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….
WOW, the beautiful knife is almost as elegant as Dozer!
Love this! I want this knife!! Thank your mom for bringing back this beauty. How lucky we are. We don’t need those fancy giveaway forms anyhow. My email entry is below.
I want this knife!
My hubby bought a damascus steel knife for the kitchen because we desperately wanted a good quality knife and this is as close as we could get. Owning a Japanese forged kitchen knife would be a true prize!
Hi Nagi,
Shelby from Winnipeg, MB, Canada here! I do almost all of my meal prep for the week on Sundays, and refer to your blog every single week for 80-100% of the recipes I use! Thank you so much for continuing to share such delicious and simple recipes!
I would be ecstatic to receive the Japanese knife set. My boyfriend participates in Kendo and we have a few close Japanese friends, and are so fascinated by the culture. Having an item like this in our home would be such an honour!
Thanks again for everything you do! 🙂
Knife
Oh my….I would love to win this knife. It would be the best thing to own. I do not even own a good knife! Thank you for the opportunity to win this. I love, love, love your site.
As someone whose ancient, beloved Santoku knife slid off the back of an onion last night and almost took off a finger, I can’t think of a giveaway that could be more timely! The last thing I won was a kitten at a backyard carnival in 1971. Maybe this will be my lucky year! 🎉
i really need a good kitchen knife. Hope I win.
I would love the knife
Moist chicken is the best. The knife would be a great to use
I would be so grateful to have this knife. It would be especially meaningful to me that it be from Japan since that is half my husband’s heritage. Thank you.
I would love this knife, not least because my document shredder has broken and it would save me buying a replacement.
¡Buen día Nagi! I follow both your Mother and You for a while now. I’ve always been a wannabe chef, but life got in the way, however it only intensified my passion for cooking. I’m 65, 1st generation MEXICAN living in the US. I’ve lived around the world where I was blessed to have the best dishes from those countries including the marvels from my ancient Mayan and Aztec ancestors! With that said, my thing is fusion cooking where I blend Asian, Mexican, European, and Indian ingredients for my creations.
The chicken was great! I used your base and then added ground chipotle and ancho chiles. This is a base Mexican recipe we used for several hundred years! Sugar and all!
Added note, we also cook a pilaf-style rice with Swiss chard.
So glad we’re on the same culinary journey!
Hasta la próxima, Michael
Absolutely incredible knife! Almost too good to use, but not quite. I appreciate the chance to win it. Thank you.
The knife looks amazing Nagi and so does the chicken breast. I can’t wait to try this. I recently made your authentic Texan slow cooked pulled beef and it was amazing. I used a whole piece of beef and the ‘small’ amount of leftovers froze really well. We were celebrating Intenational Margarita Day. Just delish. A big thanks to my friend Belinda for putting me onto your site. Cheers
Juli.
Love this recipe, simple yet elegant. I’ve never owned any kind of a chef’s knife but would love to own this one.
Would love to win this knife
This recipe is on my short list. WRT the gorgeous knife, I have a Ken Onion 8″ chef…it would be very interesting to see which comes out on top.
I would love the knife, the four years we spent in Hawaii in the military, my husband went to Japan and bought a couple of Japanese knifes and your are right, they are the best ones we have. They stay sharp so much longer than others.
I love your recipes and stories of Dozer. We just lost our Bichon poodle mix and miss him so much.