How to Bake Chicken Breast (and How Long)

Find out how to bake chicken breast and for how long to come out juicy and tender just like our baked chicken thighs. Also learn how to season properly to get super flavorful chicken breasts that the entire family will love. It is so simple! You can even make a large batch in 30 minutes and either freeze some to use in your favorite dishes later or to meal prep for the week.

Many of us avoid cooking chicken breast in the oven because we think it’s dry and bland. Well, how about if I tell you it is one of the simplest things to prepare in the kitchen and you can get such great results that you will want to make it again and again?

It requires only basic skills such as seasoning the chicken breast, brushing with olive oil, and baking at 425 F for up to 25 minutes, depending on the weight of the breast. Easy peasy, right?

And you know what, these will be the best oven baked chicken breast of your life: flavorful, juicy and tender with a golden exterior. It is perfection!

If this sound good for you, come with me and let’s prepare it together!

 Ingredients and Substitutions:

All that you need are 3 ingredients:

• Chicken breast – you can use either skin-on, bone-in chicken breasts or my personal favorite which are skinless, boneless chicken breasts that are leaner and cook a little faster. The baking time varies less whether it is bone-in or boneless and more on the baking temperature and the weight/ size of the breast.
• Olive oil – you can use any vegetable oil but stick with some that have more neutral flavors and a high smoking point.
• Taco seasoning – although I use a pre-packed seasoning blend, you can make your own at home by mixing 4 teaspoon of paprika, 2 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of brown sugar (skip if you are on a keto diet or sub with dried herbs such as oregano or thyme), 2 teaspoon of onion powder, 1 teaspoon of salt, ½ teaspoon of ground cumin, and 1 teaspoon of black pepper. To add some heat, mix ½ teaspoon chili powder or cayenne. You may also use any dry rub of your choice, about 3 tablespoon for 4 breasts.

How long to make chicken breast at 425°F

The time will depend at the weight/size of the breast as well as the temperature that you bake it in the oven. 

High temperatures work best to seal the juices in and give it a ‘seared’, golden exterior. I would say that 400-450 F temps work wonders!

I usually bake chicken breast at 425° F degrees (220°C). It has produced some of the juiciest breasts ever!

Of course, the time at a certain temperature will vary according to the size of the breast. As a general rule it takes about 11 to 25 minutes to cook a chicken breast at 425°F (220°C) in the oven. Here is the  baking time chart according to the weight or size of a boneless chicken breast:

• 5 oz -- 10 to 13 minutes
• 7 oz – 14 to 18 minutes
• 10 oz – 19 to 24 minutes
• 12 oz – 22 to 25 minutes

For a more accurate result, always check the internal temperature which should be 160°F (71°C) when coming out of the oven. After resting for 3-5 minutes, it will rise about 5 degrees F or close to 3 degrees C, reaching the desired temperature of 165°F or 74°C for safety purposes according to the FDA. 

Another way to ensure your chicken cooks evenly and is ready at the same time is to pound the chicken breasts to make them all the same thickness. This way the thinner part won’t bake faster than the thickest part of the breast, producing dry meat in the thinner part or undercooked meat in the thickest area of the chicken breast.

To even out their thickness, you can use either a rolling pin or a meat mallet. Just place the chicken breast in a plastic bag or cover it with plastic wrap. This will help to prevent  the breast from tearing.

Baking times at different oven temperatures

You may be asking: “But for how long to bake chicken breast at different temperatures such as at 350°F, 375°F, 400°F, and 450°F?”

Don’t worry! Here is a chart with general guidelines for times and temperatures (5 oz to 12 oz breasts):

• 350°F – 12-30 minutes
• 375°F – 11-27 minutes
• 400°F – 10-26 minutes
• 425°F – 10-25 minutes
• 450°F – 9-24 minutes

Remember not all chicken breasts are the same. When you buy a package of chicken breast from the grocery store, it usually comes with a variety of chicken breast sizes. Try to eyeball their size and separate accordingly, then weigh each one of them. Bake the ones with similar weight/size to obtain even results! This is the best way to know how long to cook your chicken breast.

Can I use chicken thighs or drumsticks instead?

Yes, you can! Just remember the time will vary whether they are bone-in (require more time to cook) or boneless (cook faster), the oven temperature, and also their weight/size.

Again the best way to tell when they are done is to use the meat thermometer. When they come out of the oven at 160°F (71°C), they should rest for 3-5 minutes before serving so they can reach 165°F or 74°C.

Essential steps to cook chicken breast in the oven

To make perfectly baked chicken breasts, you simply need to follow these 4-5 steps:

1. Brine (OPTIONAL) – If you have time, brine your chicken breasts. They will be moister and more flavorful because the brine will penetrate the meat. You can use the brine recipe from my roast turkey! Or buy them already brined. But if you are always in a hurry, like me, you can skip this step and still obtain good results.

To brine chicken breast, simply fill a big bowl with lukewarm water and stir well a handful of salt until it mostly dissolves. Then add the breasts and let them sit for 15 minutes to 6 hours. If brining for hours, place the bowl in the fridge and cover.

