Perfect baked chicken breast- a no fail method for perfect juicy chicken breast each and every time! Rubbed with the most delicious seasoning and baked to perfection, this is a crowd pleaser recipe.
Sick of bland, dried out chicken? Look no further, because like my Perfect Baked Chicken Thighs, this perfect baked chicken breast recipe is a game changer!
Did you know that it's actually possible to get delicious, juicy baked chicken breast in the oven WITHOUT brining, using weird parchment paper tricks, or searing and finishing in the oven? I know, I was shocked too.
This recipe has yet to fail me. With the combination of the right temperature and cook time, that seasoning (♡!), and the all-important resting step, you seriously cannot go wrong here. The BEST PART- it's simple. You can have it ready for your family in under 30 minutes!
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Reasons you're going to ♡ this recipe
- It's ready in under 30 minutes
- Kid and picky eater approved
- All Purpose: this is great for chicken salad, tacos, wraps and salads.
- I provide instructions for small, medium, and large chicken breasts, so this method will work with whatever you have on hand!
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Recipe Video
Watch the video below for all the tips and ticks to getting perfect, juicy baked chicken breast! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel.
Ingredient notes
- chicken breast- this post covers how to cook a boneless skinless chicken breast. Bone-in and skin-on will require longer. Here's a tutorial on cooking it!
- oil- the oil helps the rub stick to the chicken, and helps the outside brown up. I recommend extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil.
- spice rub- using paprika, brown sugar, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper and salt brings such a delicious blend of flavors
- brown sugar- the sugar turns liquid in the oven and gets golden and caramelized, making the outside of the chicken breast even more flavorful. However, if you are low carb, you can skip it (it still tastes great without it!)
Step by step directions
1. Prepare rub- in a small bowl, mix together the spices.
2. Weigh chicken- Cook time for this recipe depends on the size of your chicken, so it's best to weigh them (or estimate based on the image above).
Estimated cook time for chicken breasts at 450°F
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- 5 oz 12-15 min
- 7 oz 15-20 min
- 10 oz 20-25 min
3. Oil chicken- Begin by tossing or brushing chicken in a thin coating of extra virgin olive oil.
4. Apply rub- Sprinkle the chicken in rub, then use your hands to rub and press it in. This helps the rub to stick.
5. Bake- Bake chicken at 450°F, using the chart above to determine how long to bake your chicken for. Flip the chicken halfway though to ensure it cooks evenly. Use a digital meat thermometer to ensure your chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165°F.
💡 TIP- In a side by side comparison of chicken breasts baked at 400°F, 425°F and 450°F, the 450°F chicken breast was noticeably juicier!
6. Cover + rest- when baked through, remove the chicken from the oven. Cover with a metal baking dish or aluminum foil, and allow the chicken to rest for 5-10 minutes.
💡 TIP- Resting the chicken helps the juices settle into the meat. If you cut into it too soon, all those juices will rush out, it will alter the tenderness of the meat and will not be as juicy!
7. Slice- When slicing chicken breast, it's essential to slice against the grain. If you cut with the grain, the chicken will be gnarly and chewy.
💡 TIP- 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!)
FAQ
The most important thing is to pull out your chicken breasts when they are at (or close to) an internal temperature of 165°F. I highly suggest investing in a digital thermometer so you can eliminate guesswork.
It's also very important to rest your chicken for at least 5 minutes, and to slice it against the grain.
Yes, I recommend flipping the chicken breast halfway through so that the top and bottom cook evenly.
For this recipe, we use a 450°F oven temperature, which is getting quite hot for glass, so I suggest using metal pans. I recommend a sturdy baking sheet over a dish, as this allows for good air circulation around the chicken breasts as they bake.
Yes, however there are a few modifications you'll need...check them out in this Perfect Grilled Chicken Breast recipe!
Some recipes require beating the chicken with a meat mallet or rolling pin until it is an even thickness. This easy baked chicken breast recipe does not require any of that prepwork. The main reason you can skip that step with this reason is because the meat is weighed and the cook time is adjusted accordingly, resulting in perfect, juicy chicken everytime!
Storage
- Fridge- Cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freezer- Cool completely, then wrap in plastic wrap or parchment paper. Store in a larger meal prep container or freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.
- Reheat- heat up single servings in the microwave until steaming hot. Warm larger portions in a covered dish in a 350°F oven for 15-20 minutes, until warmed through.
💡 TIP- if you plan to use this recipe for meal prep, allow chicken to cool completely before slicing. This helps to seal in all the juices and keeps it moist for multiple days.
