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This baked chicken breast recipe makes the best baked chicken! Simple 3-step method and 3 ingredients for the most juicy, tender, and delicious baked chicken breasts.

One of my family’s favorite dinner recipes is baked chicken breast. It is a weeknight go-to at my house. Served with a baked potato, vegetables, or with our house salad, it is a staple. I also love to meal prep by keeping a few pieces of baked chicken breast in the fridge throughout the week for a quick lunch or to use in my husband’s favorite chicken salad with grapes or our hot chicken salad.

Photo of baked chicken breast on a white plate.
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The Best Baked Chicken Breast

As much as I love chicken, when it’s tough and dry, it’s not the most appetizing. I tested and tested to refine this recipe to make the juiciest, most flavorful and best chicken that the whole family will love!

Now, my baked chicken breast recipe is tender, juicy, and absolutely scrumptious! And from the many requests I get for recipes using chicken breasts, I knew you would enjoy it too. 

It is a simple, classic chicken dinner recipe that makes the perfect healthy comfort food. 

No brining needed!

How to Make Juicy Baked Chicken Breast Recipe

Ingredients used to make the best baked chicken recipe.

Ingredients

Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full listing of ingredients, instructions, notes, and estimated nutritional information.

To make the most delicious baked chicken, you’ll need 3 ingredients!

  • Chicken – this recipe uses boneless, skinless chicken breasts. If your chicken is frozen, it is best to let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight until it is fully thawed. 
  • Olive oiluse your favorite olive oil to drizzle into the pan and drizzle on top of the chicken. If you do not have olive oil, you can also use an equal amount of butter. 
  • Seasonings – I prefer to use my homemade seasoning of Stone House Seasoning. It is simply a blend of kosher salt, black pepper, and granulated garlic. At the very basic, I recommend using salt and black pepper. Still, you can also season with Italian SeasoningRanch Seasoning, or even Taco Seasoning, depending on how you plan to use your oven-baked chicken breast in recipes. Some people also like to use paprika, onion powder, oregano, parmesan and parsley, and even brown sugar. Feel free to season your chicken to suit your personal tastes! We also love them brushed with a delicious bbq sauce!

Step-by-Step Instructions

Preheat. Preheat the oven to 450º F. Arrange the oven rack to the middle position.

Photo of chicken breasts ready to be baked in the oven.

Prep. While the oven is preheating, pat the chicken breast dry with a paper towel. I drizzle a little olive oil into my skillet (if I’m making a few), 9×13 baking dish (if I’m making a medium batch), or baking sheet  (if I’m making a larger batch). Arrange the chicken in the pan, allowing it to touch but not overlap. Drizzle with a bit more olive oil, and then sprinkle liberally with your seasoning of choice (salt and pepper as a minimum). Then, place it in the oven.

Photo of baked chicken breasts in a white baking dish on a white surface.

Cook. Bake chicken breasts until the juices run clear when the thickest part of the chicken is pricked with a sharp knife, and the internal temperature registers 160º F with a meat thermometer or instant-read thermometer, about 20 minutes. The time will depend on the thickness of your chicken breasts. 

Photo of baked chicken on a white platter.

Rest. Remove the skillet or casserole dish from the oven, tent it with foil, and let the chicken rest for another 5 minutes. This makes for a tender delicious chicken breast every single time!

How to Bake Bone-in Chicken Breast

To make this recipe with bone-in chicken, you’ll follow the same instructions as you would for boneless (with one special tip!). The cooking time will vary based on the thickness of your chicken.

Here’s the tip! As your chicken rests, flip it onto the breast side. When ready to serve, flip it back over onto the bone-in side. This will allow the juices to gather in the breast portion and give you the juiciest chicken!

Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions

To make ahead. Allow to cool and then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

To freeze. Allow it to cool completely and then place it into a freezer-safe airtight container for up to 3 months. To serve, thaw in the refrigerator overnight and then reheat and serve.

Some Favorite Side Dishes to Serve with Chicken Breast

Photo of cooked chicken breast on a white plate with bite of chicken on a fork.

Here’s the recipe for my easy Baked Chicken Breast recipe. I think you are going to love it as much as my family does!

5 from 27 votes

Best Baked Chicken Breast Recipe

Dinner 25 mins

Photo of baked chicken breast on a white plate.
Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
Servings 6
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Author Robyn Stone | Add a Pinch
This easy baked chicken breast recipe makes the best baked chicken! An easy 3-ingredient recipe for tender delicious baked chicken breasts.

