This one’s for everyone who put chicken breast in their shopping trolley this week… JUICY Oven Baked Chicken Breast. Rubbed with a simple seasoning then baked until caramelised, this is a terrific chicken breast recipe you’ll make again and again….
Though I always stand firm that brown meat is better than white – more flavour, more juiciness – lean chicken breast is a regular in my shopping trolley, week after week.
So today, I’m sharing my recipe for how I make Oven Baked Chicken Breast. As simple as it sounds, if you wack a seasoned breast in the oven without thought, the chances are you’ll be chewing your way through dry chicken, furiously squirting over copious amounts of ketchup to try to salvage it.
It doesn’t need to be that way. Enter – a fabulous chicken seasoning for baked chicken breast:
Chicken Breast Seasoning
The secret ingredient in this is brown sugar. Yes it adds sweetness but don’t worry, this Baked Chicken Breast is still savoury. There are 2 reasons why this is my secret ingredient:
1. It makes more seasoning, so you can coat the breast thoroughly and give it a beautiful crust without overpowering it with lots of spices that need longer to cook than chicken breast does;
2. It makes the chicken sweat while it bakes, so you end up with wetness that makes the chicken more juicy than the usual baked chicken breast.
How long to cook chicken breast
A 150 – 180g / 5 – 6oz chicken breast will take 18 – 20 minutes to bake at 220C / 425F. Cooking it hard and fast at a high temperature is the secret to gorgeous caramelisation and ultra juicy chicken inside. No dried out breast around here!!
The seasoning for this chicken is actually a really great indicator for when the chicken is cooked to perfection. Basically, once the surface of the chicken is caramelised like the photo above, it’s cooked to perfection inside so get it out of the oven!
In addition to the seasoning and cooking quickly at a high temp, my last tip for a truly great Baked Chicken Breast is to pound it to even thickness, either with a rolling pin, meat mallet or even with your fist (very therapeutic). This has the double effect of even cooking as well as tenderising the meat.
OK, enough food chatter. Signing off here! – Nagi x
Updates
* Further to the many email requests, I have now published the Garlic Butter Rice with Kale pictured in the photos!
* The story and details of the Handcrafted Japanese Knife giveaway that originally accompanied this recipe when published was moved into a separate post because the Giveaway has finished.
My tips for a truly juicy, Oven Baked Chicken Breast: a touch of brown sugar in the seasoning which makes the chicken sweat while it bakes so it creates a semi "sauce", and cooking fast on a high temp! Go by the colour of the crust to know when it's baked. Pictured with this Garlic Butter Kale Rice. Recipe VIDEO below.
- 4 chicken breast , 150 - 180g / 5 - 6 oz each (Note 1)
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp dried oregano or thyme , or other herb of choice
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
- Finely chopped parsley
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Preheat oven to 425F/220C (standard) or 390F/200C (fan / convection).
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Pound chicken to 1.5cm / 0.6" at the thickest part - using a rolling pin, meat mallet or even your fist (key tip for even cooking + tender chicken).
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Mix Seasoning.
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Line tray with foil and baking paper (sugar caramelises, it's annoying to clean off tray). Place chicken upside down on tray. Drizzle chicken with about 1 tsp oil. Rub over with fingers. Sprinkle with Seasoning.
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Flip chicken. Drizzle with 1 tsp oil, rub with fingers, sprinkle with Seasoning, being careful to cover as much of the surface area as you can.
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Bake 18 minutes, or until surface is golden per photos and video, or internal temperature is 165F/75C using a meat thermometer.
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Remove from oven and immediately transfer chicken to serving plates.
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Wait 3 - 5 minutes before serving, garnished with freshly chopped parsley if desired. Pictured with a side of Garlic Butter Rice with Kale.
1. If your breast is quite large eg 250g / 8oz+ each, cut them in half horizontally to form 2 thin steaks and skip the pounding. Make sure they are no thicker than 1.5cm / 0.6" thick at the thickest point - if they are, pound using fist.
This can also be made with thigh fillets (boneless, skinless). Follow the recipe but cook for 25 minutes for small / medium thighs and 30 minutes for larger ones.
2. Nutrition per serving, assuming 150g/5oz chicken breast.
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Quick video tutorial on how to bake chicken breast!
LIFE OF DOZER
It’s just hanging there, taunting him. He sniffs at it, suspiciously….