Serve it with
- 7 Easy Rice Recipes
- 7 Cauliflower Rice Recipes
- Staple Kale Salad
- Fluffy Parmesan Mashed Cauliflower
- Sautéed Green Beans with Garlic Butter
More chicken recipes
This recipe was originally posted 07/2018 ...same great recipe!
Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!
Perfect Baked Chicken Breast (juicy + flavorful)
Ingredients
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts see note 1
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Rub
- 4 teaspoons paprika
- 4 teaspoons brown sugar see note 2
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Heat oven to 450°F.
- Toss or brush 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 165°F.
- 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.
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Tips:
Video
Nutrition Information
© Sweet Peas & Saffron - Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
Larry says
This was great! A couple of observations--boneless chicken breasts bake more evenly if you whack 'em a little to even out the thickness. Also, instead of the garlic powder, I steeped a couple of smashed garlic cloves in slowly warmed olive oil (and/or butter) for a few minutes. Strong fragrance, but subtle taste.
Denise says
So true! I need to get a mallet. Thanks for your review, Larry!
George says
No need to buy a mallet. A wooden rolling pin or an empty wine bottle will suffice quite nicely.
Lorna says
Hi, I'm about to make some baked chicken breast tonight myself. I have a question for you; the chicken breasts in your pictures look like they're skinless, boneless, breast pieces. The ones I'm cooking tonight are split chicken breast halves; they're very large pieces, with the skin and bone. I'm only cooking 2 pieces, but even they weigh about 800 grams total (appr 1.76 lbs, I'm Canadian I weigh most everything in metric). I'm almost positive it's going to to take a longer time for them to bake then the times listed in your recipe. I'm wondering if I shouldn't also bake them at a lower temperature? They're going to need a much longer time to cook then the boneless, skinless breasts; they might get overcooked, dried out, or even burned, if I cook them at 450°. Have you ever done this recipe with regular chicken with skin on and bone in? If so, would love to hear your results! By the way, thank you for the wonderful rub recipe as well! My uncle was just recently put on a cardiac diet for a heart condition; it's been so hard lately finding foods I can make for him that meet his dietary needs. IE, low sodium, low fat, low sugar, etc. I don't normally fry our chicken, it's always baked, but everywhere you look there's so much hidden sodium in the store-bought products we buy! I used to think shake & bake and seasoning salt was a godsend in my kitchen! Not anymore though; way too much sodium in both of them and some even have more than 1 type of sodium! if i were to use those ingredients now, I'd probably kill my uncle just with the salt alone, never mind all the chemicals that are in these products! Your recipe, and especially the rub mix, are a welcome addition to my kitchen. I can use that rub mix on other meats as well, or at least I'm going to try. I plan on using it to roast a turkey in the next month or so.
Denise says
Hi Lorna! I have not tried this recipe with bone-in skin-on chicken breasts, so I'm not really sure on cook time. This recipe calls for 450, so I think the temp would be fine...I'd check on them after 25-30 minutes and check using a thermometer. Good luck!
Marty Suckstorff says
I cooked two of them, 1.5 lbs each, boneless and skinless. Turned down to 425 then 20 minutes per side, plenty of rub on each side. Came out just right at 160 using meat thermometer. Let rest for 10 minutes then cut into thin medallions for use in chicken sandwiches and then froze flat in two 1 qt freezer bags with air pressed out a much as possible. I ate the tips of each one though while warm before freezing. Yum. Rub is nice, not overpowering. I did substitute 1 teaspoon of the paprika with 1 teaspoon of turmeric since that spice is quite good for the heart and body and not that much different in flavor from paprika, IMHO especially with the other spices involved.
Alaiza says
Really helpful post! My chicken turned out perfect. Thank you 🙂
Denise says
Yay! So happy you enjoyed, Alaiza!
Sara M. says
This chicken breast recipe is by far the tastiest and literally cooks the chicken perfectly. My chicken breasts had varying sizes so I went by your cook times and removed the smaller ones first and they all came out perfect. The dry rub is out of this world so I had to share this page with just about everyone I know. Props to the chef 🙂
Denise says
Yay! You totally made my day! So happy you enjoyed, Sara and thanks for your review.
Christie Hawkes says
Hello Denise! Thank you for this wonderful tip. I am definitely going to try this for next week's meal prep. Donna from Retirement Reflections recommended your blog to me, and I'm so glad she did!
~Christie
Peggy says
1. My brown sugar was hard as a rock so I had to chisel brown sugar dust out for the rub. I added red pepper flakes. No onion powder so ...
