These baked chicken breasts are an absolute staple for meal prep and weeknight dinners! Not only are they super easy to make, but they come out perfect every time – juicy, moist, and incredibly flavorful. Say goodbye to dry, bland chicken for good! Ready in less than 30 minutes, and gluten free, dairy free, paleo, Whole30, and keto friendly.
The best baked chicken breast
Boneless skinless chicken breasts are a staple protein in so many home kitchens!
They are well loved because they’re versatile and cook relatively quickly, but if they end up overcooked or under seasoned they lose a lot of their appeal.
But with the method I share in this post, we’re proving that it’s possible to make moist and juicy oven baked chicken breasts that are cooked to perfection time-and-time again.
We make this recipe literally almost every week because it’s so good and so easy, and it’s a real must try for anyone who has struggled to cook crave worthy chicken breasts at home.
They would be so good served over this Hearty Kale Caesar salad, shredded into this Dairy Free Chicken Pot Pie Soup, or in a rice bowl drizzled with some Tahini Dressing and served with Roasted Sweet Potatoes!
Ingredients notes
These oven baked chicken breasts are made with just a few simple, pantry friendly ingredients. Simple, delicious food at it’s best.
One thing to consider when shopping is to make sure that your chicken breasts are each roughly the same size. This helps them to bake evenly.
Can you make this baked chicken recipe with boneless chicken thighs?
This recipe could totally be made with boneless skinless chicken thighs if that’s more your style. You will want to reduce the cook time slightly since they cook faster than chicken breasts.
Can you use other seasoning combinations?
If you want to try a different spin on the seasonings feel free to experiment! Salt and pepper are generally the only non-negotiables that I always include, but the amounts for those can be adjusted to your taste.
How to make the best baked chicken
With this recipe, making juicy, moist, and super flavorful baked chicken breasts has never been easier. No crazy steps or gadgets required: all you need is a few basic kitchen tools and a hot oven!
My top tip for this recipe
‼️ One of the most important parts about making this baked chicken is starting with thin pieces of chicken breast. It is KEY to ensuring your chicken cooks evenly, and that the edges don’t dry out before the center is cooked through.
You can do this 1 of 2 ways:
- Pound each breast using a meat mallet until it’s about 1/2 inch thick – focusing on the center where they’re naturally thicker.
- Cut each breast in half the long way to make 2 thinner pieces per each breast.
They don’t have to be perfectly equal in thickness throughout. Just try and get them as close to appearing flat as possible.
This step also shortens the cooking time. And is especially helpful if some of your chicken breasts are thicker than others.
👉🏼 If you don’t have a meat pounder / meat mallet, put the chicken between two pieces of plastic wrap or parchment paper and use a rolling pin or even the long side of a can of beans to pound the chicken thin.
Serving suggestions
This chicken is absolutely delicious on it’s own with your family’s favorite side dishes, but can also be used in a ton of ways for meal prep!
Here’s some ideas:
- With rice and garlic asparagus
- Over mashed potatoes with sautéed spinach
- Cut into bite sized pieces and added to your favorite green salad
- With a kale caesar salad
- With a yummy pasta
- Shredded for soup, grain bowls, or other meal prep dinners
- Thinly sliced for sandwiches
If you enjoyed this baked chicken breast we’d love it if you would take a moment to rate and review it below! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 It’s also a great place to get your questions answered, and helpful for other readers if you share any modifications you made to the recipe.
Thank you for sharing your kitchen with NK. We’re so grateful you’re here!
Print
Juicy 30-Minute Baked Chicken Breast
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
These baked chicken breasts are an absolute staple for meal prep and weeknight dinners! Not only are they super easy to make, but they come out perfect every time – juicy, moist, and incredibly flavorful. Say goodbye to dry, bland chicken for good! Ready in less than 30 minutes, and gluten free, dairy free, paleo, Whole30, and keto friendly.
Ingredients
- 4 medium sized chicken breasts – about 2 pounds, or 7-8 ounces each (or 2–3 large chicken breasts, cut in half horizontally so you have 4–6 thin pieces)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon dried mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder (optional)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and lightly grease a large baking dish or rimmed baking sheet.
- Pound chicken to even thickness. Using a meat pounder or a rolling pin pound the thickest part of each chicken breast until they are roughly the same thickness throughout. This helps the chicken cook evenly and prevents it from drying out. Another good option is to cut your chicken breasts in half to make 2 thinner pieces per 1 chicken breast.
- Season chicken and bake. Add chicken breasts to a bowl and toss with all the spices and olive oil or avocado oil until evenly coated. Place in the baking dish, evenly spaced apart. Transfer to the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes, until cooked through and internal temperature reads 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Rest and serve. Allow chicken breasts to rest for several minutes before slicing. Brush with pan juices, slice, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
Storing: Once cooked and cooled, baked chicken breasts will keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Reheating: You could reheat these chicken breasts several ways. In the microwave, gently in a skillet on the stove top – flipping halfway through, or in the oven or a toaster oven at 300 degrees for 10 or so minutes. To keep them moist you may want to add a tiny bit of water (1-2 teaspoons) to the plate / skillet / baking dish.
