Juicy Oven Baked Chicken Breasts

Try these Juicy Oven Baked Chicken Breasts for a tender and flavorful meal. Seasoned to perfection and super simple to make; this classic won’t fail you! So good you can eat them immediately or save them for meal prep!

Juicy Oven Baked Chicken Breasts

I think we all know it can be a major struggle to cook delicious, fresh, home cooked meals on busy weeknights. Especially when we’re running from meetings to practice, working on homework, and packing lunches for the next day. Whoosh – I’m exhausted just thinking about it all. 

One thing that helps me on my busiest nights is using a protein I prepped over the weekend for an easy dinner. This saves so much time and energy. This is where my juicy oven baked chicken breasts come in. The precooked chicken is perfect on top of salads, thrown in soup, or in a wrap. The great thing about this recipe is that it’s quick and easy to make even if you don’t have time to prep ahead of time!

Ingredients for this Recipe:

The ingredients for this easy baked chicken breasts recipe are simple and straightforward. No surprises here. You’ll need: 

• boneless skinless chicken breasts
• garlic powder
• Italian Seasoning
• onion powder
• paprika
• salt and pepper
• cooking spray
• parsley

How to Bake Chicken Breasts in the Oven

• You’ll want to get started by preheating your oven to 425˚F degrees.
• While your oven heats, lightly grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set it aside. 

• Next, pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic powder, Italian seasoning, onion powder,   paprika, salt and pepper. 

• Place the chicken in your prepared baking dish and generously spray all sides of your chicken with the cooking spray.
• Season both sides of the chicken evenly with your spice mixture.

• Bake chicken for 17 to 20 minutes, or until the thickest part of the chicken breasts hits 165˚F on an instant read thermometer
• Remove the chicken from the oven and let it rest for 5 to 7 minutes before slicing.
• Before serving, garnish the chicken with some fresh parsley.

Tips & Tricks for Perfectly Baked Chicken

If you want a perfectly baked chicken breast, you’ll definitely want to follow my top 3 tips:

• Pound chicken breasts to an even thickness of about 1-inch. This will ensure even cooking and it also helps tenderize the chicken.

• Use an instant read thermometer; an internal temperature over 165˚F will result in dry chicken.

• Do not cut into the baked chicken right away; let chicken rest for at least 5 minutes so that the juices reabsorb into the chicken.

How to Store Chicken Breasts

Baked chicken breasts can be stored in an airtight container and kept in your fridge for up to 4 days. Like I mentioned, this makes them perfect for meal prepping for the week!

Can I Freeze Baked Chicken Breasts?

Yes, you can also freeze baked chicken breasts. Simply cool them and then place them in an airtight container and freeze for up to 6 months. A trick for easy portioning is wrapping each individual chicken breast in wax paper. Now you have single serve, precooked frozen chicken breasts!

How to Reheat Chicken

You already know I love to prep baked chicken breasts on the weekend and use them all week for quick lunches and dinners. Often times, this won’t even involve reheating if I slice the baked chicken and throw it on top of a crisp salad or in a wrap. But, if I do want to reheat my baked chicken breast, I’m always careful not to overheat them. No one wants dry chicken – am I right?

When reheating your baked chicken breasts, you’re going to want to go low and slow. Let your chicken breast come to room temperature. Then, place it on a baking sheet, tent it with foil and bake for about 25 minutes in a 225˚F oven. 

Another delicious idea is to shred the chicken breast and reheat in a favorite sauce or gravy. This adds great flavor and keeps the chicken from seeming dry.