Ingredients  

  • olive oil or butter
  • 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 teaspoon Stone House Seasoning or your favorite seasoning

Instructions 

  • Preheat. Preheat the oven to 450º F. Arrange the oven rack to the middle position. 
  • Prep. Pat the chicken breast dry with a paper towel. Drizzle a little olive oil into my skillet (if I’m making a few), 9×13 baking dish (if I’m making a medium batch), or sheet pan (if I’m making a larger batch). Arrange the chicken in the pan, allowing it to touch but not overlap. Drizzle with a bit more olive oil and then sprinkle liberally with your seasoning of choice (salt and pepper as a minimum). Then, place into the oven.
  • Cook. Bake chicken breasts until the juices run clear when the thickest part of the chicken is pricked with a sharp knife and the internal temperature registers 160º F with a meat thermometer or instant read thermometer, about 20 minutes. The time will depend on the thickness of your chicken breasts. 
  • Rest. Remove the skillet or casserole dish from the oven, tent it with foil and let the chicken rest for another 5 minutes. Serve.

Video

Notes

Additional baking time may be needed depending on the thickness of the chicken breast.
To make ahead. Allow to cool and then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
To freeze. Allow it to cool completely and then place it into a freezer-safe airtight container for up to 3 months. To serve, thaw in the refrigerator overnight and then reheat and serve.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 150kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 72mg | Sodium: 325mg | Potassium: 418mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 35IU | Vitamin C: 1.3mg | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 0.4mg

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Enjoy!
Robyn xo

Chicken Recipes

Robyn Stone

Robyn Stone is a wife, mom, blogger, recipe developer, and cookbook author. Welcome to Add a Pinch where I share thousands of delicious, tested and perfected easy recipes that the whole family will love.

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Recipe Review




Comments

  1. 5 stars
    That is a so much easy recipe to make chicken. I am not a cook in the kitchen but this recipe looks like I can make it.In the pic, it’s looking perfectly delicious and I guess no way it is.

  2. How can chicken breast be made to be flowing with juices? Every recipe i read and see looks dry. That is why we
    don’t use it. Got any ideas? With thighs it becomes so juicy and tender…

    1. marinate chicken in Italian dressing before baking; add your favorite spices or not (optional). only takes about 30 min on 375 to bake. Also, you might be over cooking it. You can either back in oven bag or wrapped in foil.

    2. 5 stars
      That suggestion, which sounds delicious, does make it a totally different recipe 🙂 I’ve tried the one that Robyn has given us, and the juices DO run clear! It is simply scrumptious!!!

  3. 5 stars
    Thanks for sharing this recipe.
    Gonna fix it tomorrow. sounds Yummy and very easy, which is what I like,

  4. 5 stars
    I can’t wait to try this! Simple. THAT is what I like. Thank you so much for sharing. And I’m rating it now, because I already know it will be delicious – as all of your recipes that I’ve tried, always are! 🙂

  5. 5 stars
    DELICIOUS! Absolutely love this moist delectable recipe! My family adores poultry, i.e., chicken, turkey, and although I’ve had some great dishes, there are times it is “hit or miss” – some good, some fair. BTW: this website ROCKS, Robyn! Love your presentations, explanations, and recipes. You’ve made me a much improved cook. Thank you!

  6. 5 stars
    Wow!! This looks sooo good and I love how the pictures make this wonderful dish come alive. I’ve never made anything like this before but I love how the recipe is quick and easy to prepare and the ingredients aren’t too hard to get. Thanks for sharing this fantastic and tasty recipe!

  7. 5 stars
    I used this technique to prepare some chicken for a pasta salad, and it works great! The chicken cooked up fast and juicy. Thanks so much!

  8. 5 stars
    I made this recipe for tonight’s dinner. Instead of salt & pepper, I used Borsari original seasoned salt (from Whole Foods).

    Very, very good & juicy!

  9. 5 stars
    I love this simple recipe! So quick and easy and ,since I am on a diet ,it fits right in with my diet plan! Thanx Robyn,i loooooooove hour website and I have used a lot of your baking recipes on many many occasions,and it always comes out excellently well!!

  10. 5 stars
    This recipe was perfect; simple to prepare, and the chicken was juicy and delicious, Thank you!

