If “superfoods” really exist, chicken breast has to be number one on the list. If you remove the skin and trim away any visible fat, chicken breast is 98% lean. It’s basically the ultimate low-fat, no-carb protein source. This is why knowing how to bake chicken breast in the oven is so useful.
It also doesn’t hurt that chicken breast is the least expensive animal protein in most grocery stores. Just be aware that the really cheap chicken breasts are from caged chickens, so spend a little more and get good organic free-range chicken if you can.
I eat A LOT of chicken breast. To be able to eat chicken this often, I have come up with a lot of different tasty chicken recipes. I have already shared a few chicken recipes on the blog, but today I wanted to show you how to bake chicken breast in the oven.
I usually cook 4-5 breasts at a time and store them in zip-lock bags in the fridge until I need them. They will keep fresh for about three days.
You can see how i bake the perfect chicken breast in this short video or read the step-by-step description below:
How to bake chicken breast in the oven
If you follow these 3 easy steps, you will end up with a perfectly baked chicken breast every time:
1. Clean the chicken breast
Cut away any visible fat and bones. I always use a pair of scissors for this as it’s much easier than using a knife.
2. Brine the chicken breasts
Fill a large bowl with just enough water to cover the chicken breasts and add ½ tbsp. of salt for each chicken breast. Let the salt dissolve before adding the chicken breasts.
Leave the chicken breasts to marinate in the salt water for 1-3 hours in the fridge. This will draw water into the chicken and make it super moist when you cook it (this process is called “brining”).
3. Season and cook the chicken breasts
Rinse the chicken breasts thoroughly in cold water. Dry them with a paper towel and put them on a baking pan.
Add your favorite seasoning. I usually use pepper, curry powder, paprika and garlic powder, but you can use a wide variety of spices.
Cook the chicken breasts in the oven for about 18-20 minutes at a 365 F (185 C), depending on the size of the chicken breasts (the ones I cooked today were large, so they needed 21 minutes). Cut into one with a knife to see if they are done before taking them out of the oven.
Let the chicken breasts rest for 2-3 minutes after you take them out of the oven to lock in all the juices.
That’s it! This is how to bake the perfect chicken breast in the oven. By cooking the chicken breast like this, you will get perfectly tender and moist chicken breast every time!
The benefits of brining
Brining is, in my opinion, the easiest and most effective way to tenderize chicken breast and lock in the moisture. If you are worried about adding too much salt to the chicken, don’t be. Brining doesn’t actually add a lot of sodium to the chicken, as long as you only leave the chicken in the brine for a few hours and rinse it well afterward. Also, you won’t have to salt the chicken later for flavor.
This article shows exactly how much sodium is added during brining for different types of poultry. Their conclusion is “only about 1% of the total sodium from the brine is absorbed (for a 24-hour brine). Brine for texture reasons, and put away sodium fears.”
Frequently asked questions
A lot of people have asked great questions in the comments to this guide, so I thought I would collect all the questions and answers here for your convinience:
Q: Can I use frozen chicken breast? A: You can’t brine the frozen chicken breast (unless you plan to leave them in the brine for a long time while they thaw). You have to defrost the chicken before you start brining.
Q: Can I use this method when grilling? A: Absolutely! I think brining is even more important for grilled chicken that tends to get dry easier than baked chicken.
Q: Do I need to rinse the chicken after brining? And doesn’t that spread bacteria in the kitchen? A: I know that many cookbooks say not to rinse chicken for safety reasons, but you have to do it when brining. You need to get the brine off before cooking or the chicken will be too salty.
Q: Do I have to put the chicken in the refrigerator during brining? A: I recommend that you do, but it technically shouldn’t be necessary, as long as you fully cook the chicken breasts. But better safe than sorry, right?
Q: Do I need to cover the chicken breasts in the oven? A: No, I never do that.
Q: Can I use bone-in chicken breasts? A: Yes, but you may have to bake them for longer. Test if they are done with a knife or cooking thermometer.
Q: What does the internal temperature have to be if I use a cooking thermometer? A: The safe internal temperature of chicken is 165 F° (74 C°).
Q: Can I marinate the chicken after brining? A: Absolutely, I often do that. Just don’t add a lot of additional salt.
Q: Do I need to turn the chicken breasts in the oven while cooking? A: No, that shouldn’t be necessary unless your oven cooks very unevenly.
