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.
Ann Cates says
It’s definitely a keeper. Everyone enjoyed it. Thank you for quick and easy recipe.
(Mrs.) Johann Cresswell says
A great recipe. Pared ingredients down for 2 servings.
Really enjoyed it and will do it again – fast, easy and so good.
Faith says
This has become a go-to meal for us! Thank you!
LINDA says
Perfect! We loved this chicken and will make it again.
Patty says
Wow! I have been making chicken for fifty years and this is the BEST recipe I have ever made! So moist and flavorful and easy! The cherry on top is my picky granddaughter loved it! Thank you for your hard work.
Stacie says
Delicious!
Megan says
Okay so I can’t boil water.. like can’t cook a lick unless I use a crockpot. I was starving and found this recipe and gave it a go. OMG! So delicious.
Kym says
Very easy moist chicken recipe. It is great when I can find a recipe where I am fortunate to have all of the ingredients on hand . It was great with mashed potatoes and LaSeuer peas . I used the resulting baking juices to make a white gravy.. yum
Sharon says
Wow it was a winner! I followed the recipe exactly and it came out a beautiful nicely browned color. My hubby said it the juiciest chicken he’s ever had. Such an easy recipe. Thank You!
Michele says
Delicious and easy to make. Thanks for sharing.
Rachel Caron says
I have 4 stars because it’s not fried chicken 😂 In all seriousness though, it was a good recipe. The spices together were very tasty. I will make this again.
Sharon Kaye Little says
Hi, My name is Sharon, I googled how to bake a chicken, your recipe came up and I tried it this evening, only thing I did differently was leave out the sugar since I’m a diabetic. It was really good even without it.
Olivera Mitrof says
I am going to make your recipe soon, if I leave out the brown sugar or only put half of what you have noted will the chicken still come out most and delicious? Thank you
TerryF says
While I did not care for the rub (too sweet), this is an excellent way to prep and cook chicken breasts and I will definitely use it again. Thank you!
Mutti G says
Great oven fried chicken. Made this recipe exactly as written except used bone in chicken breasts. Of course, had to cook it a little longer and ended up having to add a little more butter.. but best chicken I ever made ! Nice and crispy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside. WHEN I make this again – I will add a little cayenne pepper for a little bit of spice
Mary Shaw says
Not a fan of Chickem but made ne a believer in Chicken was so good and moist
Tessie says
Great recipe! Loved the pan juices! I made it in my Ninja Foodie on bake and flipped them half way thru. Next time I will add portobello mushrooms like one of the comments suggested. It’s a keeper! Thanks!
Elaine says
Delicious and tender. I had to add a few minutes to get it up to 165 degrees. Very tasty and a great recipe if you don’t want breading. Next time I will try it on convection. Spices were excellent.
Mandy says
This was great and so easy!!!!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Maleah Smith says
This was absolutely delicious. My family loved it !
Mary Brown says
Baked chicken recipe, delicious 😋
Karen says
Very rich and savory, needs a shot of acid/freshness. Otherwise very easy and very good.
Jan says
This really is the best baked chicken recipe. I made it according to the directions. I wouldn’t change anything about it. Quick and easy to make. I had a baked sweet potato and steamed broccoli with it for a low calorie meal. I had enough chicken left over and cut it up and added it to a salad for supper the next night. Tasted great that way too! So tender and juicy! Will continue using this recipe. Thanks for sharing!!
Bree Mackenzie says
I am low on food right now and had to figure SOMETHING out with these 4 filets in my freezer so I thawed them out and made this for my mom and son, only having to substitute the brown sug for regular sugar and it was amazing. Trust the author, don’t skip that sweet step and definitely listen what she says to “beat that meat! ” the butter slices on top glided wonderfully with the seasonings and could have made for a better texture and season filled chicken. I’m used to dry boring chicken but after finding this easy recipe that is in everyones cupboards I will never eat a dry chicken again! lol 5 OUT OF 5 Yums ALL DAY LONG!!! 🫶😁🤤
debbie ferguson says
absolutely delicious 😋
Jo-Ann says
I hesitated to try this recipe, then thought…yes, I’ll try it. So glad I did. Excellent..absolutely blown away. Very good. Thank you for sharing your recipe.