Oven Baked Chicken Breast

This is the best way to make oven baked chicken breast: The chicken is generously seasoned, then bakes to juicy perfection! Perfect for meal prep or to whip up an easy and healthy entrée without a lot of work.

Ever since I shared my Oven Baked Chicken Thighs, they’ve been a favorite here on the blog. Same with my Air Fryer Chicken Breast recipe… So I figured it was about time to share an easy and tasty recipe for baked chicken breast.

I know chicken can be really bland a boring, but not if you make it like this! It turns out juicy and flavorful, and it can really stand as an entrée all by itself.

There’s also a delicious pan sauce that forms while the chicken bakes, and it tastes great tossed with rice, pasta or over mashed potatoes. A real weeknight dinner winner!

Ingredients you’ll need

Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.

Ingredient notes

• Chicken: I used boneless, skinless chicken breast. If you choose to use any other cut, the baking time will be different from the recipe.
• Butter: You can skip this ingredient if you really want to avoid butter. Either replace it with olive oil or skip it altogether. I will say that the chicken is a little less juicy and the seasoning isn’t quite the same without it. But it does still comes out well.
• Brown sugar: Feel free to use regular sugar if you don’t have any brown sugar on hand. I prefer light brown over dark brown here. You can skip it if you absolutely want to, but it does really make quite a difference to the taste of the chicken.
• Seasonings: The seasoning is my favorite the way I wrote it down in the recipe. But you’re absolutely free to skip anything you don’t like, or experiment with your own ideas.

How to bake chicken breast in the oven

1. Place the chicken breasts between two pieces of plastic wrap. Using a rolling pin or the flat side of a mallet, gently pound them to even thickness, about 0.5 – 0.75 inches.

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2. Rub the chicken breasts all over with olive oil. Combine all of the seasoning and the brown sugar in a small bowl and sprinkle on both sides of the chicken.

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3. Place the chicken in a 9×13 inch casserole dish (we’re waiting for a kitchen remodel and my 9×13 inch dishes were all packed up when I took these photos… so I divided my chicken between two 7×11 inch dishes and it worked just fine).

Top each chicken breast with a dab of butter, then bake for 18-20 minutes, until the internal temperature reads 165°F. I like to turn on the broiler for the last 2-3 minutes to add some nice browning, just watch closely so it doesn’t burn!

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If you’re not making the chicken ahead to store for later, I highly recommend serving it immediately. That’s when it’s the absolute juiciest and tastiest!

Recipe tips

• I know the flattening/pouding seems like an unnecessary extra step, but I promise it DOES make a difference, so I highly recommend you stick to it.
• Make sure to season the chicken all over, front and back. That’s how you get the most flavor into every bite.
• Do not overbake the chicken. I highly recommend a meat thermometer to check for an internal temperature of 165°F, it’s the most accurate way to cook any kind of meat.

Make ahead/leftover tips

This recipe is ideal for meal prep, you can store the baked chicken in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container. The same goes for leftovers.

To use, either dice them up or shred to use in a casserole, in any dish that calls for leftover chicken/turkey/rotisserie chicken or in a soup; or slice them to serve over a salad. Here are some great ideas to use up leftover chicken:

• Chicken Taco Salad
• Chicken Quesadillas
• Chicken Enchiladas
• Chicken Pot Pie
• Chicken, Broccoli and Rice Casserole

Serving ideas

The beauty of this recipe is how versatile it is! You can serve it with many different starch and vegetable combinations. Here are some of our favorites:

• Mashed potatoes
• Instant Pot Mushroom Risotto
• Bacon Pea Pasta
• Roasted Broccoli or Air Fryer Broccoli
• Roasted Asparagus or Air Fryer Asparagus
• Sautéed Zucchini

More easy chicken recipes

PS If you try this recipe, please leave a review in the comment section – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram. Sign up for my email list, too!