    1. Thanks, Ellen. I’m so thrilled you liked this recipe. It is one I make over and over for my family. xo

    2. I’m a bit skeptical that the boneless breast is going to be moist but I’m going to try…I just put 3 chicken breast uncovered (didn’t say to cover) in a 450 oven…I didn’t have kosher salt but I used sea salt, the pepper, and olive oil. I’ll sure to let you know how it comes out.

    3. I hope you enjoyed it! I cook it with this recipe all the time and it’s delicious! Thanks!

  11. 5 stars
    I made this tonight, just as directions said to. I just got to tell you, wow, WOW, *WOW*!!!! So juicy, tender, and flavorful!! Chicken has such a mild taste, that is often easy to over power it with spices and sauces, etc. This had just simple, excellent flavor from the meat itself 😀

    Thank you for passing on your secret!!!

    1. Yay, Amy! I’m thrilled that you enjoyed this! I love how juicy this makes the chicken and I’m so glad you enjoyed it too! Thanks! xo

  12. I made the baked chicken breads exactly according to the recipe and it was marvelous. Thanks for restoring my confidence in baked chicken breast Robyn.
    Lou

  13. My daughter wants me to make an old recipe for chicken with stuffing. Usually, the chicken turns out dry. It is boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, with Swiss cheese on top, and stuffing cubes mixed with cream of chicken soup, pepper, and a little water. I’m wondering if I could do that using this recipe.

    The original recipe is covered, except for the last 5-10 minutes, and baked at only 325 degrees for 1 1/4 hours. That is for four breast halves, weighing a total of about 1 lb. These days, they weigh more like 2 lbs., so al will have to pound them, and cut them in half. If I raise the temperature to 450, I wonder if I’ll have to bake it for part of the time before adding the cheese and stuffing?

    1. Hi Patricia,
      I’ve never made this recipe like what you are describing, so I really couldn’t say how you’d modify my recipe for that. Thanks so much! xo

  14. 5 stars
    Absolutely perfect every time. This is my go-to chicken breast recipe. Never dry. Juicy and flavorful. Can’t believe I settled for less than this for so many years.

  15. I haven’t made this yet but I’ve thinking the thickness of the breasts makes a huge difference in how long you bake at 450 in the oven. True?

    1. Hi Ruth,
      yes, the size of your chicken breast will determine the total cooking time. You’ll want to be sure that the juices run clear when the chicken is pricked with a sharp knife and that it reaches 165ºF when checked with an internal temperature probe. I hope you enjoy it! xo

  16. 5 stars
    I’m back! I made this recipe the first time, a couple weeks ago. This morning, I asked my husband what he wanted for dinner. His reply was, “That chicken you baked. I don’t even care what you make with it. That chicken was so good!” Thank you, addapinch! Maybe I can feed my family after all!!

  17. 5 stars
    I was a little skeptical, flavoring with only salt/pepper, I usually rub all sorts of seasonings on my baked chicken, but OMG I knew it was going to be easy, but it was so flavorful, and juicy. This is going to be my go to for chicken breasts. I

  18. 5 stars
    It came out just the way you said it would and we loved it. I’m going to marinate some breasts in olive oil, herbs de provence, and a little lemon juice before baking tonight to serve sliced with a roasted tomato pasta. I’m sure it will be great! May need to watch the cook time closely due to the marinade effect.

  19. Robin, if you used frozen breasts, how much would you increase the baking time?

    Just go by the pkg instructions??

    1. Thanks Valerie! I’m glad you enjoy it! I don’t use a brine for this particular recipe and still get juicy, delicious baked chicken in a short period of time. Sure makes it easy on those busy weeknights! Thanks!

  20. 5 stars
    I was looking for a method to make simple juicy chicken breasts to use on chicken Caesar salad. These hit the mark! Perfectly juicy ! Thank you!

  21. 5 stars
    This is the best chicken! I followed the directions exactly and was amazed at how juicy it was.  Thanks Robyn

  22. I have a quick question…Will it make any difference if the breasts are pan seared before putting it in the oven?

    1. Hi Zellie,
      I don’t ever pan sear my chicken breasts when making this recipe but if you do, the cooking time should be shorter than listed. Hope you enjoy it!

  23. 5 stars
    This recipe is wonderful! I had two large chicken breasts so I increased the time to 30 minutes. DELICIOUS!

