Say goodbye to bland and boring chicken. These baked chicken breasts are juicy, tender, and perfectly seasoned – and they’re so easy to make!
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Recipe Highlights
I’ve made these baked chicken breasts more times than I can count. They’re great for dinner and perfect for meal prep. Change the seasonings to match your meal!
- Flavor: Perfectly seasoned and juicy, oven-baked chicken is an easy go-to anytime. This chicken pairs well with almost any side dish.
- Skill level: Season, bake, and serve with only one dish to wash.
- Prep note: Double the recipe and meal prep to use all week long.
- Recommended tools: An inexpensive meat thermometer is my number one kitchen recommendation for perfect proteins, especially chicken.
Ingredient Tips For Baked Chicken Breasts
- Chicken: Use boneless, skinless chicken breasts that are similar in size so they cook evenly. In this recipe, I use 5-7 oz breasts.
- Oil: Olive oil helps the seasonings stick and helps with browning. Any light tasting oil can be used.
- Seasonings: In the recipe below, I use a simple seasoning mixture; you can use your favorite purchased mixture or a blend from your spice cabinet.
Seasonings For Chicken Breasts
This chicken is versatile; you can use your favorite seasoning blends like Greek Seasoning, Cajun Seasoning, or a simple lemon pepper blend.
Make it a meal: Add whole mushrooms, thinly sliced onions, sliced zucchini, and strips of colorful bell peppers to the sheet pan and bake up an instant veggie side dish.
Tips for Juicy Chicken
- Cooking time: The most important thing is to make sure the chicken isn’t overcooked. Using a meat thermometer, cook to 165°F.
- Cooking temp: I cook at a high temperature to get nice browning on the outside while keeping the meat tender. Bake chicken breasts at 400°F for 21 to 26 minutes.
- Rest time: Let the meat rest after cooking to allow the juices to recirculate back into the meat, keeping it extra juicy.
Serving Suggestions
- Sides: This baked chicken breast recipe pairs with almost anything from Oven Roasted Potatoes to Seasoned Rice. I also love to serve it with roasted broccoli or asparagus.
- Salads: This chicken is great hot or cold in salads like cobb salad or Caesar salad—and any leftovers can be chopped up for a chicken salad sandwich.
- Pasta: Baked chicken is perfect for adding slices to pasta like alfredo or served alongside mac and cheese.
Storing Leftovers/Meal Prep
Store leftover baked chicken breasts in an airtight, covered container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Chicken can be sliced or chopped and frozen for meal prep.
More Chicken Breast Recipes
Did you make these Oven Baked Chicken Breasts? Leave us a rating and comment below!
Equipment
- 9 x 13-inch Baking Pan lightly greased
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts about 6 oz each
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon seasoned salt or table salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a rimmed baking pan or line it with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, combine chicken breasts, olive oil, Italian seasoning, seasoned salt, paprika, and black pepper. Mix well to coat.
- Transfer the chicken to the prepared pan and bake uncovered for 21 to 26 minutes or until the chicken breasts reach an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Transfer to a plate or cutting board and rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
- Cut into slices and drizzle with the juices.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Chicken, Dinner, Entree, Main Course
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
I used my homemade Mediterranean spice mix and the chicken turned out amazing! Nice a juicy and lots of flavour. It was perfect! Thank you for your help Holly.
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe Brenda!
I just tonight followed your instructions for cooking chicken and for once my baked chicken breast came out juicy!! Thank you for posting your recipe!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them Alex!
I loved it.it was so easy and quick if you’re in a hurry. I had to defrost my chicken but it still does the trick even though it takes a while ❤️
Glad you loved it Lacoshia!
My 5 & 8 year olds loved it! (As did I.) The chicken was juicy and flavorful, and it couldn’t have been easier to make. Great weeknight dinner option, particularly when you’re short on time!
Glad your family loved it Debora!
Very good and so simple to make!! I used my own seasoning mix of tarragon, parsley and basil. Saving this recipe!
Your seasonings sound delish! So glad you loved it as much as we do!
Could i let the chicken marinate in the oil mixture for a few hours before hand?
That should work just fine Jess. Enjoy!
Nice!
I made this using 2 different spices/herbs mixes. Onebatch I did Teryiaki & one I used Kraft Robusto Italian dressing on. Both turned out delicious. I use fresh Amish chicken breasts with no GMO’s. It took about 12 minutes each side for breasts. Simple, & it works. Thank you!
I am so glad you loved them, those sound like delicious additions!
I’ve made this recipe twice now and both times turned out amazing! I added fresh minced garlic and some other seasonings as well. The chicken was very flavorful and juicy!
I am so glad you like them Kailee! Those sound like great additions!
Tried this today for use in a casserole and it worked great. Tweaked the seasoning to complement the curry flavor in the casserole recipe. The only thing I did differently was to flip the chicken halfway through. They were large breasts and took and extra 5 minutes. Meat thermometer is my new best friend. Thanks for the recipe!
So glad they worked out well for you Carol!
I don’t have seasoning salt. Could I just use salt instead? Last minute recipe.
I am sure salt will work just as well, but I normally use seasoning salt for this recipe.
24-26 minutes is not long enough. I cooked everything to line up just right but I took the chicken out and they were quite pink :( I had to put them back in the oven.
Time can vary based on the size of your chicken breasts (and other factors such as if they’re chilled from the fridge going into the oven). I would always suggest using a thermometer to ensure the chicken reaches 165°F.
I have thin pre-sliced chicken breast, should I prepare the same and just cook for a shorter time?
The preparation should be the same but yes, cook it for a shorter time (you want them to reach 165°F. Enjoy!
I made this tonight. It was so yummy!! Wonderful recipe.
So glad you loved them!
This is really a great stuff for sharing. Keep it up .Thanks for sharing.
nice post
do you cover the chicken? I wonder if it’ll dry without a cover.
Thank you
Roxie
No need to cover the chicken Roxie. Enjoy!
What happens if I do cover the chicken ?
I have only made this recipe as written so can’t say for sure.
Yes you can use a lid, if you’re baking in a bowl or pyrex that comes with a lid, you can use it, and I usually bake my chicken for at least 40 minutes in the oven @ 400 degrees. I live in NYC, not sure if that makes a difference in altitudes, but my thighs and legs just fall right off the bone. I make sure I add 4 or 5 pats of margarine on top, that will make a nice broth or gravy to splash on the rice or potatoes, which ever you’re using. It’s an old recipe, I’ve been using it myself since my teens, I’m 61 now. So cut, bake and season, and don’t forget to enjoy.
Thank you for sharing Joy!
My First Home cooked meal being on my own for the first time. I added bacon on top to bake it came out amazing good. thanks a bunch. it would be great without the bacon but i do recommend it :)
So glad that your first home cooked meal was a big success Tim! Makes my day!
I tried this recipe abd i loved it !!
Thank you so much for sharing :)
You’re welcome. I’m so glad you loved it!
How long would you cook the chicken breasts from frozen? Still at 400 degrees F?
I would still do 400°F but would cook them about 30-40 minutes depending on size. I’d suggest checking them with a thermometer to ensure they reach the right temp but don’t over cook.