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 printable recipe card at the bottom of this post 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.
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 combine seasoning 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!
top with butter bake 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!
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
More easy chicken recipes
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
Oven Baked Chicken Breast
Recipe details
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.
Carolyn says
My husband loved it. I made it exactly as the recipe said, It came out perfectly done and still moist.
Cara Mueller says
This is my go to recipe for chicken. The only modifications I make is I eliminate the sugar and black pepper to accommodate my diet restrictions.
Jessica says
The title is correct this is definitely the best Oven baked chicken recipe!
Moriah says
I couldn’t believe how amazingly juicy and tasty this chicken was! Will make this one of my staple recipes for when I want a quick dinner.
MaryAnn says
This chicken is very good. It has a hint of sweetness from the brown sugar. We will definitely make this again. Thank you for the recipe!!
Ana P. Monteforte says
I ended it up with mustard and dress it up with fresh herbs – hubby loved it
Jan R says
Very tasty, moist and easy. Will definitely make it again. I cut the breasts horizontally rather than pound them. Worked out perfectly.
Susan S says
Made this for the first time tonight and it was delicious! Very tasty and moist. Definitely a keeper in my rotation. Thank you!
Peg says
Very good recipe. I didn’t have any Italian seasoning so I substituted McCormick’s Grill Mates Montreal Chicken seasoning. Turned out great! Will make again.
Carrie says
Good recipe. The chicken was moist, tender, delicious, and pretty on the plate.
Andrea says
Very tasty. Chicken was juicy and flavorful.
Robyn says
This chicken recipe is a winner! It comes out juicy, it’s very quick and easy to throw together and I always have the ingredients on hand. I use avocado oil in place of the butter because I like to have a slice of bread and butter while eating. I don’t buy Italian seasoning, so I eyeballed a teaspoon of oregano, thyme and parsley. Everything else I leave the same.
Rachel says
Made this tonight and the whole family loved it! Delicious! Thank you for sharing!
Sianna says
I followed this recipe exactly and it turned out wonderful. My family loves chicken, so having another flavor to add to the circulation keeps things from getting boring. It gave it just enough flavor without being overpowering, very well balanced. Recipes like this definitely need the sugar, so much added flavor! And I never thought to add butter, but it worked perfectly.
Donna Shaw says
Excellent recipe! I will cut down the brown sugar next time but very good!
Baylee says
SO GOOD! Such a quick and easy weeknight recipe will definitely be adding this to my meal rotation from now on!
Janine says
This was very good, juicy, and easy to make!
Brenda L says
I made this today – amazing! Will definitely be making this often! So easy, pretty & moist. Thank you 😊
Elena N. says
My family was really pleased. It was juicy and flavorful.
Denise Porter says
This was amazing! Made to deliver to a family who just had 1st baby, father has congenital heart defect, so omitted salt, but still turned out delicious. Have already passed recipe on to family and friends!
Rebecca Lee says
Yum!
Sierra says
This recipe is amazing! This is my second time making it and it came out so delicious my husband loves it! I even added chopped carrots to the bottom of the pan and it was so yummy!