  24. 5 stars
    Awesome basic chicken breast recipe! I will use it forever. This is the perfect way to cook chicken to use for any purposes. Bless you for sharing 💕

    1. Thanks, Janet. I love having extra chicken in my refrigerator or freezer to use. So glad you love it, too.

    1. Barbara, you can bake bone in skin on chicken breasts this way. It will take longer than for the boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Just make sure the internal temp is 160º F and then tent for 5 minutes.

  25. 5 stars
    Truly, the best and most flavorful, juicy chicken breasts I’ve ever made. This recipe is all that and more IMO. For the past few years this is my absolute goto recipe when I want to either precook chicken for another recipe or if I just want to serve baked chicken breast for dinner. So good!! I follow the instructions exactly and have never had over cooked chicken breast.

    1. Thanks, TerryAnn. Don’t you love how you can use this recipe for so many other dishes if you want or just have it as you main dish for a meal? xo

    1. They vary in weight, Karol, so the best way I determine if they are done is to make sure juices run clear when pricked with a fork and the internal temperature is 160º F. Once that occurs, I then remove from the oven and tent with foil for about 5 minutes. Hope you enjoy.

  26. WOW! This recipe looks simple.I would definitely give it a try. I was looking for a simple recipe and I’m delighted that I found this. Thankyou for sharing an appetizing recipe.

  27. I have been cooking for many years. You have completely taken the guess work on cooking chicken breast. Came out perfect. Thank you so much.

  28. 5 stars
    Excellent flavor & texture. We’ve made it twice. Was wondering if you have something similar for turkey breast?

  29. 5 stars
    OMG….you’ve changed my baked chicken game forever with this recipe! I have never EVER made baked chicken that turned out moist, let alone this juicy! Mine all turned out mostly dry. This was incredible! The seasoning was simple but perfect but the cook method was spot on! I cooked 3 chicken breasts. Two were large and one was small. Despite the difference in sizes they still turned out perfect and juicy. I’ll never use another recipe for baked chicken again after this. Thank you!!!

    1. Thanks, Susan. I’m so happy you loved this recipe. Don’t you love how easy this is to make, too!

  30. 5 stars
    I melted some butter in the baking dish, put in the chicken, drizzled with olive oil and seasoned with S&P, a little garlic powder and a little Montreal Steak Seasoning (I’ve never heard of Stone House – will have to look for it!). Turned to coat and baked as directed. This was delicious and juicy! The breasts were of varying thicknesses, and I had to leave one in a little bit longer than the other two. No biggie – I was making extra for tomorrow anyway. Chicken broccoli casserole, here we come! I love your website and this will be another fave – thanks!

    1. You could follow the same instructions but it would just take longer to cook. Bake the chicken until the juices run clear when the chicken is pricked with a sharp knife and the internal temperature registers 160º F with a meat thermometer. The time will depend on the thickness of your chicken breasts.

  31. 5 stars
    Finally made juicy chicken that isn’t dry-thanks to this recipe. Just used salt and Flavor God’s “Everything” seasoning and it was delicious!

  32. Would love to try this recipe but is there a substitute for the garlic (garlic allergy)?I often just use onion powder but I’m sure the garlic in this recipe is best. Thanks for your reply.

    1. Catherine, you could just use salt and pepper but could add onion powder, too. I hope you enjoy!

  33. 5 stars
    Fantastic! I used my cast iron skillet and they came out perfectly. It is now my very favorite method because it’s just so simple and the chicken comes out great. Thank you! 🙂

    1. I love to make this recipe in my cast iron skillet, too, Edra. So glad it works so well for you.

  34. I found this recipe in my recipe box buried. I made this for dinner tonight. I had forgotten how easy, juicy and delicious the chicken had turned out , family enjoyed eating juicy chicken, I used Mrs. Dash seasonings with canola oil. Chicken recipe will be on dinner rotation, Thank you for this recipe.

  35. 5 stars
    Oh my word! The moistest chicken breasts I have ever made. Added my seasoning to taste, but followed exactly otherwise. Took suggested added time for larger home cut breasts. A keeper recipe.Thank you

  36. This my new go-to way to cook chicken! I can’t believe how moist it is. I don’t put salt on it because I have high blood pressure, but it is so flavorful with garlic powder, onion powder, and dried sage.

  37. 5 stars
    This is my go-to recipe for any cooked chicken recipe. I don’t like rotisserie – grocery chicken. This is fantastic.

  38. I have not made it yet, but I would like to know, what is the yellow spice or whatever that I see sprinkled o the Chicken Breasts? it looks like grated lemon???? Thanks