Baked Chicken Breasts (Juicy & So Delicious!)

Learn how to make the best oven baked chicken breasts quickly and easily. So wonderfully juicy, this brined chicken is quick enough to make as part of a weeknight family meal. Full of flavor and seasoned with herbs and spices.

It’s time to take your chicken breasts to another level! If you’ve never brined them before, you have got to try these! The flavors in this oven baked chicken breast recipe are truly amazing, and it’s so easy to achieve!

Serve them as part of a weeknight dinner along with your favorite sides like sweet potato fries, broccoli cranberry salad, and green beans with bacon. I promise you will never bake chicken another way again!

Why You Will Love This Recipe

Great results every single time! Tender and juicy baked chicken.
This chicken is super flavorful thanks to the simple rub I am using.
Minimal prep work and clean up.
From start to finish, it takes about 20 minutes to have these easy baked chicken breasts on the table. Make along some of the easy sides I suggest and you can have dinner within 30 minutes.

How To Bake Chicken Breasts

Brine the chicken breasts in water with salt for 15 minutes. Remove chicken breasts from the brine and pat dry with a paper towel. (Brining is optional)
Brush both side with olive oil, and season the chicken on both sides with spices.
Place seasoned chicken breasts to a parchment lined baking sheet, and bake chicken at 425 for 15-20 minutes depending on thickness of the chicken breasts, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 155 F.
Remove the chicken from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving. During this time the temperature will rise to 165 F.

TIPS FROM NELI’S KITCHEN

Recipe Notes and Tips

Use good quality boneless, skinless breasts for this baked chicken recipe. If you can, buy cage-free / organic.
You don’t need to brine the chicken for more than 15 minutes. Don’t brine it for more than one hour or the meat will start to break down. If you don’t have time to brine, skip this step.
Pound the chicken breasts if they are large and make sure all chicken breasts are a similar thickness to ensure they cook evenly.
Brush the chicken will olive oil before seasoning. This will help the seasoning to stick to the chicken and help retain its moisture.
Season the chicken, don’t just use salt and pepper. This adds a lot of flavor, otherwise, your chicken might taste bland.
Don’t overcrowd the baking sheet/dish. Leave some space so they can roast, and not steam.
Bake uncovered to avoid steamed chicken.
Do not overbake. Take out the chicken breasts when they reach 155 F internal temperature, cover them, and let the chicken rest. During the resting time, the internal temperature will rise to 165 F which is called carry-over cooking.
Let the chicken rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. This will help to keep the juices in the meat.

How To Brine Chicken Breasts

You can brine 4 chicken breasts (about 1.5 lbs) in 4 cups of water and 3 tablespoons of table salt for about 15 – 30 minutes (don’t brine the chicken for more than 1 hour because the meat can start to break down).

How To Store/Freeze Chicken Breasts?

I like to serve these roasted chicken breasts for dinner as soon as they are cooked, but if you have any leftovers, store them in the fridge and they will keep well for about 5 days. I like to slice the cold leftover chicken and add it to salads. You can also reheat it in the oven to serve warm.

You can freeze any leftover chicken in a freezer zip lock bag for about 6 months.

Serving Suggestions

This oven roasted chicken breast recipe makes delicious chicken you can use in salads, casseroles and anything else that requires cooked chicken but it’s also juicy and delicious served on its own.

I love to make it on Sunday for meal prep and serve it along with a tomato cucumber avocado salad and oven baked potato slices. Some of my other favorite side dishes I serve it with are:

Recipe FAQs

How to brine chicken breasts?

You can brine 4 chicken breasts (about 1.5 lbs) in 4 cups of water and 3 tablespoons of table salt for about 15 minutes (don’t brine the chicken for more than 1 hour because the meat can start to break down).

Why brine chicken breasts?

Brining the chicken is the easiest and most hassle-free way of getting the juiciest chicken every time. It helps to add moisture to the chicken which helps them stay nice and succulent when they are baked, and it also helps to bring out the natural flavors. It’s so worth an extra 15 minutes! But if you don’t have the time, you can skip this step, the chicken breast will still be tender and juicy.

What temperature to bake chicken at?

A higher temperature (425F or 450F) is best for making juicy baked chicken breasts. The higher temperature helps cook the chicken faster and the chicken doesn’t dry out if it’s cooked for the right amount of time.

How long does it take to bake chicken breasts?

How long it will take you, depends on the thickness of the chicken breasts. I used medium size breasts, and they cooked in about 15 minutes at 425F.

How do you know when the chicken is done?

The most accurate way to know when the chicken is cooked through and ready to serve is to use an instant-read thermometer. Insert it into the thickest part of the chicken and it should register at 165F.
Because you don’t want to overcook the chicken, it’s best to remove it from the oven when it reaches 155 F, and let it rest covered for 5 minutes. During this time, the temperature will rise to 165 F (this is carry-over cooking).
If you don’t have a thermometer, pierce the chicken with a fork. If there is no pink and the juices run clear it should be done.

boneless skinless chicken breast recipes

More Easy Chicken Recipes You Will Love

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Baked Chicken Breasts

Learn how to make the best oven baked chicken breasts quickly and easily. So wonderfully juicy, this brined chicken is quick enough to make as part of a weeknight family meal. Full of flavor and seasoned with herbs and spices. Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutesBrine Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon salt & black pepper, each
¼ cup olive oil

Instructions

Brine the chicken breasts in water with salt for 15 minutes. Remove chicken breasts from the brine and pat dry with a paper towel. (Brining is optional)
Brush both side with olive oil, and season the chicken on both sides with spices.
Place seasoned chicken breasts to a parchment lined baking sheet, and bake chicken at 425 for 15-20 minutes depending on thickness of the chicken breasts, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 155 F.
Remove the chicken from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving. During this time the temperature will rise to 165 F.

Video

Notes

Use high-quality boneless, skinless breasts and pound to even thickness for even cooking.
Brine for 15 minutes max (optional), or skip if short on time.
Brush with olive oil before seasoning to lock in moisture and help seasoning stick.
Go beyond just salt and pepper – a good seasoning blend makes all the difference!
Don’t overcrowd the pan – leave space so chicken roasts, not steams.
Bake uncovered and remove at 155 F, then rest 5–10 mins (temp will rise to 165F).

Nutrition

Calories: 252 kcal
Carbohydrates: 1 g
Protein: 24 g
Fat: 17 g
Saturated Fat: 3 g
Cholesterol: 72 mg
Sodium: 423 mg
Potassium: 430 mg
Fiber: 1 g
Sugar: 1 g
Vitamin A: 280 IU
Vitamin C: 1 mg
Calcium: 14 mg
Iron: 1 mg

Nutrition Disclaimer: Nutritional values are estimates and may vary with ingredients, brands, and portion sizes. For accuracy, use your preferred nutrition calculator.