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….
Nagi I would love to win this knife. I’ve been following you recipes online for over 2 years now and I’ve cooked probably 20 different dishes. I have never really had a good sharp knife and would love this to complement my fantastic wok.
Hi Nagi! This chicken looks so simple yet so amazing! And that knife was so sharp! I would use it for so many things, but at Christmas I made your footlong meringue tart for a family meal of eight, and it would have been so good to slice cleanly through the fruit and meringue. (I actually made like a buffet type meal including pulled pork, arancini and chinese bbq chicken, and they were all your recipes, so I can’t really take much credit!) So it would be awesome to make the meringue again without making such a mess when I cut it! Thanks heaps for all your recipes and hard work!
Hi Nagi,
Find your recipes inspiring and so easy to make, Thank you. But a free knife as well YIPEE!
I have been following & cooking your recipes for a while now and recently introduced my Mum as well. Now we regularly have “Recipe Tin Eats” cook-offs. Its not uncommon for us to have one of your recipes for dinner every night of the week 🙂 they are just constantly delish! We have never owned a decent kitchen knife and this one just looks like it belongs in our kitchen. Pick me!
I love you Nagi and all your recipes.
😙
Hi Nagi, love getting your emails with new recipes to try,and also the updates on Dozer. Would love a new great knife in my Kitchen I have been hinting lately to my husband for some new ones. Can’t win a chook in a chook raffle,sohope I get lucky.
Thanks for the generous giveaway
Connie
Love your recipes. Love to cook. Would love that knife! Thanks, Nagi.
This looks like a great knife love have this in my kitchen hope a winner .Thank You
I don’t bother going to any other web site to find something to cook So amazed Nagi at the amount of recipes you have and the detail in them. Waiting for Easter so I can make your no knead Hot Cross Buns they were such a hit last year made in the dryer ha ha I so need a new knife for my kitchen must be 20 years since I bought a new one. Thanks again for your delicious recipes. I usually stuff my chicken breast and bake so they stay moist
Hi Nagi,
I love all of your recipes. I get very excited every time an email appears in my inbox with a new dish to prepare. When ever anyone asks me for a recipe I have cooked, it is always one of yours. I always direct them to your website and encourage them to sign up for your emails. I even cooked your Christmas menu this year. Two of my daughters are Vegan so I have tweaked a lot of your recipes so that they can enjoy them too. Now they also use your site and just tweak your recipes to suit. There are some firm favourites my family demand. To show our appreciation I have tried to spell out your name and Dozer’s with some of our most favourite recipes. The letters “C” and “S” were by far the most popular in the favourites list, But those letters are not in either of your names. So here goes:
N No Knead Cinnamon Rolls
A Asian Sesame Dressing
G Garlic Prawns
I Irish Beef and Guinness Stew
D Double Garlic Brown Butter
O Oven Baked Parmesan Chicken with Honey Mustard Sauce
Z Zucchini Tots Greek (grandchild number one’s favourite)
E Easiest Ever Moist Apple Cake (husbands favourite)
R Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Honey Lemon Dressing
I would also love to go into your draw for the knife. Thank you for your site and all the wonderful stories and recipes.
Terri
Using your recipes has helped make my life a lot simpler. Great food lots of choices with minimal ingredients. My family are wrapt. So owning a knife like this would be something I’ve never dreamt of happening.
I’m learning to cook for one.
Thanks for the chance to win one of the wonderful knives. My kitchen knives have become that worn it is very hard to keep an edge on them particularly when before the family left home they got used for more than my cooking. I am getting chicken breasts tomorrow with the shopping as they are my wifes favourite meal. The recipe looks wonderful.
Hi Nagi, just wanted to say I love receiving your recipes. Just tried the meatloaf which came out very well. Can’t always get all the ingredients here in England and I have to look up some of the measurements as we use different ones here but apart from that I get by!! The knife looks WOW. I’m only a home cook and it’s probably a bit out of my league but it would be nice to have a proper chefs knife in my kitchen!! So you have to Be in it to win it as they say over here chilly UK!! Thanks again for inspiring me to try and cook different things x
Love all your recipes. Can’t wait to try this one out. It’s look super yummy! Would definitely love to win that gorgeous knife. So please pick me!!!!
Such a beautiful knife to cook such beautiful food
Thanks nagi
Nagi, thank you for your always inspiring recipes… I would love to win the beautiful knife but better than that I would like to be a mouse in your kitchen for one day to see you cooking and see you celebrate the food that comes out in the end. For me as a reader of your blog it’s fascinating to feel somebody’s love to food throughout words – and not even smell or taste! Thank you
I’d like to be the Wife
that wins the Knife
making Nagi’s yummy meals
then hearing the squeals
…of happiness!
😀
Me Me! Pick Me Nagi !
I have a Global Chef’s knife, it’s ok but I’m not convinced they are the Bees Knees of knives. I’d love to own one of these, it would help making your recipes a lot easier!
a sharp knife – I can only imagine!
I absolutely love ALL your recipes. I have created a file which contains only your recipes. They are all so easy and kitchen friendly. If I were to win your giveaway knife it would be treasured for a lifetime.