Oven Baked Chicken Breast

Oven baked chicken breast is one of the chicken recipes that people often search for on Google. One thing you can always bet on during festive periods/ occasions is that there will be chicken to be eaten. Enjoying this chicken dish is one thing and knowing how to properly cook it to avoid health issues is another thing.

Please Read: Avocado Smoothie Recipe for Weight Loss

Oven Baked Chicken Breast- Healthy Cooking Tips:

1. Do not rely on the looks to decide when it is ready. White or pink meat is not a criterion that all bacteria have been killed.
2. Sponge down the surfaces that come into contact with raw chicken thoroughly.
3. Wash your hands and the utensils with soap and water after handling raw chicken.

 Oven Baked Chicken Breast Recipe

Ingredients for the Chicken Breasts

• 4 (1 pound) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• ¼ tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Chicken Seasoning Blend

• ½ teaspoon salt, (optional – chicken will have absorbed some of the salt from the salted water)
• ¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• Half a teaspoon smoked or sweet paprika
• 1/8  teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ½ teaspoon each of onion and garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme

 HOW TO BAKE CHICKEN BREASTS

To perfectly oven bake chicken breast, you need to follow these 5 steps:

1. Brine
2. Blend & Brush
3. Sprinkle
4. Roast
5. Rest

Step 1: Brine

To brine chicken, simply fill a medium-sized bowl with lukewarm water and salt; stir and pour over chicken breasts. Set aside for 20 to 30 minutes. You can also cover the bowl and refrigerate for 2 hours. After that, remove the chicken from the brine.  Give it a good rinse with cold water to wash off the salt, and then pat it dry with some paper towels.

Step 2: Blend & Brush

1. Blend the seasoning by combining salt, fresh ground pepper, paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, dried thyme, in a small bowl. After that, stir the seasonings until thoroughly incorporated. Set aside.
2. Then brush your chicken breasts liberally with olive oil on both sides to prevent the chicken from sticking to the pan, and also to help the seasonings to stick.

 Step 3: Sprinkle

Sprinkle the seasoning blend evenly over the chicken breasts on all sides. Place them on a lined cookie sheet in a single layer.

Step 4: Roast

This is an important step because it causes some arguments amid chicken lovers on:

1. How long to bake chicken breasts?
2. The accurate temperature to bake chicken.
3. Finally and most importantly, is whether to bake it low and slow (that is, 30 minutes at 350°F) or high and quick (that is, 15 minutes at 450).

MY ANSWER

I like to roast my chicken breasts on high heat at 450°F which requires a cooking time of about 15-18 minutes (depending on the thickness/size of the chicken breasts). It’s faster and easy.  But most importantly, because it quickly develops a nice crispier crust on the outside of the breasts. This  helps to lock in those juices and keep the oven roasted chicken perfectly tender on the inside.

Lower temperature result in longer cooking time and a higher chance of dry chicken, which is not something anyone wants. For accurate results, it is best to use a thermometer.

Step 5: Rest

Make sure to let your oven baked chicken breast rest. In order words, allowing your oven baked chicken breast to rest  is  a must. For example, when cooked at a high temperature the juices in the chicken quickly rush to the center. Therefore, when you cut into it right away, all those juices come pouring out and then, the chicken becomes dry. Resting allows the juices to spread through the chicken breast and gives you a tender, juicy piece of meat every time.

Cut into desired size/pieces for any food recipes you chose for your main or side dishes. ENJOY.

This is my go-to method on how to oven bake chicken breast. Do you like the recipe? Why not give it a try. Kindly click the share buttons and drop a comment below. I take pleasure in reading from you. Thanks for visiting 9jafoods today.