Perfect baked chicken breast- this post shows exactly how to bake chicken breasts to tender, juicy perfection! Delicious served as is or using up in your weekly meal prep.
I have a LOT of chicken breast recipes on my site, and have used my same method to bake them for years. 425ยฐF for 25-30 minutes, flipping half way.
But I started to question…is this really the best way to cook chicken breasts? Is there another method to get juicier, more tender chicken breasts? So I started playing around.
Here’s what I tried:
- different temperatures (discussed below)
- covering with parchment paper (was juicy but seemed wasteful)
- using a brine (too much work!)
- searing and finishing in the oven (again, too much work, plus it can be finicky to prevent chicken breast from sticking to the pan)
And what I found? Cooking the chicken breasts at a higher temperature for less time is the key to juicy chicken breasts. All that other stuff is great too, but is much more effort than I’m willing to put into dinner.
If you want the easiest way to cook juicy chicken breasts? This is it!
Let’s discuss the important principles in how to cook the perfect oven baked chicken breast.
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What temperature to bake chicken breast?
Google ‘what temperature to bake chicken breast’ and you are going to get a LOT of different answers. And the scientist in me was curious, so I decided to test it out for myself!
In the course of my experiments, I tried three different temperatures. 400ยฐF, 425ยฐF and 450ยฐF. By far, 450ยฐF produced the juiciest chicken breast!
It could be that cooking at such a high temperature ‘sears’ the chicken to keep the juices inside, or it could be that the chicken breast bakes in the oven for less time, resulting in less loss of moisture. Whatever the reason, the chicken breast was noticeably more juicy when baked at 450ยฐF.
How long to bake chicken breast?
Now I think we all know, not all chicken breasts are the same. In fact, you could have a variety of chicken breast sizes in one package from the grocery store! The best way to know how long to cook your chicken breast is to weigh it, then cook according to the chart below.
Let’s just agree that this chart is an estimate! Please use your best judgment to determine if your baked chicken breast is cooked through. One way I test is to touch the middle of the breast with my finger. If it is still really wobbly, it’s not cooked through. If it is firm and springy, it may be cooked through.
You can also test if your baked chicken breast is cooked through by using an oven thermometer, checking that it has reached an internal temperature of 165ยฐF.
Estimated cook time for chicken breasts at 450ยฐF
- 5 oz 12-15 min
- 7 oz 15-20 min
- 10 oz 20-25 min
Make sure to rest your baked chicken breast
Another hugely important factor in getting perfect, juicy oven baked chicken breasts is to rest them.
I’ve always rested uncovered for 5-10 minutes, but I decided to try covering while they rested, and this was really beneficial in maintaining juicy chicken breasts!
Here’s how to avoid wasteful aluminum foil while resting your chicken breasts: cover with a baking pan! I used my 9 x 13 baking pan which easily covered the four large chicken breasts pictured here.
Resting baked chicken breasts is important because it allows the juices to settle. If you try to cut them right away, all that juice is going to run right out of the chicken breasts and you will end up with dry dry dry.
Slice your baked chicken breast against the grain
Slicing baked chicken breast against the grain is another important tip in getting perfect, juicy baked chicken breasts. You will know right away if you’ve sliced with the grain, as your chicken breast will be stringy and gnarly looking, rather than smooth.
Now admittedly it can sometimes be a little tricky to tell where the grain lies in your chicken breast, especially with a thick rub that covers the surface of the chicken. I look for the small end of the chicken breast and start there (pictured above!), cutting on an angle across it, then keep slicing on the same direction all the way along the chicken breast. After after doing this a few times you will be able to tell where it is and slice like a pro!
Here is a great tutorial on how to slice baked chicken breast against the grain (they are using raw chicken but the same principle applies to cooked chicken!)
MEAL PREP TIP- if you are going to use this baked chicken breast later in the week, slice it after refrigerating overnight…it will retain so much moisture!
What other seasonings can I use on my baked chicken breast? Try one of these 7 Easy Dry Rub Recipes!
What goes well with these oven baked chicken breasts? I have a ton of ideas for you!
How can I use this baked chicken breast recipe for meal prep?
- sliced onto a salad, wrap, or quesadilla
- in this Low Carb Cheesy Chicken and Rice Meal Prep
- in this Healthy Greek Chicken Pasta Salad
- in these Caprese Chicken Salad Meal Prep Bowls
Looking for more chicken breast recipes?
Perfect baked chicken breast- this post shows exactly how to bake chicken breasts to tender, juicy perfection! Delicious served as is or using up in your weekly meal prep.
- 4 chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 teaspoons paprika
- 4 teaspoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
Heat oven to 450ยฐF.
Toss chicken with olive oil.
Stir together the rub and sprinkle over chicken breasts. Turn chicken breasts until completely coated in rub.
Place on sturdy baking sheet, leaving 1-2 inches between the chicken breasts.
Bake for 10 minutes. Flip and return to the oven. Bake chicken for total time according to size of chicken breast: 5 oz (12-15 min), 7 oz (15-20 min), 10 oz (20-25 min), or until the internal temperature reaches 165ยฐF.
Remove from oven and cover with a baking dish for 5-10 minutes.
Remove baking dish and transfer to a cutting board. Cut against the grain and serve.
