Baked Chicken Breast

Here's our simple and delicious recipe for Baked Chicken Breasts! This recipe takes boneless, skinless chicken breasts and turns them into a flavorful and juicy main dish-- perfect for any night of the week. This recipe works for any recipe calling for prepared chicken, including weekly meal prepping. Enjoy the chicken right out of the oven or shred, chop, or dice this chicken and use it as needed!

Equipment

Food scale, meat thermometer, cast iron pan, meat mallet (Note 1)

Ingredients

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts look for evenly-sized fillets (Note 2)

3 teaspoons olive oil, separated

4 teaspoons light brown sugar

1 teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon EACH: onion powder, garlic powder, and dried oregano

Fine sea salt & pepper

Instructions

PREP: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Position the rack in the center of the oven. In a small bowl mix together all of the seasonings. Season to taste with salt & pepper; I add 1/2 teaspoon of each.

PREP CHICKEN: Use a meat mallet (or the bottom of a frying pan) to pound chicken at the thickest part to be even with the rest of the piece (filets should be just over ½-inch thick throughout). Pat filets dry with a paper towel.

SEASON CHICKEN: Drizzle 1½ teaspoons oil on 1 side of the chicken breasts. Gently rub in the oil. Sprinkle½ of the seasoning mix on top and gently press in.

SEAR CHICKEN: (If you don't have an oven-safe skillet, see Note 3). Place an empty, large cast iron skillet (big enough to hold all four filets) on the stovetop over medium-high heat for 1 full minute. Then use tongs to place the seasoned chicken breasts in the pan, seasoned side down. Immediately add the remaining 1½ tsp oil and the remaining seasoning mix to the other side of the chicken filets. Cook exactly 5 minutes. Then flip the filets and place in the fully preheated oven for 9-15 minutes or until the internal temperature hits 160 degrees F (carryover heat will take it up to 165 degrees).

REST: Remove from oven and immediately use tongs to transfer chicken out of the pan (otherwise it will keep cooking). Let rest on a cutting board for 5 minutes before slicing or shredding or serving.

Notes

Note 1: Invaluable tools for chicken that comes out perfectly every time:

Food scale: A food scale can be incredibly helpful when it comes to ensuring chicken breasts are even sizes. Weighing your chicken ensures that each piece cooks evenly, since you can make sure all of the pieces are roughly the same size.

Meat mallet: Using a meat mallet to pound your chicken breasts is the secret for juicy chicken! Pounding the thicker parts of the chicken can help bring the whole piece to a more even thickness, which means that it will cook more evenly in the oven. This can help prevent dry, overcooked chicken.

Cast-iron frying pan: A cast-iron skillet is a great tool for searing your chicken breasts before they go in the oven. Searing the chicken helps develop a nice crust on the outside, which can help lock in moisture and flavor. A cast iron skillet is especially useful because it can go from the stovetop to the oven, which means you can use the same pan for the whole cooking process.

Meat thermometer: A meat thermometer is an essential tool for ensuring that your chicken is cooked to the proper temperature.

Note 2: Chicken breasts: To cook the chicken breasts for this recipe, it's important to have even-sized fillets. If your chicken breasts are extra large, cut them in half to get two smaller filets (no need to pound the chicken if sliced in half). With four 6-ounce fillets, the chicken will need to cook for 5 minutes on the stovetop and then approximately 10 minutes more in the oven. For slightly larger filets, you'll need to add a bit more time to ensure they are cooked through. Here's where a meat thermometer comes in handy!

Note 3: No oven-safe skillet? Do this instead: Instead of searing the chicken first, simply cook it all the way through in the oven. Begin by lining a tray with parchment paper. Rub 1-1/2 teaspoons of oil on each side of the chicken breasts and then apply the seasoning mix evenly on both sides. Place the chicken on the prepared tray and bake it for 15-20 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F (carryover heat will take it to 165 degrees). Immediately remove chicken from pan and allow 5 minutes for resting before serving or slicing/shredding.