This is the most popular of all chicken breast recipes that I’ve ever published. It’s a JUICY Oven Baked Chicken Breast sprinkled with a magic simple seasoning, baked until caramelised. It’s simple, fast and incredibly tasty! This is a reader-favourite alongside Honey Garlic Chicken, this epic Parmesan Crusted Chicken and crispy Garlic Chicken.
This is a reader-favourite recipe included by popular demand in my debut cookbook “Dinner”!
A JUICY Baked Chicken Breast!
Though I always stand firm that brown meat is better than white – more flavour, more juiciness – lean chicken breast is a regular in my shopping trolley, week after week.
So today, I’m sharing my recipe for how I make Oven Baked Chicken Breast.
We can never have too many really great quick chicken breast recipes!
As simple as it sounds, if you whack a seasoned breast in the oven without thought, the chances are you’ll be chewing your way through dry chicken, furiously squirting over copious amounts of ketchup to try to salvage it.
It doesn’t need to be that way. Enter – a fabulous simple, magic chicken seasoning for baked chicken breast:
The Chicken Breast Seasoning
Made with just brown sugar, paprika, oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper, the secret ingredient in this is brown sugar:
Makes more seasoning, so you can coat the breast thoroughly and give it a beautiful crust without overpowering it with lots of spices that need longer to cook than chicken breast does; and
Makes it juicy – the chicken sweat while it bakes, so you end up with wetness that makes the chicken more juicy than the usual baked chicken breast.
Yes it adds sweetness but don’t worry, this baked chicken breast is still savoury!
How long to cook chicken breast
A medium chicken breast will take 18 – 20 minutes to bake at 220C / 425F. Cooking it hard and fast at a high temperature is the secret to gorgeous caramelisation and ultra juicy chicken inside. No dried out breast around here!!
The seasoning for this chicken is actually a really great indicator for when the chicken is cooked to perfection. Basically, once the surface of the chicken is caramelised, it’s cooked to perfection inside so get it out of the oven!
My last tip for a truly great Baked Chicken Breast is to pound it to even thickness, either with a rolling pin, meat mallet or even with your fist (very therapeutic). This has the double effect of even cooking as well as tenderising the meat.
The secret behind this baked chicken is the simple, magic seasoning
Most popular of all chicken breast recipes!
This Juicy Oven Baked Chicken Breast is the single most popular of all chicken breast recipes I’ve ever shared.
But don’t believe me. Have a browse below of what others have to say!
Try serving this with a side of Garlic Butter Rice with Kale, pictured in post. One pot carb + veg side, with kale made delicious! Otherwise, try a flavoured Rice Side like Tomato Basil Rice or Mushroom Rice.
If you’re in the mood for potatoes, try this Lemon Potato Salad, a classic creamy Potato Salad or a lighter No-Mayo Red Potato Salad with Charred Corn and Bacon.
And for something fresh, Spring Salad or Creamy Cucumber Salad with Lemon Yogurt Dressing would go with the chicken beautifully. Else, simply drizzle steamed greens or a garden salad with Italian Dressing, Balsamic or French Vinaigrette. – Nagi x
More chicken breast recipes readers love!
Honey Garlic Chicken Breast – Super easy, super delicious!
Crispy Parmesan Crusted Chicken Breast – No breadcrumbs needed!
Chicken Kiev – A retro classic! Crumbed and fried chicken breast stuffed with oozing garlic butter …
Browse all chicken recipes
Baked Chicken Breast recipe
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
This recipe features in my debut cookbook Dinner. The book is mostly new recipes, but this is a reader favourite included by popular demand!
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Oven Baked Chicken Breast
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts , 150 – 180g / 5 – 6 oz each (Note 1)
- 2 tsp olive oil
Seasoning:
- 1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp dried oregano or thyme , or other herb of choice
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
Garnish, optional:
- Finely chopped parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F/220°C (200°C fan).
- Pound chicken to 1.5cm / 0.6″ at the thickest part – using a rolling pin, meat mallet or even your fist (key tip for even cooking + tender chicken).
- Mix Seasoning.
- Line tray with foil and baking / parchment paper. Place chicken upside down on tray. Drizzle chicken with about 1 tsp oil. Rub over with fingers. Sprinkle with Seasoning.
- Flip chicken. Drizzle with 1 tsp oil, rub with fingers, sprinkle with Seasoning, covering as much of the surface area as you can.
- Bake 18 minutes, or until surface is golden per photos and video, or internal temperature is 165°F/75°C using a meat thermometer.
- Remove from oven and immediately transfer chicken to serving plates.
- Wait 3 – 5 minutes before serving, garnished with freshly chopped parsley if desired. Pictured with a side of Garlic Butter Rice with Kale.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Recipe originally published March 2018. Updated for housekeeping matters in March 2019, no change to recipe.
* The story and details of the Handcrafted Japanese Knife giveaway that originally accompanied this recipe when published was moved into a separate post because the Giveaway has finished.
LIFE OF DOZER
It’s just hanging there, taunting him. He sniffs at it, suspiciously….
