This Baked Chicken Breast recipe is so versatile – it’s great as a main dish, salad topper, or for chicken sandwiches. Here’s everything you need to know to avoid dry chicken breast, and always get a juicy, melt-in-your-mouth result. The best part? You can easily change up the seasonings to keep things exciting.
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Juicy Chicken Breast in the Oven
Baking chicken breasts can be tricky. Unless you’re making Stuffed Chicken Breast, a breaded Chicken Parmesan, or a saucy Chicken Marsala, plain chicken breast tends to come out dry and bland. We’ve created a foolproof technique that will always result in ultra-juicy, tender, and flavorful chicken breasts.
Consider this your go-to, classic oven-baked chicken breast recipe. It’s incredibly versatile and can be served in so many unique and tasty ways – in fact, we use the same method to make our Cilantro Lime Chicken!
What is the Key to Juicy Baked Chicken?
The most important tip for baking chicken breasts in the oven is not to overcook them. To prevent your chicken breast from turning out dry and rubbery, use an instant-read thermometer to check when the internal temperature has reached 165°F. Thermometers are a smart investment to prevent overcooking or, even worse, undercooking your meats.
Ingredients for Baked Chicken Breast
- Chicken Breast – Try to find boneless skinless chicken breasts and get the best quality you can afford. Also, try to find chicken breasts that are similar in size and even thickness so they cook evenly. Depending on the size of the breasts, you might need to adjust the cooking time.
- Paprika – You can use sweet, hot, or smoked paprika. All of them work great and add depth of flavor to the chicken breasts.
- Garlic Parsley Salt – This all-in-one seasoning is perfect for everything from chicken breasts to potatoes. I use garlic salt in a lot of my home cooking.
- Black Pepper – If you can, opt for freshly cracked pepper over the pre-ground stuff. It will add so much more flavor and make for a nicer presentation.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Avocado Oil – Either olive oil or avocado oil will work great. Both have high smoke points and add an earthy flavor to the chicken. You can also melt butter to brush over the chicken breasts for a little more flavor.
Variations
You can change the chicken seasonings in so many ways! Try adding or substituting the spices in this recipe with these pantry staples:
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Cumin
- Chili powder
- Cajun seasoning
- Taco seasoning – perfect for Chicken Tacos!
- Italian seasonings: oregano, thyme, basil, parsley, rosemary
How to Bake Chicken Breasts
- Assemble – Preheat the oven to 400°F and arrange the chicken breasts in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Leave a little space between the chicken breasts and don’t crowd the pan.
- Season – Pat the chicken breasts with paper towels before adding the seasoning. This will help it stick better. Rub the chicken on all sides with the oil, paprika, garlic parsley salt, and black pepper.
- Bake the Chicken – Bake the chicken uncovered for 20 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F on a meat thermometer. Once you remove the chicken breasts from the oven, allow them to sit at room temperature for a couple of minutes to lock in all the juices then slice against the grain and serve.
Pro Tip:
If you desire an extra crispy and golden outside layer, broil the chicken breast for a few minutes before it’s fully cooked.
Ways to Serve Baked Chicken Breasts
There are a million and one ways to serve this tasty, juicy chicken breast. Feel free to pair it with any side dish you love best. You can’t go wrong!
- Salad Toppers – Use the chicken breast as a topper for a traditional Cobb Salad, Caesar Salad, Greek salad, or Autumn Chicken Salad. You can also dice it up and make a Chicken Salad.
- With Potatoes – Pair the juicy chicken breast with boiled potatoes, garlic mashed potatoes, or air fryer baked potatoes, or classic Roasted Potatoes.
- Alongside Grains – make it a meal with white rice, risotto, quinoa, or your favorite grains.
- Low-Carb Dinner – For an easy, low-carb dinner pair the chicken with roasted asparagus, Mexican street corn, sauteed mushrooms, or roasted carrots.
How to Store Baked Chicken
Cooking chicken breast is great for meal prep. It keeps well in the refrigerator so you can quickly add protein to your menu throughout the busy workweek.
- To Store: Transfer cooked chicken breasts to an airtight container or into airtight packaging and refrigerate right away for rapid cooling. Cooked chicken can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- To Freeze: Transfer the chicken to freezer-safe containers or airtight packaging (we love our food saver bags to prevent freezer burn) and store up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
- To Reheat in the oven: Set the chicken breasts in a baking dish or casserole dish, add a few Tablespoons of water to the dish, cover with foil, and bake in a preheated oven at 350°F for about 20-25 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 165˚F (this is the recommended temperature for reheating leftover chicken according to the USDA).
- Reheating in the air fryer: You can also reheat the chicken breast in the air fryer at 350˚F – brush both sides with olive oil and air fry for about 6 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature reaches 165˚F.
Commonly Asked Questions
It’s better to cook chicken breast at 400°F. The less time it spends in the oven, the juicier it will turn out. Therefore, it’s good to cook it at a high temperature for a short period of time.
