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Home / Recipes / Dinner / Chicken / Oven Baked Chicken Breast

Oven Baked Chicken Breast

30 mins
| 61 Comments |
4.98 from 135 votes
Jump to Recipe 01/05/22 | Updated: 02/27/22 | by Nora
Oven Baked Chicken Breast Recipe Image Pin

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.

overhead view of three oven baked chicken breasts in white casserole dish

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!

slice of baked chicken breast speared on fork

Ingredients you’ll need

Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities!

ingredients for baked chicken breast with text labels
Ingredients for Oven Baked Chicken Breast: Chicken breast, olive oil, butter, brow sugar, onion powder, garlic powder, ground paprika, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.

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.

  • female hand using rolling pin to pound chicken breasts between plastic wrap
    pound chicken to even thickness

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.

  • rub with oil
  • seasoning mix in white bowl with fork
    combine seasoning
  • seasoned chicken breast on white plate
    season chicken breasts

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!

  • three seasoned, unbaked chicken breasts topped with butter slices in white casserole dish
    top with butter
  • three seasoned, baked chicken breasts in white casserole dish
    bake
  • overhead close up view of three oven baked chicken breasts in white casserole dish
    serve!

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!

frontal view of baked chicken breast in white casserole dish

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.

Recommended internal temperature for chicken

Wondering when your chicken is done and safe to be eaten? I highly recommend investing in (the following is an affiliate link an I earn a commission for purchases made through it) a meat thermometer. I check pretty much everything I cook and bake with mine to make sure I’m at the accurate temperature.

The US government’s food safety website recommends cooking all poultry to an internal temperature of at least 165°F (74°C) for safe consumption.

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
overhead view of sliced baked chicken breast and broccoli pasta on white plate

More easy chicken recipes

  • Instant Pot Chicken Thighs
  • How to Make Shredded Chicken
  • Whole Roasted Chicken
  • Crispy Oven Fried Chicken
  • Air Fryer Chicken Wings
  • Balsamic Chicken Marinade

PS If you try this recipe, please leave a review in the comment section and add a star rating in the recipe card – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram.

Printable Recipe Card
overhead view of three oven baked chicken breasts in white casserole dish
Save Recipe Saved!

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!
Recipe by Nora from Savory Nothings
made it? tap the stars to add your rating!
4.98 from 135 votes
Print Add Review

Recipe details

Prep 10 mins
Cook 20 mins
Total 30 mins
Servings 6 servings
Difficulty Easy

Ingredients
 

  • 2 pounds chicken breast boneless and skinless
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground paprika
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon butter diced

Instructions
 

  • Prep: Heat oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a 9×13 inch casserole dish.
  • Flatten: Place chicken between two pieces of plastic wrap. Using a rolling pin or the flat side of a mallet, pound chicken to about 0.5 – 0.75 inch thickness. Rub olive oil all over flattened chicken breasts.
  • Season: Combine all remaining ingredients EXCEPT for butter in a small bowl. Sprinkle all over chicken, then lightly rub it in.
  • Bake: Place seasoned chicken in prepared casserole dish. Top each chicken breast with a slice of butter. Bake at 400°F until internal temperature reaches 165°F, about 18-20 minutes. Finish chicken under broiler for 1-3 minutes, until nicely browned. Serve immediately.
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Notes

Ingredient notes

  • Chicken: If you choose to use any other cut than specified, the baking time will be different from the recipe.
  • Butter: Feel free to replace with olive oil or skip altogether at the expense of some juiciness and flavor.
  • Brown sugar: Feel free to use regular sugar if you don’t have any brown sugar on hand. 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.

Recipe tips

  • I highly recommend you don’t skip the flattening, it makes a big difference to the end result.
  • 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.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 225kcalCarbohydrates: 4gProtein: 32gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 102mgSodium: 582mgPotassium: 594mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 274IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 20mgIron: 1mg
Nutrition is an estimate.

More recipe information

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American

Nora Rusev from Savory Nothings
About Nora 
When I got married to my professional chef husband, I realized I had to step up my game in the kitchen. Now I share my favorite foolproof family recipes here on Savory Nothings: Chef-approved, kid-vetted and easy enough for everyday home cooks like you and me!   Learn more.

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Comments

  1. Javid Presson says

    March 17, 2023 at 5:54 pm

    5 stars
    I made this almost exactly to the recipe. The only thing I did was use Swerve Brown sugar to eliminate the sugar. The chicken was moist and very good. The only change I’ll do next time is less salt. Other than that great job and thank you. My wife also loved it.

    Reply
    • Nora says

      March 18, 2023 at 11:58 am

      I’m so glad you and your wife enjoyed the chicken, Javid! Thanks for adding your suggestion of using Swerve instead of brown sugar, I’m sure this will be helpful to other readers who want to avoid the sugar.

      Reply
  2. Sarah says

    March 05, 2023 at 6:36 pm

    5 stars
    An absolute hit with my family, even when I forgot the butter. I’ve had requests to make it again, with the butter, and it is juicy and amazing! It has been added to our dinner rotation. So easy and quick. Thank you for posting this!

    Reply
    • Nora says

      March 14, 2023 at 12:00 pm

      I’m so glad, Sarah! Thank you for making this recipe part of your dinner rotation, it’s always an honor.

      Reply
  3. Jacky says

    March 01, 2023 at 3:16 am

    5 stars
    Made this for dinner tonight for something easy and it was delicious. The chicken was juicy and had a great taste. I will definitely be making again.

    Reply
    • Nora says

      March 04, 2023 at 11:32 am

      I’m so glad to hear it, Jacky!

      Reply
  4. Cindy says

    February 23, 2023 at 1:49 am

    5 stars
    Wow! I’m mostly vegetarian and when I do meat it is usually fish. I might eat chicken 3 times a year. I am having guests over so I did a half recipe tonight to make sure it came out ok and boy did it! Very tender, very juicy, and very easy for a novice chicken baker.

    Reply
    • Nora says

      February 23, 2023 at 1:16 pm

      I’m so glad, Cindy! I always strive to make my recipes accessible to all home cooks, so I’m very happy you had a great experience.

      Reply
  5. Tabitha says

    February 23, 2023 at 1:09 am

    5 stars
    so good and so quick and easy!!

    Reply
    • Nora says

      February 23, 2023 at 1:17 pm

      I’m so glad, Tabitha!

      Reply
  6. Cwells says

    February 20, 2023 at 2:09 am

    5 stars
    This recipe had great flavor, I will definitely make this again!!!

    Reply
    • Nora says

      February 23, 2023 at 1:21 pm

      I’m so happy to hear it!

      Reply
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Nora Rusev from Savory Nothings

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Hi, I'm Nora! I wasn't always a good cook, but then I fell in love with a professional chef and learned my way around the kitchen. Now I share all my secrets to effortlessly great food here on my blog, bite-sized for home cooks just like me and you.

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