Baked chicken breast may be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for 1 month.
Recipe Video
Craig
Best chicken Iโve ever cooked, thanks!
Jenna
Any tips on reheating cooked chicken breast without drying it out? I live alone, and cooking one serving of everything seems like so much effort but I always find that meat gets so dry when it’s reheated for leftovers.
Isadora Guidoni
This looks perfect indeed, I’m looking forward to make it at home.
Denise
Thanks so much, Isadora, I hope you enjoy!
Julie
Thank you – I always get anxious about how long to cook chicken breasts and this guide is so helpful. They came out perfectly tender and juicy. Bookmarking this for all future chicken baking endeavors as a starting point! ๐
Denise
I’m so happy to hear this Julie! Thanks for your review!
Mary A.
What a delicious recipe! I tried it today with bone-in breasts and the timing was perfect. They were succulent and tender, and cooked just right. I’m done trying to figure out how to bake tasty chicken breasts. This is my new go-to recipe. Thank you so much.
Denise
I’m really happy to hear it worked well for bone in chicken breasts as well! Thanks so much for taking the time out of your day to leave a review, Mary.
Gina
This method really does make tender and flavorful chicken! I look forward to using this cooking method to make many different chicken dishes.
Denise
I’m so happy to hear this! Thanks so much for your review, Gina!
Beatris Huerta
I’ve got a question what if you use thinner chicken breast should you still cook it at the 450 degrees?
Denise
Hi Beatris! I would still cook at 450 but take it out early…I’m not exactly sure on the cook time since I don’t know the size of your chicken breast. I wish I could be of more help!
Tara
Could this method be used with bone in chicken breasts? I made this last night with a boneless breast and it was the best and most juiciest white meat I have had! I usually go with dark meat as I have never been able to make a juicy version of the white meat. But this recipe was a HIT!
Denise
Hi Tara! I bet it would work great with bone in, however I haven’t tried and am not sure on the cook time. I wish I could be of more help ๐ PS- glad you enjoyed it with the boneless breasts!
Andrea G
Im going to make this tonight and cant wait to try the spice combination!!
Denise
I hope you enjoyed!
Heather
First time baking chicken breasts and they turned out great! Thanks!
Denise
Yay! This makes my day, Heather! I’m glad you enjoyed them ๐
Beatriz
This is the best guide I’ve read on baked chicken breast. Thank you so much! It’s my go-to now.
Denise
Wow, thank you so much, Beatriz! Glad you’ve enjoyed the chicken ๐
Easy Chicken Recipe
Dear Denise,
Great post!
I m a chicken lover. your recipe is very beautiful to see. thank u
Dave
Looking for a quick, easy chicken breast recepe- try this one. Followed the directions and it turned out exactly as described. Probably the most juicy chicken breast Iโve ever cooked. Really enjoyed the discussion regarding the experimental process to arrive at this recipe. Thanks so much!
Denise
Hi Dave ๐ So glad you guys enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review.
J.
WOW! I prepared this for my husband and teenage son- I liked the recipe becuase it seemed simple to prepare but the comments that followed (“Mom, this is amazing” and “This chicken is sooooooo juicy and tastey” made me REALLY like it!!! Thanks for your site- I can’t wait to discover your other recipes!
Denise
Woo hoo! I’m so happy to hear this! Thank you for reporting back ๐
Scot
Im looking for a simple recipe. I see this page and click. As Im trying to scroll down I get 4 separate pop ups asking me to register, get notified, my location. Then I try to rool down and there 20 pictures loading delaying the process.
Then theres a lecture about how not to waster aluminum foil. All I want is the recipe.
This page sucks !!
Denise
Hi Scot, sorry to hear you had a bad experience. FYI there is a ‘jump to recipe’ button at the top of all my posts so you can skip past all photos and go right to the recipe. Also, the ‘location’ pop up would have nothing to do with my site, that is likely your browser. Anyway, thanks for your feedback, I’m always trying to improve the user experience. Have a great day!
Tracey
I recently made a baked chicken breast recipe that was so good and so tender. I was telling my boyfriend how juicy and good it was. Very similar to you recipe but at 425. I must try the 450 and your spice mix, looks so tasty!
Denise
I hope you give it a try, Tracey! Thanks so much!
Olga
Sรบper easy and fast recepie and in the same time delicious
Denise
So happy you enjoyed, Olga! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
Monica Labrador
wow this looks very delicious, i like it and i love chicken breast thanks for sharing this post.
Denise
Thank you, Monica! I hope you give it a try ๐
Jeanna
How timely! I was just googling how to bake chicken breasts the other night. I had 6 chicken breasts (from a box) that were glued together, so I had to defrost it all.. Then wondering how to bake it so it doesn’t go to waste and the answer was in my email the next day.
My chicken was juicy & cooked perfectly. I used lemon & rosemary olive oils to bake it with. Thanks for the tips- especially about covering the chicken breasts to rest.. HUGE difference. I now have lovely cubed chicken ready to be used. I may actually do a batch of these and freeze them since it’s so easy to use sliced chicken that’s already cooked and ready to go.
Denise
I’m so happy that trick helped you! I was kicking myself that I haven’t been covering them when resting before this! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review, Jeanna ๐
Brittany Audra @ Audra's Appetite
That spice rub looks delicious! ๐