2. I piled chopped onions on top when I took them out to flip them. I've got an in-oven thermometer so I can pull them out right at 165 degrees. They are big--like your 10.5-oz pic--and ...
3. The alarm went off at like 21 minutes. They look delicious--honestly, just like your picture. I am hungry and it is hard to wait for them to rest so I have already eaten half of the chocolate cake I set out for dessert.
4. 10 minutes resting under a sheet pan. I feel like a real chef now. I put some bottled peanut satay sauce on a plate and slice against the grain ...
Wow, delicious! Really good. (The onions are dried and a little crispy. Not photogenic, but quite tasty.) Definitely the best chicken breasts I've ever made, although I am not a habitual cook.
The pan is going to be hard to clean though, even though I sprayed it with olive oil spray.
Thank you, Denise! Really appreciate this.
Denise says
Yay! I'm so happy you enjoyed them, Peggy! And I need to get myself one of those oven thermometers...you just leave it right in the chicken as it bakes? Genius!
Christie Hawkes says
I'm going to check out a thermometer like that too! Thanks Peggy.
Peggy says
Yeah, it's amazing. There's a coated wire that you just let feed out of the oven. Keep the control piece on the counter, not the stovetop, as it's not supposed to get hot. Mine is an Accu-Rite, I think it was $10 at Walmart. My mother (age 87) thinks it's black magic.
Sanchez says
Your baked checken breast is so delicious.
Denise says
I'm so happy you enjoyed!
Robert Derby says
Your baked chicken breast is so delicious.
Denise says
So happy you enjoyed!
Boyd Kobe says
Can’t wait to try these, as well as many more other listed, love the video’s as well as the optional choices, the BEST user-friendly site around !!!
Denise says
Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Makhluk says
This was awesome! I omitted the sugar, because I didn't want a sweet taste, but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. I may have cooked my chicken too long - I went with the longer cooking time without checking the weight - because the internal temperatures were around 190°, but the meat was still moist and delicious. Thank you for this recipe.
Denise says
So happy to hear you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review, Makhluk 🙂
Kristin A. Metzger says
I tried this with a marinade; it did not work - it coked too hot and the marinade burned in the dish and set off the smoke alarms in the house. Next time, I'll try it with a dry rub.
Denise says
Hi Kristin! Which marinade did you use it with? I haven't tested this with any of the 7 chicken marinade recipes because I worry it would over-reduce. I'd love to hear if it was one of my recipes! Thanks so much 🙂
Janae says
Would I need to modify the bake time if I'm adding more chicken breasts? Let's say, I want to bake 6 instead of 4 or even more.
Denise says
Hi Janae! Nope you can keep the cook time the same. Make sure not to squish them together on the pan and they should cook exactly the same. Hope you enjoy!
Healthy Eating 101 says
Love the rub ingredients! Easy to prepare as they are like staples in every kitchen. Pinned this tasty recipes!!
- Natalie
Denise says
Thanks Natalie!
Carol J Chapman says
Can you freeze the chicken after cooking, had too much chicken but had to cook it.
Carol J Chapman says
Sorry, I jusr read that you can freeze it.
Christina Danos says
Very helpful, thank you! My chicken turned out perfect .
Denise says
So happy to hear this! Thanks so much for your review, Christina!
Maureen Barrett says
Thank you so much! I have been over cooking chicken breasts for years, but not any more! Delicious and juicy and my husband (who usually does the cooking) loved it!
Denise says
I'm so happy to hear this, Maureen! Thanks so much for your review 🙂
Mrs. O says
THANK YOU! I have been making chicken for over 25 years and this is the best recipe! Easy and the chicken is flavorful and juicy.
Renee says
This recipe was fantastic! Perfectly cooked, juicy and tasty.
Jolly says
I wouldn’t recommend this the chicken comes out under cooked. I had to put it back in the oven thankfully I took the first bite or my family would’ve gotten sick.
Linda V. says
Jolly, This could be avoided by using an instaread thermometer. 165 degrees for chicken.
Linda P. says
Your chicken being undercooked has nothing to do with the recipe. Cook time for any cut of meat can vary depending on type and size, so it's important to check the internal temperature. Check breast size varies greatly.
Linda P. says
*Chicken
FaithHarmony says
also varies with ovens.. ive noticed this sharing recipes with friends.. Not sure if its a difference between gas & electric? mines cooking right now.....according to my oven lol mayb 15mins on each side at the recommended 450. . we shall see...so far my house smells incredible....
Jacquita Geiss says
This was the best chicken I ever baked!
Denise says
Wow, huge compliment! Thanks so much for your review, Jacquita!