Freezing: Chicken breasts freeze well! I recommend slicing, dicing, or shredding before freezing so that it thaws faster, and is easier to use when you’re ready to add it to a meal. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or throw frozen shredded or diced chicken directly into a soup or casserole.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
MC says
I didn’t know chicken breast could be this good! It’s so juicy and flavorful. I marinated mine for a few hours before baking and made sure to really massage well as my chicken breasts were quite big and thick. So impressed!
Nyssa Tanner says
Oh I love the idea of marinating for awhile for thicker chicken breasts! And I’m so happy to hear that this was such a hit for you 🙂 – Nyssa
Steve says
I was skeptical that this would be moist and delicious.
My previous attempts with chicken have all ended up dry and scary looking!
Not this one though!
I followed the instructions and pounded the breasts evenly.
I thought it odd that the instructions didn’t say to cover the dish with foil, but stuck to the instructions.
It came out juicy and tasted amazing!
It will forever be in my rotation of weekly dinner options.
Thank You!
Nyssa Tanner says
I’m so glad you enjoyed this chicken breast recipe so much, Steve! It’s also typically in our weekly dinner line up. Just one of those staples that works so well for so many types of meals! Thanks for taking the time to leave your review, and happy cooking! – Nyssa
Natasha says
So delicious and moist!! I didn’t pound the chicken as all my chicken breasts were the same size.. but it cooked beautifully!!
Nyssa Tanner says
Oh wonderful! Love hearing that this recipe worked so well for you 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to leave your review and happy cooking! – Nyssa
Jennifer says
I love this recipe. I find it easier to coat the chicken with olive oil and lay in pan then sprinkle with seasonings. Then I turn the chicken and sprinkle the other side.
Nyssa Tanner says
Happy to hear that you love this chicken! And that you found a way to season it that works for you. Thank you for your review and happy cooking! – Nyssa
Dara says
FANTASTIC Chicken! I only cook once per year when my husband is not in town and I have run out of leftovers. I found your recipe and knew that with only a few ingredients and minimal steps, I could be successful at cooking this. I LOVE the flavors and juiciness of this chicken and will make it from now on. You have given me the confidence to try more of your recipes.
Nyssa Tanner says
Hi Dara! Oh yay! This comment warms my heart 🙂 I love hearing that you found this recipe to be accessible and delicious! I hope you find some other yummy things to make on NK. Thank you for your very sweet comment and happy cooking! – Nyssa
Hillary says
Do you have to cover them when baking?
Nyssa Tanner says
Nope, no need to cover them while they bake 🙂 I hope you enjoy!
Susan Hughes says
Have been searching for a baked chicken recipe to use for salads, wraps, or over rice. Something tasty but also easy. Just pulled these out of the oven and smell so good!! Followed recipe to a T including giving a good pounding with my meat tenderizer. The package of breasts I had was a value pack so I only used 3. Baked for 20 minutes, checked temp and let rest about 5 minutes. My picky 25yo grabbed a small slice and said he could eat the entire dish of chicken. That’s a good sign
Using these with fajitas later for dinner and what’s left over will go on rice for the picky one or in a salad for hubby lunch. Thanks so much. Definitely sharing this recipe!
Nyssa Tanner says
I am so happy to hear that this chicken was such a hit with your family and that you’ll be able to use the leftovers for a little bit of everything! Thank you so much for your thoughtful comment and happy cooking 🙂 – Nyssa
Lisa Grimes says
So good! I made this for my dairy free kids. It was a huge hit. So juicy and flavorful.
Nyssa Tanner says
I’m so happy to hear that you and your family enjoyed this recipe! Thanks for posting your thoughtful review, and happy cooking! – Nyssa
syllablecounter says
I love this recipe! It’s so easy and the chicken is so juicy and delicious.
Nyssa Tanner says
Aw I love to hear that! Fall back chicken breast recipes like this will forever have a spot in our meal plan 🙂 Thank you for your comment, and happy cooking! – Nyssa
MARIANNE says
Just wondering if I could substitute nutritional yeast for salt?
Nyssa Tanner says
Hi Marianne! You can easily adjust or omit the amount of salt used in the recipe to your preference! And some nutritional yeast would likely add a little tasty boost of flavor 🙂 Hope that helps, I’d love to hear back on how it turns out for you if you give it a try! Happy cooking! – Nyssa
Mary says
THANKS. This turned out perfectly. After years as a vegetarian I wanted to try adding some sort of meat to my diet. This chicken recipe was better than I’d hoped for. Appreciate your recipe!
Nyssa Tanner says
Aw yes! So glad you enjoyed this and that it helped you successfully venture into new territory in the kitchen. Thanks for your thoughtful comment, and happy cooking! xo, Nyssa
Joey says
This chicken breast recipe is not only super simple, it’s also absolutely delicious! The seasonings create a rich, slightly smokey flavor that compliment the chicken breast perfectly! The chicken itself is so juicy and tender.. my go to chicken breast recipe that is perfect on nearly all types of cuisine.
Nyssa Tanner says
Yes! Yay! I’m so happy that you love this recipe – versatility and making sure it came out perfect every time were at the top of my list when I was developing this recipe. Thank you so much for the feedback! Happy cooking 🙂