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 really really want this knife. i am no professional cook but my family thinks I am :} I would have so much fun cooking with it and more important would be a lot of memories to create. I have my great great grandfathers knife he used to remove the meat from pecans, he was a pecan farmer. So I see this knife lasting for many many years in my family.
PS I love all your recipes especially the asian take out. xoxo
I grew up the middle of seven children. My mother was the youngest of ten. She was not a good cook; she didn’t enjoy anything about cooking; she cooked for nine every day only because she had to! I have only started to enjoy cooking and producing edible meals since a friend showed me your blog. I have joined many other friends to it including my sisters who live in America. My husband also follows you – survival mode has made him a passable cook (although he is/was mostly a fry-up king). So pity him – I’m not a young cook – we’ve been married 45years!!!! I’d love to win this beautiful knife. (But even if I don’t I’ll continue to sing your praises!).
Please include me in the running for the knife!
Am obsessed with cooking your recipes! There are so many winners
Hi Nagi,
We eat a lot of chicken in our house and this will be a favorite for sure love all your recipes. I would also love the knife. i have always wanted to a Japanese knife but unfortunately will never be able to afford one. I love to cook up a storm in the Kitchen. look forward for more fabulous recipes
A very nice recepie.THANK YOU!
Hello Nag,
I hope you are doing well
Thank you for your great receipts.
P.s. I will be happy if you could count me in for the 🔪.
Thank you in advance 🙂
Hi Nagi don’t do this very often because I’m not good with technology I’m a 53 year old man that loves to cook and have been using all your recipes over the past few years they always taste great with plenty of flavour so thank you for your great recipes your last chicken breast recipe will be just as good no need to velvet I would cherish having a excellent knife like that would make a wonderful present as mine is on Friday 23.3 all the best Paul
Forget the rest
Your recipes are simply the best!!!!
You have changed my life following your delicious easy style and my family thanks you.
So please enter me to win this work of art knife Nagi.
I want this knife!!
You have to be in it to win it! I would dearly love to win this beautiful knife, not to send it to the ‘pool room’ but to bunk it down where it does it’s best work, the kitchen of course.
Like so many, I wish Jellyfish!!
LOL Nagi…..good luck in replying to all comments……..
I’m a huge fan! Have been saving your recipes for ages, and trialling my favourites 🙂
I’d love to win this knife as my ex boyfriend kept his beautiful Japanese knife when we broke up and I need a good knife
What an awesome recipe! I want to try it as soon as possible!
Also, yes, Nagi… I want the knife 😀
Looking forward to adding another seasoning for the all too familiar chicken breast!
I have a shun chef knife, but your giveaway is in a class of its own. If I win I promise to sharpen it with my chosera waterstones and treat it with the respect a fine Japanese cutting tool deserves.
Love your work!!
Hi Nagi,
Oh please, please, PLEASE enter me into your knife giveaway!!! A true chef’s knife has been on my wish list for so long! Years ago, my mother put down a decree that no one was to ever gift me a sharp knife. This somehow spread among my family, friends, to my partner, his family… if she saw this she’d email you lol. She has an irrational fear that I will cut myself with a “real” knife, despite me informing her time after time, that dull knives, as you’ve said, are far more likely to cause you to cut yourself. I would buy one myself, but they’re just too expensive, so this is such an awesome opportunity! Thank you! You’re amazing! (and you’re mum too for bringing it back from Japan!)
Cheers!
Becca
P.S. I’m a vegetarian, so I can’t really comment on your recipe, but my partner has always been terrified of chicken as he gave himself food poisoning cooking breasts once, so I’m going to print out this recipe for him and we’ll give it a go this weekend. Will comment after. 🙂
I love your recipes and try them often. It would be awesome to win this beautiful knife!
Hi Nagi, thanks so much for all your recipes, I haven’t tried them all but the one’s I’ve tried have bean really nice and every time I click on one of your recipes I see your smiling face on the top right hand corner and it make me smile, thank you.
The knife, it would be nice if you have a spear one, if not that’s OK, just keep smiling.
Take care, regards Peter Woodward.
Wow i would love that knife. Also chicken dish looks amazing.
Chicken breast can be so dry, another simple but so needed staple for our household. That knife is gorgeous, Would love to be weilding it in my kitchen.
Your recipes are easy and the end result taste is excellent.
And now for the knife:
I have yet to find an original Japanese made cooking knife
in the USA.
I tried every TV advertised knife, from never need sharpening
to cutting metal cans and back to slicing tomato’s slogan. But,
use once and it’s dull as a spoon, made in anyplace but Japan.
A good knife will give you years of use and you will never accidently
cut yourself, like a bad, hard to sharpened knife will.
My fingers look like it’s been through a paper shredder.
I would like to open my own small lunch & dinner only shop for 10 people.
You will be the my guest of honor when it happens…
Dear Nagi,
My husband and I love sharp knives. A good and sharp knife is a real friend in the kitchen. We will be most grateful if we can be selected to be gifted with one from you and your Mom. It will be treasured and definitely passed on to my children and grandchildren to enjoy its beauty.
We have been enjoying both your recipes and your Mom’s, arigatoa!