This was heavenly! I don’t buy chicken breasts that much because of the price, and recently I’ve been cooking for my veggie housemate whose wrist has been in a cast for the last 6 weeks, but I’ve been craving this since you published! So today, I checked that she had food for tonight, and w.o.w this was amazing! I chucked in some cherry tomatoes, red onions and leeks to roast with it, and it was so good! Also topped the chicken with a slice of emmental as it rested, because I can’t resist adding cheese!
TLDR: so quick, so easy, soooooooo tasty!
I LOVE hearing that Beth! Thanks so much for letting me know! N xx
This looks goooood. I’ve always wanted a Japanese knife!! Best knives in my opinion but out of my budget.. This would be AMAZING!!
Sorry Phyllis the give-away has ended! 😢
I would love to have this knife. Thank you for the chance.
Sorry Jessica, the give-away has finished! N x
Could the same seasoning be used for pork chops?
Yes yes yes! For same bake time too, as long as they are around the same thickness of the chicken in this recipe! N x
I’m interested in that knife. The Japanese make fine tools that will hold a cutting edge. Good quality steel, nothing like the cheap stainless steel knives you get today that can’t be sharpened.
I love baked chicken too! 🙂
sorry Keith, the giveaway is over! N x
So we made this last night, and though I can’t comment on the taste of the chicken as I’m a veg-head, my partner (who has feared making chicken since he nearly killed himself 13 years ago trying to cook for the first time on his own) said it was so awesome and that he’s ready to start cooking chicken again and this will be his go to recipe as it’s “super juicy, easy, [and] really yummy”. I used leftovers in a wrap for his lunch today and then added it to half our stir-fry for dinner. Great recipe. Thanks Nagi!
I’m so thrilled to hear that Becca!! PS How does one almost kill themselves cooking chicken???!!!😂
GIVEAWAY HAS CLOSED! Winner will be announced in the new recipe to be published tonight, on or around 5pm Sydney time. 😇 Good luck to you all! N x
If you saw fit to draw my entry to win this knife (which I am in love with), I would be very honoured indeed!
My partner has worked in kitchens and has a fine collection of German knives, but has always wanted a Japanese one, so I would give this to him as an anniversary present! I have been wanting to get him one for ages, but they are out of my price range, so I hope I am the winner, as it would make us both very happy!
I love your recipes, thanks for sharing them.
OMG!!!! Pick me. I’m hopeless at buying anything for myself unless it’s for my kitchen. I couldn’t think of anything better than owning this knife. 😜
nickyabar@live.com.au
I would ❤️ to win this knife. Thank you.
I would love to have the knife! Thank you for these awesome giveaways!
Hi Nagi,
Thanks for your great recipes and all the time and love you put into making our cooking process easier and the end result tasty. My cooking is not great but with your advice and a good quality sharp knife maybe there is some hope for me?
P.S Could we see a photo of Dozer in his gorgeous little outfit?
Check out Nagi’s garlic bread recipe: there’s a seriously cute pic of Dozer in it and that garlic bread is to die for! 🙂
I would love to win this knife for my wife. She loves to cook and makes constant reference to your website. So it would be a nice surprise for her.
Btw we have a potluck party this weekend and my wife will be making your sticky chinese chicken wings. Sounds delicious!
Hi Nagi,
Would love to win this knife as I am just starting to follow your recipes as well. What a better way to start than having a new knife. Thank you
I’ve been wanting to get a Japanese knife!!. Would love to have this knife.
FREE KNIFE!? I’m in! Thanks for making the experience of looking for a recipe just a little bit more fun 😉
I would love to win this knife. I always say that for great cooking you need love and a good knife! I love your recipes and use them regularly. Thanks for all the inspiration
I would lile this knife.
Thank you very much for the recipes!
Hi, I’m a 20-year-old Malaysian, studying accounting in Edinburgh, Scotland and I would cherish the knife as if my future degree depends on it.
Being away from home (…and being on a tight student budget haha) has pushed me to start learning to cook food from scratch. Fast forward 6 months into the semester, I learnt to cook countless of meals, challenging myself to make authentic Malaysian and Indonesian dishes, and discovering different cuisines through recipes I find on insta/youtube/blogs.
Being a student, I can’t really afford to eat out as often as I would like, hence, I cook in my shared kitchen in my student dorm with what I have.
A week ago, I decided to open a cooking insta account (@sayyraaah_cooks) partly because I was inspired by insta accounts like yours and partly because I wanted to record the dishes I have made.
To be given a knife of that calibre would be a dream come true, because I read and watch too many professional chefs and cooks using brilliant knives (specifically the ones from Japan), cutting effortlessly. I can already imagine how exciting chopping up onions or julienne carrots will be after my late classes.
Some days I cook for myself, most days I share what I cook/ bake with friends, and kitchen-mates, and even voluntarily cook for 70 people in my university’s societies in their kitchen.
It would really, truly be a dream come true to have knife like that.
Lots of love,
Sarah hannah
Oh my goodness. I would love to win this knife so badly. I hope 🤞 I win this. Oh and by the way thank you for posting all these amazing recipes. I love following you.
Please pick me 😬