thanks and I will post the results later today,,
Super easy and perfectly delicious! I followed recipe exactly with the only addition 1/4 t of Tony Chachere’s which was a perfect touch of heat to offset the sweet of the brown sugar. Thanks for the rec of cooking at 425 for shorter time. Perfectly cooked! This will go into my rotation!
Easy and excellent tasting!!
Fantastic! Especially if you catch the breasts as they get done if they are kind of different sizes. I used 2 tsp of coconut sugar this time instead of the 1.5 Tbsp of brown sugar, smoked garlic salt as well as garlic powder and regular paprika instead of smoked bc of the garlic salt. Honestly hard to stop eating it. Best texture, so much less fussy than doing them pretty much any other way. It’ll be my go-to. Thank you!
I cannot even believe how delicious this was. I’ve been baking chicken breasts for over 60 years and they’ve never come out like this. We are never to old to learn news ways of doing things.
Made this today to put in salads, so easy & delicious! This is a keeper for me.
Do you cover the chicken breast?
No
My kids are very picky but they gobbled this right up!
I pound it to 1/2 inch thick and have taken some liberties with the spice rub and even added tumeric once. It truly comes out super tender. Its my new favorite way to prepare chicken breast.
Apparently I’ve been baking chicken wrong my entire life. I’m 64 years old and this is best chicken I’ve ever made. You’re never to old to learn something new!
This was so good. I was baking chicken wrong all these years too! It was so moist and tender. I will always cook chicken at this temp.
This is truly the BEST. Instead of pep, I used red pepper flakes for that kick! Instead of cutting up the breasts, I just added 10 more minutes and it’s still super juicy! And instead of sides I made it over rice and gravy!
Easy, delicious recipe! We ate it all!! Thank you for sharing!
My thermometer for my chicken was broken. I overthink it, but that’s the reason I’m gonna make it again. I will get a new thermometer because of the rub on the chicken was delicious made up for it.
I’m 65 and apparently have been baking chicken breast wrong my entire life. I’m so thrilled to have found this recipe. Perfectly moist, flavorful chicken and in half the time. Thank you!
Very good flavor!
Even the pickiest eater in my house LOVED this chicken!!
Delish
This was a very moist and simple dish to make. Will make this again.