After that, remove the chicken from the brine and rinse it with cold water to wash off the salt. Then pat it dry with some paper towels. 

2. Brush – with olive oil or neutral vegetable oil with a high smoke point.
3. Rub – with a blend of seasonings such as taco or Cajun seasoning. You can also make your own at home. See recipe notes!
4. Roast/Bake – preferably at high temps such as 425°F (220°C). It will lock the moisture in and give a nice golden exterior to the chicken breasts.
5. Rest – it is key to let the chicken rest for 3 to 5 minutes before slicing. This will help retain moisture.

How to bake chicken breast

To cook the perfect chicken breast in the oven is a combination of high temperature and cooking time.

1. Start by preheating the oven to 425° F (220°C) for about 20 minutes. Choose breasts that are similar in weight to bake at the same time. PIC. 1
2. Meanwhile, place a plastic wrap on top of the breasts and pound them with a mallet to ensure they will have an even thickness. Brine them in salty water for at least 15 minutes if you have time to do so; otherwise, skip this step.
3. Brush the breasts all over with oil, season them well on all sides, and press it on with your hands to get the seasoning to stick. PICS. 2 and 3
4. Grease a baking sheet with a bit of olive oil (or line one with foil and then grease). Place the breasts in the pan and transfer to the preheated oven.
5. Bake the chicken breasts for 10 to 25 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken breasts: 5 oz (10 to 13 minutes), 7 oz (14 to 18 minutes), 10 oz (19 to 24 minutes) and 12 oz (22 to 25 minutes). Make sure to flip each breast halfway through their cooking time. Take them out of the oven when they reach 160° F (71°C). PIC. 4
6. Let them rest for 3-5 minutes before serving. Their temp will rise during this time reaching around 165° F (74°C). Make sure to cut against the grain!

NOTE: If you want, you can glaze your chicken breasts too! To do this, sauté 2-3 minced garlic cloves with 2-3 tablespoon of butter on medium heat for about 1 minute. Then, stir in ¼ cup of honey and let it cook for 1-2 minutes. Then glaze the breasts with the mixture.

How Many Calories Does a Chicken Breast Have?

 A raw or uncooked 8-ounce skinless chicken breast has about 156 calories, 1 gram of fat, 24 grams of protein, and no carbs.

As you cook the chicken breast, every teaspoon of oil will add 40 calories and 5 grams of fat.

What Is The Best Way To Cook A Chicken Breast?

The easiest way to cook boneless and skinless chicken breast is in a hot cast iron pan because it is less likely to overcook the chicken compared to baking it in the oven or poaching it in a liquid.

Always make sure to do the following:

• Bring the chicken to room temperature before cooking (in fact, it's best to do this with any meat so that it can cook evenly). Leave it out of the fridge for 20 minutes!
• Season it well!
• Flip the breasts only once.
• Let them rest for 3-5 minutes to lock in as much moisture as possible.

Why Are Chicken Breasts Dry and Tough?

 There are the main factors that may have caused your chicken breasts to be dry and tough:

•  You didn’t bring the chicken out of the fridge for 20 minutes before cooking: This is key for even cooking!
•  The chicken was overcooked: Make sure to take the breasts out of the oven as soon as they reach an internal temp of 160 degrees F (71 degrees C).
• After cooking them, you didn’t allow the breasts to rest for 3-5 minutes before slicing them. The testing time will re-distribute the juices and lock the moisture in.

How to season chicken breast

There are several different pre-packaged seasoning blend options out there, such as taco and Cajun seasoning. But you can make your own at home.

One of my favorite homemade seasonings is this one: just mix together 4 teaspoon of paprika, 2 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of brown sugar (skip if you are on a keto diet or sub with dried herbs such as oregano or thyme or Italian seasoning), 2 teaspoon of onion powder, 1 teaspoon of salt, ½ teaspoon of ground cumin, and 1 teaspoon of black pepper. If you enjoy spicy food, add ½ teaspoon chili powder or cayenne.

Of course, you may also use any dry rub of your choice, about 3 tablespoon for 4 breasts.

Whatever seasoning you choose, make sure to brush oil on the breasts and then season them well. Press the seasoning on with your hands to get it to stick on the breasts.

How to serve baked chicken breast

Our chicken breasts go well in tacos, salads, burritos, sandwiches, nachos, burgers… as well as to serve over mashed potatoes, with vegetables such as roasted carrots and parsnips and roasted delicata squash, or our Instant Pot Brussels Sprouts.

In fact, you can serve them with almost anything!

Storage

Store baked chicken breast in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Freeze for up to 2 months! It is one of those easy freezer meals that you will want to make often.

More chicken recipes to enjoy:

• Roast chicken adobo
• Instant Pot whole chicken
• Brazilian chicken stroganoff
• Galinhada (Brazilian Saffon rice with chicken)
• Healthy stuffed chicken breast
• How to make fried chicken
• Chicken tortilla soup
• Ranch chicken thighs
• Turmeric lime chicken

 

PIN & ENJOY!

 

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