It takes about 20 minutes to bake chicken breasts in the oven. That said, this cooking time can vary depending on how thick the chicken breasts are. If they are thinner, reduce the cooking time, and if they are thicker adjust it upwards accordingly.
The key to cooking chicken breast without drying it out is to make sure to pull it once it reaches a safe internal temperature of 165°F. Check the internal temperature of the chicken before taking it out of the oven.
More Baked Chicken Recipes
If you enjoyed this baked chicken breast, you will love these tasty baked chicken recipes:
- Pizza Chicken
- Monterey Chicken
- Spatchcock Chicken
- Honey Mustard Chicken Thighs
- Lemon Pepper Wings
- Baked Chicken Legs
- Crispy Baked Chicken Thighs
Juicy Oven Baked Chicken Breast
Ingredients
- 2 lb chicken breast, (about 4-6 pieces)
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 Tbsp garlic parsley salt, *
- 1 tsp black pepper, or added to taste
- 2 Tbsp olive oil, avocado oil, or melted butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the chicken breast on a parchment- lined baking sheet, leaving a little space between them for the air to circulate.
- Pat the chicken breasts with paper towels before adding the seasoning. This will help it stick better. Brush the chicken breasts on all sides with oil (or melted butter), then sprinkle on paprika, garlic-parsley salt, and pepper.
- Bake for about 20 minutes or until chicken reaches 165°F on a thermometer.
Notes
- Garlic powder, Onion powder, Cumin, Chili powder, or Cajun seasoning
- Taco seasoning – perfect for Chicken Tacos!
- Italian seasonings: oregano, thyme, basil, or parsley
- To Store in the Refrigerator: Transfer cooked chicken to an airtight container and refrigerate for 3-4 days.
- To Freeze: Transfer the chicken to freezer-safe containers or airtight packaging and store for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
- Reheat in the oven: Set the chicken breasts in a baking dish or casserole dish, add 3 Tbsp water to the dish, cover with foil, and bake at 350°F for about 20-25 min until the internal temp reaches 165˚F.
- Reheat in the air fryer: You can also reheat the chicken breast in the air fryer at 350˚F. Brush both sides with olive oil and air fry for about 6 min per side, or until it reaches 165˚F.
Nutrition Per Serving
Natalya Drozhzhin
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
Perfect!!! I used this recipe to make chicken breasts for “Cobb Salad ” and the chicken elevated the taste of the salad!
Hi! Do you cover the chicken when baking?
Hi Connie, we bake the chicken uncovered.
If 3 lbs or so or higher …. do we follow the same temperature & time Natasha.
Thx
Hi Sherry! You can follow the same time/temperature but be sure to check for doneness with a food thermometer. Bake until it reaches 165˚F.
Absolutely delicious and juicy. Have a hot oven, so checked at 16 mins and perfect. Lots of recipes tell you to brine the chicken but find that method too salty. These were easy and perfect. Thank you.
I have read that brining the chicken breast before cooking really helps them retain their juice. What are your thoughts on this method?
Hi Gail, I haven’t tried brining this one to advise. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Mine came out chewy. Stringy when trying to cut. What did I do wrong?
Hi John! I’m sorry to hear that. It could be several factors. Chicken breast has less fat and can become dry (chewy or rubbery) if cooked for too long. The quality of the meat can also impact the texture.
Can this be made in air fryer? If yes, then what should be the temperature and cooking time?
We usually reheat this using the air fryer but we have not tried making it from scratch there. I imagine it will work but I cannot advise of the proper timing.
Winner! Winner! Thank you for sharing this recipe. Taste buds are still smiling from tonights dinner. Don’t change a thing on this. It is perfect.
This isn’t a recipe. There are no measurements listed. And the bake time of 20 minutes for a chicken breast is nowhere close enough to be safe
Hi Scott, if you scroll down to the recipe card, you will find detailed instructions and specific measurements.
Hi. Does the chicken breast have to be a room temperature before preparing and baking in oven?
Hi Christine, no, it does not need to come to room temperature before baking. I hope you love this recipe.
My wife and I savaged a chicken salad I purchased at Costco with your delicious chicken salad recipe.
I’m so glad you both enjoyed it, Robert!
Super easy, thanks to my cooking alarm thermometer. It was very juicy when we cut into it and tasted great. Halfway through eating, the chicken became a little dry, so I may experiment with a lower cooked temp. Still needing to kill pathogens, I’ll cook to 160, tent and rest until temp rises to 165.
All in all, very easy dish with super simple clean up. It has been added into our meal rotation. Thanks for another great recipe!
This is my go to recipe for meal prepping protein packed lunches for my teenage son! I can whip it up without even reading the recipe, that’s how often I prepare it! Tasty and the chicken remains moist even on day 2 or 3!