Q: Do I need to put any oil in the pan? A: Only if your pan tends to stick to whatever you are cooking. I use a piece of aluminum foil in the pan to prevent that.
Q: Can I use any kind of salt for the brining (like Himalayan pink salt)? A: Yes, any type of salt should be fine.
Healthy oven baked chicken recipes
You can use the brined chicken breasts as the base for a lot of fantastic chicken recipes. Here are some of my favorites:
The possibility for healthy and yummy chicken recipes are endless, so there is absolutely no reason to settle for dry chicken. Not when you know how to bake the perfect chicken breast in the oven!
When you’ve tried baking chicken breasts in the oven like this, please don’t forget to let me know how you liked them in the comments below!
Follow this easy 3-step guide to bake the perfect chicken breast in the oven. You will always get a perfectly tender, juicy, and yummy result.
- 2 chicken breasts (boneless & skinless)
- 1 tbsp. salt
- Water
- Seasoning (i like curry powder and paprika)
Cut away any visible fat and bones. I always use a pair of scissors for this as it’s much easier than using a knife.
Fill a large bowl with just enough water to cover the chicken breasts and add ½ tbsp. of salt for each chicken breast. Let the salt dissolve before adding the chicken breasts.
Leave the chicken breasts to marinate in the salt water for 1-3 hours in the fridge. This will draw water into the chicken and make it super moist when you cook it (this process is called “brining”).
Rinse the chicken breasts thoroughly in cold water. Dry them with a paper towel and put them on a baking pan.
Add your favorite seasoning. I usually use pepper, curry powder, paprika and garlic powder, but you can use a wide variety of spices.
Cook the chicken breasts in the oven for about 18-20 minutes at a 365 F (185 C), depending on the size of the chicken breasts. Cut into one with a knife to see if they are done before taking them out of the oven.
Let the chicken breasts rest for 2-3 minutes after you take them out of the oven to lock in all the juices.
Well.. Obviously I/we are in the minority regarding this chicken recipe..
Having been interested in the brining process for poultry plus husband being diabetic I decided to try your recipe as it was easy to scale salt to amount of chicken breasts used.
Followed your instructions to a tee, chicken was ideed very tender but, the texture of the chicken, an almost sponge like texture was so off putting none of us could, nor wanted to eat it.
First time in over 50 yrs. of cooking chicken I’ve had to throw so much out. Have no idea what I could have done wrong since I did not stray from your instructions, so all in all, very disapointing.
I am sorry to hear that! The chicken definitely shouldn’t be “spongy”. How long did you leave the chicken in the brine for? And did you dry it off before putting it in the oven?
Chicken was in the brine for 3 hours. I then rinsed it thoroughly and dried it off well as the last thing I wanted was soggy chicken breast when baking it per your instructions for the first time.
Was a good lesson though. I now know my family as well as myself do not like brined chicken. They as well as myself would rather I bake it like I always do, set on a rack over a sheet pan, brushed lightly with avocado oil or Greek olive oil, and seasoned with fresh or dried herbs/spices we might fancy at the time.
Can you use this method when putting chicken on the grill…?
Absolutely! It works great for grilling.
Do you cook the breasts uncovered?
Yes, I don’t find there’s a need for covering it up, the brine will make sure it comes out juicy
I just prepared this recipe…Genius!!! So fricken moist!! Thank you!! bless you!!
I am so glad I came across this on Pinterest. Had bookmarked the recipe to try it because I have made dry chicken so many times.
Today was the first time I tried it and it turned out so well. Nice and moist. Thank you so much for this recipe! This is going to be one of my go-to recipes 😀
I am going to try is, it looks great….is it ok to use this with bone in chicken breast.
Absolutely. Just be aware that bone-in breasts may need a few minutes extra in the oven.
Bone in is fine, you may want to add 20 minutes in the brine
I tried this the other day and it was awesome, I just brined the chicken breasts as you said. I then rinsed them of, put the seasoning on them, and wow the were great. Couldn’t believe how tender that they were. Thanks.
Can I marinate the chicken for a few hours aftering doing this or should you only do dry seasonings and cook it right away?
You can definitely marinate it after brining. Just wash off the brine thoroughly before marinating.
I tried it for the first time tonight. I like the flavor and how tender my chicken was. It was really good
Do you need to turn the chicken breast while cooking?
