Oven Baked Chicken

This easy oven baked chicken recipe is a foolproof method that results in a juicy, flavorful dish every time.

Table of Contents

Baked Chicken Ingredients
Substitutions And Additions
How To Make Oven Baked Chicken Breast
Oven Baked Chicken Temperature
Easy Baked Chicken Serving Suggestions
How To Store Easy Baked Chicken
Best Baked Chicken Recipe
Oven Baked Chicken Breast FAQ
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Oven-baked chicken is an easy, classic dinner recipe featuring chicken breasts cooked to crispy perfection. With a simple seasoning that gives it so much flavor, it really is the most delicious way to cook your boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

Baked Chicken Ingredients

Oven Baked Chicken raw ingredients that are labeled

You’ll need:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons of olive oil
¾ teaspoon of garlic powder
1 teaspoon of salt
½ teaspoon of black pepper
¼ to ½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper

Substitutions And Additions

CHICKEN: It’s best to stick with the boneless, skinless chicken breasts for this chicken dish, but you could substitute legs, thighs, or wings.

If you do, the amount of seasoning and cooking times may need to change.

OLIVE OIL: For a different flavor profile, you can swap olive oil with melted butter or even avocado oil.

These alternatives can add a rich and unique taste to the chicken.

SEASONING: The beauty of this recipe is that once you have the basic technique down of baking the chicken in the oven, you can experiment with adding in different spices or pairing them with marinades.

SALT AND PEPPER: Experiment with flavored salts like garlic salt, onion salt, or even a pinch of seasoned salt.

These additions can enhance the overall taste without much effort.

How To Make Oven Baked Chicken Breast

STEP ONE: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a 9×13 baking sheet with aluminum foil and set it aside.

STEP TWO: Place the boneless chicken breasts on a cutting board and cover them with a piece of parchment paper.

Use a meat mallet or rolling pin and pound down the thick parts of the chicken breasts so that they cook more evenly while in the oven.

PRO TIP:

You don’t want to disfigure the chicken, just pound them down enough that they are an even thickness.

Oven Baked Chicken process shot of chicken being pounded with a meat mallet on a wooden board

STEP THREE: In a large bowl, add chicken and olive oil. Flip the chicken over, making sure to coat all sides of the chicken breasts.

Oven Baked Chicken process shot of chicken bread placed into a bowl of oil

STEP FOUR: In a small bowl, combine garlic powder, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.

PRO TIP:

Try this seasoning combination on other cuts of chicken as well.

Oven Baked Chicken process shot of seasonings combined in a bowl

STEP FIVE: Place the chicken breasts bottom side up on the foil-lined baking sheet. Season them, using half of the seasoning.

Flip the chicken breasts over and season the other side using the remaining seasoning.

Oven Baked Chicken process shot of chicken breast placed on a foil lined baking sheet then seasoned

STEP SIX: Place in the oven and cook for 18 to 20 minutes. The internal temperature should be close to 165°F at this point.

STEP SEVEN: Turn the oven to broil and let cook for four minutes or until the chicken has a nice browned color on top.

The chicken is done when the internal temperature reaches 165°F on a meat thermometer at the thickest part of the breast.

Oven Baked Chicken process shot after chicken is cooked on a baking sheet

Oven Baked Chicken Temperature

The best temperature to bake chicken is 400°F. Make sure that the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.

Easy Baked Chicken Serving Suggestions

There are endless options for side dishes to go with chicken as your main course. You could stick to vegetables like glazed carrots or simple homemade Caesar salad.

This dish also goes great with a hearty potato side such as creamy mashed potatoes, or keep it simple with Instant Pot brown rice.

I also love dunking my baked chicken into this chicken finger dipping sauce (trust me, it’s amazing!)

Looking for more easy chicken dinner recipes? Our tasty French onion chicken is delicious. Or try our classic homemade Italian favorite chicken parmesan.

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Italian Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner

How To Store Easy Baked Chicken

IN THE FRIDGE: Store leftovers of this oven-baked chicken breast in an airtight container or Ziploc bag.

The leftover chicken would be perfect to be used in chicken salads or other recipes that call for cooked chicken.

IN THE FREEZER: Leftovers from this simple chicken recipe can also be frozen for up to four months.

close up shot of a Oven Baked Chicken sliced on a wooden board

Best Baked Chicken Recipe

With this easy chicken recipe, you’ll have a moist chicken breast that is seasoned to perfection thanks to simple ingredients such as cayenne pepper and garlic powder. It goes great with almost any side dish.

Oven Baked Chicken Breast FAQ

Can I use chicken thighs in this recipe?

This easy recipe would also work using chicken thighs if you prefer dark meat over white meat.

If you do use chicken thighs, the amount of seasoning and cooking times may need to change.

How do I know when the chicken is cooked through?

An instant-read thermometer should register at 165°F at the thickest part of the chicken.

The cooking time may vary slightly depending on the size of your chicken breasts.

What to season baked chicken with?

If you want to add different spices into the mix, you certainly can experiment a little bit with this recipe.

Do you have to flip the chicken in the oven?

You do not need to flip the chicken in the oven while baking. It will cook through just fine without being turned.

Do you cover baked chicken in the oven?

You do not need to cover the chicken while baking in the oven.

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Oven Baked Chicken Breast Recipe

5 from 1 vote

This easy oven baked chicken recipe is a foolproof method that results in a juicy, flavorful dish every time.

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 25

Total Time 30

Servings

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Ingredients

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons olive oil
¾ teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
¼ to ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a 9×13 baking sheet with foil and set aside.
Place the chicken breasts on a cutting board and cover with a piece of parchment paper. Use a meat mallet and pound down the thick parts of the chicken breasts so they cook more evenly while in the oven.
In a large bowl, add chicken and olive oil. Flip chicken over, making sure to coat all sides of chicken breasts.
In a small bowl, combine garlic powder, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.
Place chicken breasts bottom side up on the foil lined baking sheet. Season using half of the seasoning. Flip chicken breasts over and season using the remaining seasoning
Place in the oven and cook for 18 to 20 minutes. The internal temperature should be close to 165°F at this point.
Turn the oven to broil and let cook for 4 minutes, or until the chicken has a nice browned color on top.
Chicken is done when it reaches 165°F internally at the thickest part.

Notes

Note: You don’t want to disfigure the chicken when using the meat mallet, just pound them down enough that they are an even thickness.

Note: Try this seasoning combination on other cuts of chicken as well!

Nutrition

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Proudly Prepared by the Spaceships Kitchen

This recipe was developed, tested, cooked and photographed by the Spaceships Kitchen. From our dinner table to yours, we hope you think it's out of this world!

Stephanie Keeping Publisher
Layne Kangas Marketing
Sian Cox Photographer
Lexus Monroe Editorial Assistant

Oven Baked Chicken Breast