#Baked chicken breast how to#

#Baked chicken breast how to#

Question! What do you do when you make a recipe and the ingredient list calls for “cooked chicken?”ĭo you throw a chicken breast in the oven for half an hour and hope for the best? Run out and buy a rotisserie chicken? Pick a different recipe because come on, why doesn’t it say how to cook the chicken–half the recipe is missing? You end up with juicy, tender chicken breasts that are perfect to cube and mix into pasta, soups, and other recipes or just enjoy for a light, healthy lunch. When the weather is hot, make sure to check out our Best Grilled Chicken Breast Recipe.This is a quick tutorial on how to cook chicken breasts when you get a recipe that calls for “cooked chicken.” It’s simple, easy, and mostly hands-off, so you can do the rest of your recipe prep while the chicken cooks. Pop them in the oven 25 minutes before the chicken so they have time to cook. If you'd like potatoes with your dinner, try these Smoky Roast Potatoes. Sauteed Green Beans with Garlic (these are the green beans you see in some of the pictures).My favorites are quickly sauteed green beans (with a little garlic) or this Sauteed Asparagus with Garlic and Parmesan recipe. To turn this into a truly quick and easy dinner recipe, you'll need a side that can be prepped once you put the chicken in the oven and only takes a few minutes to cook. Quick sides to serve with this oven baked chicken breast This helps prevent the chicken from drying out and makes sure that you have a little sauce to pour over once it's cooked. While you can opt for oil if dairy isn't your thing, butter adds the most flavor. I brown it first (which is really easy) then pour it over the chicken. (It's the same trick I use for making my Juicy Baked Pork Chops.) You don't want too much room around them or the juices will evaporate and the chicken will become dry. For the juiciest chicken breasts, choose a baking dish that is just the right size for the number of chicken breasts you're cooking. Other than knowing how long to keep the chicken breasts in the oven, there are a couple of other tricks I have for making sure they live up to their title of being perfect. As soon as the middle of the chicken breast reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit it is safe to eat. If you want more reassurance, the best thing to do is pick up an instant-read meat thermometer. I've tested the 18 minutes at 425 degrees trick many many times and it's always perfectly cooked. We are always so scared of undercooking chicken (with good reason) that we tend to overcook it. You want to cook your chicken breasts for 18 minutes at 425 degrees.Ĭooking chicken breasts on high heat for a shorter amount of time will help keep them juicy and delicious. Because chicken breasts are lean meat, they can overcook and dry out easily. Knowing how long to bake your chicken breasts is one of the biggest tricks in making sure they are nice and juicy. The paprika and butter in this recipe give this chicken the perfect amount of natural sweetness. Some baked chicken breast recipes call for sugar in the ingredients, which I think is silly.And I've got some ideas for quick sides that you can pop in your oven and cook alongside the chicken so that everything is ready at the same time. From start to finish they will be ready to eat in about 20 minutes.Pour it over the chicken and anything else you're serving these with. The ‘sauce' that you'll find at the bottom of the pan when you pull these chicken breasts out of the oven is insane.The simple rub is made from pantry staple spices and is so delicious. (I've got a couple of tricks to make sure that doesn't happen.) That's right, you won't find any dried out chicken breasts here. Why you'll love this baked chicken breast recipe And for all my favorite people who want to learn how to make juicy chicken breasts. He loved them so much that he made me promise I would share the recipe here on the blog. It's my go-to easy chicken recipe for when I need to get a healthy dinner on the table stat.Ī few weeks ago, when my dad joined us for dinner, I served these baked chicken breasts. They are a recipe that I've been making for a while now but never wrote it down. They are tender and juicy and ridiculously delicious. Perfect is a big word, but these baked chicken breasts live up their name.