Your Go To Baked Chicken Recipe
This is one of those recipes that you’ll find yourself using all the time. It produces a versatile chicken breast that can be made ahead of time for meal prep, added to recipes or salads, and of course served as an entree .
Baked chicken breasts are naturally lean, packed full of protein, and easy to make. They are as simple as brushing with some olive oil, sprinkling with herbs and throwing them in the oven!
Flavor Baby!
My go to is olive oil, granulated garlic, kosher salt and Italian seasoning because the flavors go with almost anything. You can adapt the recipe by changing out the Italian seasoning for any herbs and spices that you like.
High Heat Roast
Cooking at high heat quickly develops caramelization and color on the outside of the breasts, which also helps to lock in those juices and keep the oven roasted chicken perfectly tender on the inside. Depending on the thickness of your chicken breasts, roasting boneless chicken at 450°F should require a cooking time of about 15-18 minutes (depending on the thickness/size of your chicken breasts). I usually pound my chicken slightly, just to even out the thickness, which will yield more evenly cooked chicken.
Test & Rest
I highly recommend investing in a thermometer to measure the cooked chicken temp in order to tell if it is done (the FDA says that the safe cooked chicken temp is 165°F). If you cut into it to check doneness you just let all those good juices seep out.
You should always let your freshly baked chicken breasts rest before cutting into them — a tip which really applies to all meat. If you cut in right away, you will lose all of the amazing juices and some of the tenderness that we all want and love. If you give baked chicken breasts a brief rest, they will finish cooking and lock in all of those delicious juices, resulting in tender, juicy and delicious baked chicken. Please, please, please don’t skip this step! Loosely tenting a sheet of aluminum foil over the pan to keep the heat in while the chicken rests also helps to prevent them from drying out. After 5-10 minutes, you can slice and enjoy or package for meal prep.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 3 pounds chicken breasts 5-6 boneless skinless breasts
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning or dried herbs of your choice
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper optional
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 450 degrees
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Brush or spay the chicken breasts with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, herbs and spices
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Lightly spray a baking dish or lined sheet pan so the chicken breasts don’t stick.
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Bake chicken breasts for 15-18 minutes or until they reach 165°F.
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Tent with foil and rest before you slice or pull them.
Recipe Notes
Rosemary, oregano, lemon juice / zest, paprika…all make great additions to this recipe.