As I type and post this comment; I am making this dish. My husband who is a firefighter (and always cooks) is always pushing me to try new dishes… I came across this one while the chicken was defrosting… My house smells delicious! I can’t wait to eat this chicken dish! What kind of sides is everyone serving?
Thanks for the recipe!
I made this tonight on my barbecue and my WHOLE family loved it! This is a real keeper considering I have very picky eaters.
I followed the recipe exactly except I doubled the seasonings. I seasoned on both sides and it cooked beautifully on the preheated grill.
I don’t have baking paper- is it okay just to use a foil lined pan?
Hi Nagi!
Your recipe looks good, can’t wait to try it. Is it ok if I use chicken pieces with bone -in?
Thanks!
I accidentally bought chicken tenders instead of chicken breast (1 lb) but decided to follow your recipe anyway. I used all ingredients except garlic powder since I didn’t have any, and put chopped garlic on top of the chicken after coating them with the seasoning. They came out super juicy and tender after cooking them at 425 for 18 mins. My husband really liked them as well as I. Thanks for the recipe 😋
That’s so great to hear Janice! Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed this! N x
This receipt is so simple to make and it is delicious
That’s terrific to hear Goane, thanks for trying it! N x
Delicious !!!! This was the best baked chicken and so juicy. This will be my go to chicken recipe from now on. Thank you!
My exact words! Second batch in the oven as I type this 🙂
I googled “baked chicken breast” and your recipe was the first that came up. It looked beautiful, delicious and I had all the ingredients so I decided to make it. Oh. My. Goodness! It’s amazing!! My incredibly picky eater was stealing pieces of her plate while I was trying to cut it up for her! Thank you for such an amazing recipe!
How do you keep the chicken warm without drying out
Am I missing something? The only seasoning is brown sugar? or are there other spice to go along with that?
Nevermind. My phone did not show the whole recipe. On screen I can see what you are doing. Sorry
I was making lunch for my family and trying something new and this was PERFECT!!! It tasted sooooo yummmmy!!!! Thank you soooo much!
My husband and I just finished eating this chicken and it was DELICIOUS – not only juicy but also extremely flavorful. We’ll be having the leftovers tomorrow and I’m sharing this with everyone I come across!
I’m glad you enjoyed this Amanda! Thank you for letting me know 🙂 N x
Hello, quick question. When bakeing the chicken, should it be placed on the bottom or top rack? ( I have a gas oven btw).
Great Recipe! Just wondering, how long to cook if only using two chicken breasts rather than four?
Same cook time! 🙂
We only have these big chicken breasts (300g +) available. I got them down to 1.5cm thickness but now wondering about the cooking time
I would do 25 minutes 🙂
Do you cook 20 minutes if cken is frozen
Please thaw first! 🙂
I made this last night, served with fresh homemade bread and a tomato-cucumber salad. What a hit!! It was absolutely delicious. So tender and juicy, and I usually avoid cooking with chicken breasts because it usually comes out dry. The fast-blast in the oven really makes a difference! Even my chef husband, who is very hard to impress, couldn’t stop singing it’s praises. Thank you, Nagi, for this wonderful recipe! I’ve bookmarked it because I will definitely make it again and again.
That’s great to hear Danielle! Thanks so much for letting me know you enjoyed this! N x ❤️
If I plan to serve this hours later, will it remain just as juicy?
Hiii! Breast is always drier when reheated simply because the meat itself doesn’t have much fat. But this is still lovely reheated! Be sure to scrape every bit of pan juice over the chicken just after it’s freshly cooked and best reheated in the microwave very gently, covered in cling wrap – for best results! 🙂 N xx
Hi! I am not a person who really enjoys to cook, but I am getting married soon and need to learn/start somewhere! So this is my very first recipe, and it’s in the oven right now. However… I didn’t realize until I got home that I bought the wrong kind of brown sugar (not the good sticky kind… it’s an easier bottle that you can just sprinkle into the bowl). Do you think it will still turn out okay? If not, I am determined to make this perfect so I will try again after I try another one of your recipes! Thank you for the detailed recipe, I am so grateful!
Hi Ashley! Don’t worry I’m sure it will be fine! And congratulations on your upcoming wedding! N xx 👰🏻
I am SO happy with the way the final result turned out… sooo juicy and delish, but I am definitely going to try it again with the other type of brown sugar. Thank you for reading my comment & for the well wishes! Time to cook! Thanks again! – Ashley
I’m so pleased you enjoyed this Ashley! Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback! N x ❤️