April 19, 2022
Review RecipeOven Baked Chicken
This easy oven baked chicken recipe is a foolproof way to cook chicken that results in a juicy, flavorful chicken breast every time.
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Oven-baked chicken is an easy, classic dinner recipe that results in tender, juicy chicken breasts cooked to crispy perfection. With a secret and simple seasoning that gives it so much flavor, it really is the most delicious way to cook your basic boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
Oven Baked Chicken Ingredients
You’ll need:
- 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
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.
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 with marinades.
How To Make This Oven Baked Chicken Recipe
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 4 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.
How To Serve
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.
MORE CHICKEN RECIPES
Storage
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.
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.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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.
Can I change the spices I use in this recipe?
If you want to add different spices into the mix, you certainly can experiment a little bit with this recipe.
More Recipes You’ll Love
- Chicken Alfredo Bake
- Cheeseburger Casserole
- Airfryer Chicken Recipe
- Mexican Casserole
- Grilled Chicken Breast
- Scalloped Potatoes
- Instant Pot Chicken Wings
- French Onion Pork Chops
Oven Baked Chicken
This easy oven baked chicken recipe is a foolproof way to cook chicken that results in a juicy, flavorful chicken breast every time.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4
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
Sodium: 844mg | Calcium: 11mg | Vitamin C: 3mg | Vitamin A: 115IU | Sugar: 1g | Fiber: 1g | Potassium: 836mg | Cholesterol: 145mg | Calories: 322kcal | Saturated Fat: 2g | Fat: 13g | Protein: 48g | Carbohydrates: 1g | Iron: 1mg
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