How to Bake Chicken Breast

Co-authored by Alex Hong

Last Updated: April 2, 2024

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Baked chicken can be a healthy, quick meal to make any night of the week. To bake chicken, you just need to season your chicken and add it to a baking pan. Once it's ready, you can serve it immediately or store it for later. You can flavor your chicken with various herbs and spices and add it to salads and kabobs.

Ingredients

Butter or olive oil
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
Salt and pepper
Your choice of spices

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Seasoning Your Chicken

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1
Prepare your chicken. Remove your chicken from the package and pat it down with paper towels. Rub a little butter or olive oil onto the chicken to add moisture and flavor.^{[1]
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- If you're using any seasoning, sprinkle it on both sides of the chicken now. For example, you could add something like garlic and dried basil or a cajun seasoning mix. It depends on what flavor you're going for.^{[2]
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2
Line your baking dish with foil. Lining with foil will make for easy cleanup. Place the chicken in a baking dish. If you're cooking more than one chicken breast, keep them slightly apart. You do not want them to touch. You can also add something like lemon slices or wedges to add extra flavoring to your chicken.^{[3]
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- If using skinless chicken, cover the baking dish with parchment paper. Take one sheet of parchment paper and cover one side with butter. Lay it on top of the chicken. Then, tuck the edges of the parchment paper underneath the breast to keep the chicken fully covered. The parchment will act almost like the chicken skin helping it to remain moist and keeping it from drying out.^{[4]
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Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Baking Your Chicken

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Make sure your oven is completely preheated before putting the chicken in the oven. It's a good idea to use an oven thermometer to make sure your oven is at the right temperature.^{[5]
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Usually, it takes around 30 to 40 minutes to bake chicken breast. You should start using a meat thermometer to check the temperature about 20 minutes in. Some chicken breasts may cook slightly faster, so you want to make sure it does not burn. Check the chicken every 10 minutes or so after the first 20 minutes.^{[6]
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3
Cook the chicken until it reaches the right temperature. Chicken breasts should be 160 degrees Fahrenheit (about 71 degrees Celsius) at the center. Keep the chicken in the oven until it reaches this temperature.^{[7]
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- Insert your meat thermometer in the center of your meat.^{[8]
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- Once the chicken is heated to the right temperature, remove it from the oven.
Once the chicken reaches the right temperature, you can let it cool for a few minutes and eat it immediately. You can also store the chicken in an airtight container, like a Tupperware container, and eat it later.^{[9]
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Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Serving Your Chicken

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1
Add lemon or lime. If you want to add some flavor to your chicken, squeeze some lemon or lime juice over it. This will give it a mildly citrus flavor.^{[10]
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- If you use lime, use mint to compliment the flavor.
- Try sprinkling some fresh herbs over your chicken to compliment a lemon flavor.
Mustard goes well with chicken. You can spread some dijon or plain mustard over a chicken breast before serving it. If you're having chicken breast on a sandwich, add mustard to the sandwich.^{[11]
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Make kabobs with your chicken. You can use your chicken breast to make chicken kabobs. Cut your chicken into small slices and then stick small wooden sticks through them. You can also add things like roasted red peppers and other vegetables to your kabobs for a quick, healthy snack or meal.^{[12]
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You can chop up chicken breast and add it to a salad. This can be a quick and healthy lunch or dinner.^{[13]
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How Can You Tell When Chicken Is Done?

Expert Q&A

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Question

How do you make chicken breast taste good?

Alex Hong
Executive Chef & Restaurant Owner
Alex Hong is the Executive Chef and Co-Owner of Sorrel, a New American restaurant in San Francisco. He has been working in restaurants for over 12 years. Alex is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and has worked in the kitchens of Jean-Georges and Quince, both Michelin-starred restaurants.

Alex Hong

Executive Chef & Restaurant Owner

Expert Answer

I like to cook the chicken in a cast-iron skillet for a few minutes before baking it in a dish in the oven. Using a cast-iron skillet gets the skin really crispy, and the meat soaks up all the flavors of the skillet! After that's done, I'll put it in the oven to bake with butter and herbs. It's a perfect dish every time.

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Question

Can I use a can of chicken broth over the chicken when baking?

Michele

Top Answerer

You can, but it won't do much. If you're looking for added moisture, just make sure not to overcook the chicken. Adding chicken broth will just cause the chicken to be braised, not baked, a different cooking method altogether.

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Question

Why should I put my chicken in parchment paper?

Michele

Top Answerer

This method is best for skinless chicken. It's a way of "dry-poaching" to keep in the moisture. The paper acts almost like the chicken's missing skin, protecting it from drying out.

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Warnings

Beware of salmonella. Raw chicken is a common carrier of salmonella. Always wash your hands after handling raw chicken and clean the dishes you used to prepare it carefully. You should also wipe down any cutting boards and counters the chicken touched.

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