No, just keep them in the middle of the oven and they will cook very evenly.
Thank you for the tips on the moisturizing chicken. I need low sodium and good flavor! Will that work for BBQ chicken also?
Absolutely! Bring first is a good idea almost no matter how you cook the chicken afterward.
How much of the spices in your recipe do you use?
I don’t measure them exactly, I just use a generous sprinkle of curry, paprika, and pepper. I think looking at step 3 in the image will give you a better idea than what I can describe in words 🙂
This sounds good. Going to try this.
Will it hurt or help putting a thin layer of olive oil in the pan for baking in oven?
I am not sure, but I think it will probably hurt if anything. The oil may fry the surface of the chicken rather than bake it. But most likely it won’t make any difference.
Can Chicken be frozen tfor brining? Thank you
No, you will have to defrost it before brining.
Can I grill the chicken on the pit after brining ? I’m excited to try this but want your opinion.
Absolutely! You can cook it like normal after brining, it will just be more tender 🙂
The one question I have is that I recently started using a foodsaver which I pretty much foodsave any and everything from raw to leftovers. My question is after cooking the chicken after the brining process and then use a foodsaver on that chicken breast would it draw out that moisture after sealing it?
I have never used a Foodsaver, but I don’t think so. Actually, I imagine that it would be great for keeping in the moisture. If you try it, please let me know how it worked.
I will let you know the next time I cook to many and have to store one in the fridge. While I’m thinking about it…Any other good websites for type 2 diabetes? I love this one and will be taking things and adapting it to my situation.
I have to admit that I don’t really follow any type 2 diabetes websites, so I don’t know which ones are good. Perhaps you can try asking in a type 2 diabetes facebook group?
My suggestion would be to freeze the breasts a bit before vacuum sealing. That way the juices will be solid and not get sucked out. You can also get a better seal. I pre-freeze most all of my items before sealing.
Do you have to use regular salt or can you use pink himalayan salt? I don’t use regular salt anymore.
Hi Kathy, you can use whatever salt you like. They will all work.
What about low salt diets?
Hi Jean, brining actually doesn’t add that much sodium. Less than 100 mg per 4 ounces of chicken. So depending on how little salt you tolerate in your diet, you may be ok. Source: http://www.cookinglight.com/eating-smart/nutrition-101/salt-in-foods/truth-about-salt-in-the-kitchen
BEST chicken I have ever cooked! Brining made all the difference! My 8 year old daughter ate a whole large chicken breast all my herself. I used a little Mrs. Dash salt-free chicken seasoning as well.
AWESOME! It’s my favorite, I don’t think I’ll ever prepare plain chicken in other way.
Can I sear the chicken in a cast iron pan before putting it in the oven
You definitely can if you like them seared.
No foil no oil? Seemed unlikely till I tried it last night….best baked chicken ever! So moist and yummy! I am going to brine from now on. 🙂
I had success with this once and it made moist tender chicken, so good that I tried it the next time I made chicken, unfortunately that time it came out horribly salty. Now I’m scared to try again… When it’s good it’s amazing but when it’s bad, it’s inedible
Hi Jessy,
Did you remember to rinse the chicken after brining it? if you don’t rinse off the salt from the surface of the chicken it will become too salty.
Followed this recipe for dinner last night and omg BEST chicken breast EVER! Thanks for sharing 🙂
You are welcome :-).
Has to be the best chicken breast I’ve made not to mention how moist it is. No more dry breast for me. I brine mine over night to get the most out of the brine. My entire family loved it….I have made it twice in one week. I’m lovin my chicken. Thank you for sharing this great tip.
Thank you so much for posting this! I am the biggest weirdo when it comes to chicken, and this is hands down the best chicken ever. I just cooked 7 breast (mine took 30 min) and paired it with broccoli and or sweet potatoes for the week! So easy and so good even my daughter loved it!
What spices did you use?
Sounds great! Why do you have to dry it after brining?
I think you will steam/boil the surface of the chicken breast rather than just cook it if you put it in the oven soaking wet, but I honestly haven’t tried it.
BEST chicken I have ever cooked! Brining made all the difference! My 8 year old daughter ate a whole large chicken breast all my herself. I used a little Mrs. Dash salt-free chicken seasoning as well. Yum!
