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

Oven Baked Chicken Breast

30 minutes mins
| 185 Comments |
4.97 from 312 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

  • close up photo of eight cooked chicken thighs in instant pot
    Instant Pot Chicken Thighs
  • overhead view of white bowl filled with shredded chicken
    How to Make Shredded Chicken
  • overhead view of whole roasted chicken in roasting pan with carrots and potatoes
    Whole Roasted Chicken
  • overhead close up view of fried chicken piece
    Crispy Oven Fried Chicken
  • overhead view of bowl with air fryer chicken wings
    Air Fryer Chicken Wings
  • overhead view of grilled chicken breast in balsamic marinade on white plate
    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

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!
4.97 from 312 votes
Print Add Review

Recipe details

Prep 10 minutes mins
Cook 20 minutes mins
Total 30 minutes 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.

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. Jacky says

    Mar 1, 2023

    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

      Mar 4, 2023

      I’m so glad to hear it, Jacky!

      Reply
  2. Cindy says

    Feb 23, 2023

    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

      Feb 23, 2023

      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
  3. Tabitha says

    Feb 23, 2023

    5 stars
    so good and so quick and easy!!

    Reply
    • Nora says

      Feb 23, 2023

      I’m so glad, Tabitha!

      Reply
  4. Cwells says

    Feb 20, 2023

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

    Reply
    • Nora says

      Feb 23, 2023

      I’m so happy to hear it!

      Reply
  5. Bonnie McElderry says

    Feb 16, 2023

    5 stars
    I followed the recipe pretty much as written. Since I live at a high altitude, it had to cook a little while longer. My family loved it!

    Reply
  6. Julie Kaplan says

    Feb 8, 2023

    5 stars
    Amazing big hit with my family!! Full of flavor & very juicy – made with a side of Knorr Rice Medley. No leftovers lol

    Reply
  7. Alyssa Dugger says

    Jan 31, 2023

    5 stars
    Absolutely delicious, my family loved it and it was really juicy

    Reply
  8. Michelle says

    Jan 28, 2023

    5 stars
    Absolutely delicious. I used smoked paprika in this. My husband was blown away at how the slight sweetness of the brown sugar and the smoked paprika and herbs worked so well together!

    Reply
  9. Leslie Evleshin says

    Jan 28, 2023

    5 stars
    Made as written. So good. Everyone liked it. Finally found a baked chicken breast recipe!!! Thank you!!!

    Reply
  10. Tami says

    Jan 23, 2023

    Made this tonight EXCELLENT!!!!

    Reply
  11. Kayla says

    Jan 20, 2023

    5 stars
    Thank you so much!! I had bought some chicken breasts and wanted a new recipe, your was very delicious! The chicken turned out very juicy and my husband loves it!! Thanks again!

    Reply
  12. Trish says

    Jan 18, 2023

    There were 4 of us I made 6 to have for lunch the next day – unfortunately there was no leftovers! Thank you for an easy, juicy and ohh so tender you don’t even need a knife delicious chicken recipe.

    Reply
  13. cristina says

    Jan 13, 2023

    5 stars
    This chicken is moist and delicious. It’s our go to chicken breast recipe and turns out perfect every time.

    Reply
  14. Linda says

    Jan 10, 2023

    5 stars
    Juicy, Tasty and easy. This recipe is a keeper.

    Reply
  15. Karina says

    Jan 4, 2023

    5 stars
    Great flavours

    Reply
  16. Alexandra says

    Dec 31, 2022

    i didn’t feel like grabbing anything from the store all the ingredients in this i had which was great and it was really good thanks

    Reply
  17. Kim says

    Dec 12, 2022

    5 stars
    I’ve used this recipe several times before and each time have not been disappointed. Great flavor! My husband now asks for this chicken to be in rotation of our weekly meals.

    Reply
  18. Jennifer says

    Dec 12, 2022

    5 stars
    So amazing! My son couldn’t stop eating it!!

    Reply
  19. JR says

    Dec 1, 2022

    5 stars
    Quick and easy to prepare, family loved it! Leftovers will make a great chicken sandwich for lunch.

    Reply
  20. Pat says

    Nov 24, 2022

    5 stars
    I love this recipe the chicken breast were delicious. My best recipe so far! Can i use this recipe for turkey drumsticks? And if i can how long should I cook I them?

    Reply
  21. Emily J says

    Nov 8, 2022

    5 stars
    Absolutely delicious and so easy! We just did it with veggies on the side but I can’t wait to make it again in other recipes!

    Reply
    • Nora says

      Nov 15, 2022

      I’m so glad, Emily!

      Reply
  22. Jenny says

    Nov 1, 2022

    Very delicious! I forgot to add brown sugar in the spice blend so I ended up sprinkling it atop the pats of butter and it was bomb!

    Reply
    • Nora says

      Nov 15, 2022

      I’m so glad, Jenny. And what a great way to add the missing sugar.

      Reply
  23. Charlene says

    Oct 16, 2022

    5 stars
    I was searching for a chicken recipe that was fast and easy to put together. This was so quick and easy to make, but the most astounding thing was that everyone in my family loved it! There are very few dishes that my entire family likes, but this received high praise from all of them.

    Reply
  24. Monica says

    Oct 15, 2022

    Could I use swerve brown sugar instead of regular?

    Reply
    • Nora says

      Jul 10, 2023

      Monica, several readers have successfully used swerve in this and in my baked salmon recipe. Should work out just fine!

      Reply
  25. Samantha says

    Oct 3, 2022

    5 stars
    Omg this is the easiest and most delicious way to cook chicken breast! My new families fav meal. We will be having this once a week

    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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