Baked Chicken Breast

This oven baked chicken breast is juicy, tender, and seasoned to perfection. It’s quick and easy to make for a weeknight dinner to serve as a main, or use in chicken wraps, soups, as a salad topper, or nachos.

If you’re tired of boring, bland, or tough and rubbery chicken, this will be your new go-to recipe for baked chicken breast.

It’s the recipe I use when I don’t feel like cooking dinner but need something quick and nutritious to put on the table. We like to serve this oven baked chicken breast with rice or roasted veggies for an easy meal idea.

Baked chicken breast ingredients

Chicken: I use boneless skinless chicken breast for this recipe. I recommend using chicken that’s similar in size, so it’ll cook evenly in the oven.

Olive oil: Adding a little fat helps the seasoning to stick and keeps the chicken nice and juicy.

Dijon mustard: This adds good flavor to the chicken and contains just enough vinegar to help tenderize the meat.

Lemon zest: This adds a bright flavor to the chicken. I don’t recommend using lemon juice for this recipe because it can make the chicken tough and rubbery.

Seasoning: I use a mix of sweet paprika, oregano, garlic powder, salt, and freshly ground black pepper.

How to make oven baked chicken breast

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Lightly pound the chicken to flatten the large bump at one end to make it even thickness. This will help the chicken cook more evenly.

In a medium bowl, add the chicken, olive oil, Dijon mustard, fresh lemon zest, sweet paprika, dried oregano, garlic powder, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Mix well to coat the chicken.

Transfer the chicken to the lined baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 18 to 25 minutes, or until the internal temperature reads 165°F in the thickest part of the chicken.

Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Serve garnished with fresh chopped parsley if desired.

Tips for making oven baked chicken breast

Pound the chicken to even thickness. Use a meat mallet, a rolling pin, or your fist to pound the big bump on the one end of the chicken.

When the chicken is even thickness, this allows the chicken to cook evenly so the thin end doesn’t dry out before the thick end is done.

Use similar size chicken breast. This will make sure the chicken is done cooking at the same time.

If you cook a large chicken breast next to a small breast, the smaller one will get tough and dry before the bigger one finishes cooking.

Use a little fat. I like to use olive oil or melted butter to brush all over the chicken. This helps the seasoning to stick and the chicken to brown while cooking.

Season generously. Seasoning the chicken with salt helps the meat retain moisture while cooking.

High heat is the secret to juicy chicken. I like to cook the chicken at 425°F. This helps the chicken cook quickly while keeping it tender and moist.

Use a meat thermometer. I got my thermometer from Amazon for $15. It prevents overcooking and removes the guesswork, so you’ll get perfect results every time when cooking chicken.

Let the chicken rest before slicing. Letting the chicken rest for 5 to 10 minutes after cooking helps prevent moisture loss when slicing.

If you want to enjoy juicy and tender chicken, always let it rest for a few minutes after cooking.

Is it better to bake boneless chicken breast at 350 or 400?

It’s better to bake chicken at 400°F (I like 425°F). This allows the chicken to stay nice and juicy because it cooks faster while the outside gets nice and brown. A shorter cooking time can prevent the chicken from getting tough and rubbery.

Please let me know how you like this baked chicken breast recipe in the comments below! Your feedback and review encourages me to keep creating new and yummy recipes. I hope you love this chicken breast recipe as much as I do.

Print