Oven Baked Chicken Breasts

cabbage salad served with chicken on top.

Oven Baked Chicken Breasts

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: baked chicken breasts

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 30

Servings:

Calories: 151kcal

Author: Megan Gilmore

Baked Chicken Breasts turn out perfectly tender and juicy every time! No marinade time is required, so they are ready to serve in less than 30 minutes.

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Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 to 1.5 inches thick)
¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400ºF and drizzle the olive oil onto a rimmed baking sheet. Add the chicken breasts to the pan and flip them over so both sides of the chicken are coated in the olive oil.
In a small bowl, combine the salt, garlic powder, paprika, and pepper. Stir well to mix, then sprinkle half of the mixture over the top of the breasts. Rub the spices into the chicken, then flip them over and sprinkle the remaining half of the spices evenly over the other side of the chicken and rub them into each breast.
Place the pan in the oven to bake for 20 minutes at 400ºF. When the timer goes off, test the chicken for doneness using a meat thermometer. Small chicken breasts could be done cooking at this time, but most chicken breasts will need a few more minutes depending on their thickness. (1-inch breasts will be done in roughly 20 minutes and 1.5-inch breasts will be done in closer to 25 minutes total.) The internal temperature should reach at least 160ºF before removing the chicken from the oven. Flip the breasts over and continue to cook for 3 to 5 more minutes, or until they reach that internal temperature.
Let the chicken breasts rest on the pan for 5 to 10 minutes after removing them from the oven. They will continue to cook and reach the safe internal temperature of 165ºF. Then they are ready to slice and serve. Leftover chicken can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.

Notes

Nutrition information is for roughly a 4 ounce serving of chicken. This information is automatically calculated, and is just an estimate, not a guarantee.

*Note: For more even cooking, pound the chicken breasts into an even thickness before cooking. You can do this with a meat mallet or rolling pin. Chicken that is roughly 1-inch thick will cook in about 20 minutes total.

Nutrition