Juicy Oven Baked Chicken Breast (Printable version)

Juicy chicken breasts seasoned with savory spices and baked to perfection in just 35 minutes.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Chicken

01 - 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 6 to 8 ounces each

→ Seasoning

02 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
03 - 1 teaspoon garlic powder
04 - 1 teaspoon onion powder
05 - 1 teaspoon paprika, smoked or sweet
06 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano or Italian seasoning
07 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
08 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

→ Garnish

09 - Lemon slices
10 - Chopped fresh parsley or cilantro

→ Simple Marinade

11 - 1/4 cup olive oil
12 - 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
13 - 2 tablespoons soy sauce
14 - 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
15 - 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
16 - 1 clove garlic, minced
17 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease a baking dish.
02 - Pat chicken breasts dry with paper towels. Place between two sheets of plastic wrap or parchment paper and gently pound to even thickness of approximately 3/4 inch using a meat mallet or rolling pin.
03 - In a small bowl, combine olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, oregano, salt, and black pepper until fully incorporated.
04 - Rub seasoning mixture evenly over both sides of each chicken breast. Optionally, marinate chicken in Simple Marinade for 30 minutes to 2 hours in the refrigerator, then pat dry before seasoning.
05 - Place chicken breasts in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet, ensuring they are not crowded.
06 - Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 165°F.
07 - Remove from oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
08 - Top with lemon slices and chopped parsley or cilantro if desired. Serve warm.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It transforms boring chicken into something you actually look forward to eating, with a crust that has real flavor and meat that stays moist.
  • You can have dinner on the table in half an hour, or cook a whole batch on Sunday and eat well all week without thinking twice.
  • The ingredient list is short enough to memorize, so you can make this without even pulling up a recipe once you've done it a few times.
02 -
  • If you skip pounding the chicken to an even thickness, the thin ends will dry out before the thick parts are cooked through, and you'll wonder why this never works for you.
  • Letting the chicken rest after baking is not optional, cutting into it immediately releases all the moisture and leaves you with dry meat no matter how perfectly you cooked it.
  • An instant-read thermometer is the only reliable way to know when chicken is done, because oven temperatures vary and eyeballing it leads to either undercooked or overdone results.
03 -
  • If your chicken breasts are really thick, butterfly them by slicing horizontally through the middle instead of pounding, it gives you more surface area for seasoning and cuts the baking time down.
  • Let the seasoned chicken sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before baking, it helps it cook more evenly and develop a better crust.
  • Save any pan drippings and whisk them with a little chicken broth and butter to make a quick pan sauce that takes the dish from simple to impressive.
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