Yeah! Glad you and your daughter liked it. Christel is addicted to Mrs. Dash seasonings as well 🙂
I have been marinating boneless breasts in dill pickle juice for up to 2 days before starting any recipe and the results are amazing. Pat dry, sprinkle with spices and put on grill for about 20-25 minutes. Test for internal temp.
Worked great! Mine took 15 extra min to cook for some reason but were super moist. The seasonings you mentioned were great too. When you save the others for the next couple of days, how do you usually reheat them? Do you leave them whole or cut them up before storing (or reheating)?
Thanks!
Awesome! I usually just store them whole in a Ziploc bag and reheat them in the microwave.
Glad I found you on Pinterest today ? I’m brining chicken as I write this. I had planned on marinating it using another recipe I found. Do you ever brine, then marinate? I’m excited to try your method, as I have made some very dry chicken in the past! Trying to be healthier AND be a better cook!
Hi Linda,
We are glad you found us too 😀 Brining before marinating is a great way to prepare chicken. We do it often when we have time. Go for it and let us know how it turns out!
Brining is a great idea! Haven’t tried it with chicken, just whole turkeys. Am going to give it a try!
Only comments about your recipe are:
1. It is no longer recommended to rinse poultry before cooking. Julia Child started this and while I love her, this wasn’t a good idea. It just spreads bacteria all over the place.
2. Please check the chicken breasts’ internal temperature to tell if it is done. It needs to reach 165*F.
3. Chicken soaking in brine for any amount of time should definitely be in the refrigerator. It can reach the temperature danger zone during marinating/brining if not.
Don’t want anyone to get sick. Looking forward to moist baked chicken breasts!
I was scrolling through all of the comments trying to find something talking about the temperature danger zone!! So thank you! I was worried about leaving the chicken in room temp for an extended period of time, so thank you for suggesting brining in the fridge!
Thank you so much!!! I’m THE worst cook and have tried so many times and ways to cook chicken, even bought cooking lessons and nothing has worked until now!
I seriously can not thank you enough!!!!
Glad you liked it Amy 😀
I am so looking forward to using this method.
We eat more chicken than anyone alive!
Do you cover them with foil so they wont dry? Or just place them in the oven without covering them
I just pop them straight in the oven without any foil.
This was so awesome! Thank you. I will never prepare chicken breasts any other way now. It makes a huge difference. And my chicken breasts were really large so I ended up brining them first, then pounding them a little flatter between two paper towels to really dry them as well. They turned out perfect.
It does make a big difference right? 😀 Glad you liked it
If I want to pound the breast down to an even thickness so that it cooks evenly, should I do that before or after brining?
I have never tried doing that, but I would do it before brining. My guess is that it doesn’t make a big difference if you do it before or after though.
Can this brining process work for any chicken recipe or does it always have to be cooked at 365 for 20 minutes with just a dry spice rub? I wanted to use this for a pesto, hummus chicken recipe but it calls for a 425 degree oven. And if this process of brining adds moisture to the chicken, would that make the chicken too moist for the hummus topping to stay on? you know what I mean when the topping sort of just falls off onto the pan instead of staying on top? Thanks for any tips on that!
Hi Amanda,
It should work on any chicken recipe. Just make sure to dry the chicken very thoroughly after the brining and perhaps leave it dry for 10 min before adding the topping. Chicken with pesto and hummus sounds good 😀
Excellent how to, perfectly described and exactly what info i was looking for.
Thank you 🙂
if the chicken is frozen, do you need to defrost them first?
Yes, the chicken needs to be defrosted before brining.
Hi there.
I know chicken goes bad easily. So when brining the chicken beasts it’s best to have them in the refrigerator for at 3 hours?
If we brine the chicken breast for more than 1-2 hours, we keep them in the fridge while they brine.
I might have missed this but are the breasts being refrigerated while they are brining?
It’s a good idea to put the chicken breasts in the fridge if you are brining then for a long time, but if it’s just for 1-2 hours then you don’t have to.
Are those bone-in or boneless breasts? Does it make a difference?
Those are bone-less, but it really doesn’t make a difference.
After brining can they be put on the grill with the same results rather than baking?
Absolutely! But grilling chicken is a lot harder than baking it in the oven. It’s REALLY easy to overcook them on the grill, so you have check often around the time when they should be ready. They may only need 15 min or less if your grill is really hot.
I seriously get pregnancy like cravings for chicken….. Mmmm !