Learn how to make the best oven baked chicken breasts quickly and easily. So wonderfully juicy, this brined chicken is quick enough to make as part of a weeknight family meal. Full of flavor and seasoned with herbs and spices.
Brine the chicken breasts in water with salt for 15 minutes. Remove chicken breasts from the brine and pat dry with a paper towel. (Brining is optional)
Brush both side with olive oil, and season the chicken on both sides with spices.
Place seasoned chicken breasts to a parchment lined baking sheet, and bake chicken at 425 for 15-20 minutes depending on thickness of the chicken breasts, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 155 F.
Remove the chicken from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving. During this time the temperature will rise to 165 F.
Notes
Use good quality boneless, skinless breasts for this baked chicken recipe. If you can, buy cage-free / organic.
You don't need to brine the chicken for more than 15 minutes. Don't brine it for more than two hours or the meat will start to break down. If you don't have time to brine, skip this step.
Pound the chicken breasts if they are large and make sure all chicken breasts are a similar thickness to ensure they cook evenly.
Brush the chicken will olive oil before seasoning. This will help the seasoning to stick to the chicken and help retain its moisture.
Season the chicken, don't just use salt and pepper. This adds a lot of flavor, otherwise, your chicken might taste bland.
Don't overcrowd the baking sheet/dish. Leave some space so they can roast, and not steam.
Bake uncovered to avoid steamed chicken.
Do not overbake. Take out the chicken breasts when they reach 155 F internal temperature, cover them, and let the chicken rest. During the resting time, the internal temperature will rise to 165 F which is called carry-over cooking.
Let the chicken rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. This will help to keep the juices in the meat.
How To Brine Chicken Breasts
You can brine 4 chicken breasts (about 1.5 lbs) in 4 cups of water and 3 tablespoons of table salt for about 15 minutes (don't brine the chicken for more than 1 hour because the meat can start to break down).