• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Simply Happy Foodie
  • Home
  • Recent Posts
  • Recipes
  • Cookbooks
  • About
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclosures / Disclaimers / Copyright
    • Contact Me
    • Meet Gizmo, Our Foodie Pug
  • Cook's Shop
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • Recent Posts
  • Recipes
  • My Cookbook
  • About
  • Cook’s Shop
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Recent Posts
  • Recipes
  • My Cookbook
  • About
  • Cook’s Shop
×
Home » Blog Recipe Posts » Dinner

Perfectly Baked Chicken Breast

September 2, 2018 by Sandy 7 Comments

Jump to Recipe

Perfectly Baked Chicken Breast recipe is easy, and gives you the best results for a baked skinless/boneless chicken breast. They are juicy and delicious! We make these several times a month. If you need a really great and reliable recipe for baked chicken breasts, this is it!

sliced chicken breasts on a white plate with rice and broccoli

 

Perfectly Baked Chicken Breast

Many people are unsure of how to bake the perfect chicken breast. For as many recipes as I have created over the years, this Perfectly Baked Chicken Breast is one I go back to time and time again! They just come out perfect every time. Paul absolutely loves them, and he brags about them to his friends at work. So cute!

When I was younger, a skinless/boneless chicken breast was the last thing I wanted to eat. They were boring and dry. What I didn't know was that is was my fault. I wasn't cooking them correctly.

I used to cook chicken breasts at 350° for 35-45 minutes. That was not good. It worked for okay, but not great, and again, so boring. I decided to try cooking them differently.

I always brine my turkeys, as well as pork chops. It helps them stay juicy during cooking. I decided to give brining a try with chicken breasts. It made a big difference! Just a note, some chicken is injected with a sodium solution, so don't brine those ones. Here's a Wikipedia entry on the "plumping" of poultry.

close up of a slice of chicken breast

It worked pretty well, but I thought they could be better. I tried different oven temperatures, basting, different spice combinations, and covering vs uncovered. We ate so much chicken!

The results are this Perfectly Baked Chicken Breast recipe! I like the brining, the oil and spice rub, the higher oven temp, and leaving them uncovered. I did all of the research and work, now you can just make them and enjoy!

You don't have to use my spice rub. You can just salt & pepper and cook them. Or use your favorite rub or whatever. Don't skip the brining or the oil rub as that helps the chicken breasts stay juicy.

If you want to make a larger batch of my Baked Chicken Spice Rub for your Perfectly Baked Chicken Breast, here's the recipe: Baked Chicken Spice Rub

blue banner with the words you might also like
Crock Pot Creamy Chicken Breasts
Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup
Slow Cooker Creamy Tuscan Chicken
Rotisserie Chicken Spice Rub
Instant Pot Salsa Chicken

Pin This Recipe

Perfectly Baked Chicken Breast pinterest pin

5 from 2 votes
Sliced Baked Chicken Breast on a white plate with rice and broccoli
Print
Perfectly Baked Chicken Breast
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
45 mins
 

Perfectly Baked Chicken Breasts are juicy and delicious! We make these several times a month. If you need a really great and reliable recipe for baked chicken breasts, this is it!

Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Keyword: how to bake chicken breast
Servings: 4
Calories: 358 kcal
Author: Sandy Clifton
Ingredients
  • ¼ cup Salt
  • 6 cups Water
  • 4 Chicken Breasts (skinless/boneless)
  • 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
Spice Rub
  • 1 tsp Coarse Salt (or ¾ tsp table salt)
  • ½ tsp Pepper
  • ¼ tsp Onion Powder
  • ¾ tsp Garlic Powder
  • ¾ tsp Smoked Paprika (or sweet paprika)
Instructions
  1. Before you begin, check the packaging to see if your chicken breasts are treated with salt water. 

    If not, dissolve the ¼ cup of salt in 6 cups of warm water (not too hot) in a large bowl. Add the chicken breasts and let them soak for 20-30 minutes. Then rinse them in cold water and pat dry with paper towels.

  2. While the chicken is brining, mix the spices together in a small bowl and set aside.

  3. Set your oven to 425°.

    Rub the chicken with the olive oil and then rub with the spice mixture on both sides.

  4. Bake uncovered for 15-20* minutes Depending on size of breasts), or until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink. If you use a meat thermometer to measure the temperature thickest part of the breast, it should be between 160-170°F. (The FDA recommends 165°F.) Don't let it overcook!

  5. Let the chicken rest about 5-10 minutes, loosely covered, before serving, and it will be juicy and moist.

pink button with the words follow Simply Happy Foodie on Pinterest

Resources to make Perfectly Baked Chicken Breast recipe and more

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

More Dinner

  • Easy Baked Salsa Chicken in 3 tacos on a plate with garnishes
    Easy Baked Salsa Chicken
  • Slow Cooker Pineapple Chicken on a green plate with rice
    Slow Cooker Pineapple Chicken
  • Spinach Mushroom Orzo in a skillet
    Spinach Mushroom Orzo
  • Irish Cottage Pie in a baking dish with wooden spoon
    Irish Cottage Pie

Sharing is caring!

8508 shares
  • Tweet
  • Share

My Instant Pot Cookbook is Here!

Instant Pot Cookbook Cover

Reader Interactions

Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. Kathy

    February 11, 2023 at 2:01 pm

    Best Chicken Breasts I ever made! So tender and the seasoning was delicious! I used my air fryer and cooked for 14 minutes at 375 degrees, turning after 6 minutes.
    Thanks Sandy!

    Reply
  2. Valerie

    January 28, 2020 at 3:00 pm

    Do you use full sized chicken breasts?

    Reply
    • Sandy

      January 30, 2020 at 9:47 pm

      I use breasts that are about 8-10 ounces. So not the big whole ones, the half. These days when someone is talking about a chicken breast, they are referring to the one, or half breast as that is how most grocery stores package them.

      Reply
  3. Judy Brashier

    July 18, 2019 at 8:34 pm

    The chicken breasts were great! But they did not brown which made them look unappetizing. How do you get yours to brown without cooking them too long?

    Reply
    • Sandy

      July 19, 2019 at 5:16 am

      Usually to get the browning, you would sear them first. I think the spices help the color. You could do a quick sear either before or after baking.

      Reply
  4. Lauren

    March 18, 2019 at 5:58 pm

    This really was a perfectly cooked chicken breast. Mine were always too dry or bland. We loved these! The spices are perfect, too.

    Reply
    • Sandy

      March 18, 2019 at 6:03 pm

      That's great, Lauren! Thank you. I'm so glad you liked this recipe!

      Reply

Primary Sidebar

Hi there! I’m Sandy - foodie with a passion for cooking and sharing my tasty recipes. My hubby Paul, our Pug Gizmo, and I live in Washington.

Sandy wearing a black shirt and a red apron

More about me →

Reader Favorite Recipes

  • Easy Slow Cooker Meatloaf on a white plate garnished with parsley
    Easy Slow Cooker Meatloaf
  • Air Fryer Rib Eye Steak
    Air Fryer Rib Eye Steak
  • Slow Cooker Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
    Slow Cooker Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
  • Short Ribs over mashed potatoes on a black plate next to a bunch of fresh parsley
    Instant Pot Short Ribs

More favorites

Footer

↑ back to top

Copyrighted Content
This website and its contents are the copyright of Simply Happy Foodie LLC – © 2016-2025.  All rights reserved.

Disclaimers

  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

About

  • About
  • Contact
  • Meet Gizmo, Our Foodie Pug

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT
Perfectly Baked Chicken Breast