Prep Time  15minutes
Cook Time  15minutes
Total Time  30mins

How to Bake Chicken Breasts

How to bake chicken breasts is one of the most common questions I hear from fans, friends, and family. With good reason. Chicken is one of the most common foods on the dinner table, and those boneless skinless breasts, the most common cut of chicken. The sad reality however, is that chicken breasts are also the hardest part of the chicken to cook well. They are super lean, and so too often they turn out dry, tough & flavorless when baked.

The problem home cooks face most of the time; is they apply the wrong baking techniques. Instead of relying on the same methods used for cakes and pies….a 350 degree oven for about an hour, chicken breasts should be baked at high temperature. Above 425 degrees, the outside of the chicken will brown, which is where much of the flavor comes from, without the inside getting overcooked and dried out.  In fact, I start the baking process on top of the stove, in a hot pan, searing the outside of the chicken before moving it into the oven. So throw away the old school techniques, and follow my steps below for the perfect baked chicken breasts.

How to Baked Chicken Breasts

  • Baking works best with thicker breasts, rather than thin or pounded out chicken breasts
  • Take the chicken breasts out of the fridge at least 30 minutes prior to cooking, to allow them to come up to room temperature
  • Pre-heat your oven to 450 degrees
  • Season the chicken with salt & pepper. Other rubs are great and can add a ton of flavor. You should be away that rubs with sugar, may tend to burn over high heat; and you’ll want to sear for much shorter time (about half) if you’re using one
  • Heat an oven proof frying pan over high heat for 2 – 3 minutes or until it just reaches the smoke point
  • Coat the bottom of the pan with a thin layer of olive oil, and gently lay in the chicken breasts, presentation side down first
  • Allow the chicken breasts to sear for about 2 minutes (err on the longer, not shorter time) without moving the pan or chicken
  • Check one of the breasts, and if browned, turn over (if not, cook for another minute)
  • Allow the chicken to sear on the second side for another 2-3 minutes
  • At this point, both sides should have a deep, golden brown, flavorful crust, but the center is still raw
  • Move the entire oven proof pan into the 450 degree oven, and continue to cook for 5 – 8 minutes (for most size chicken breasts)
  • Figuring out when the chicken breasts are just cooked through is a bit tricky, but with practice, you’ll be able to tell just by look & feel
  • The chicken should be firm to the touch, and you should not see any pink/opaque areas on the side
  • Until you’re trained up, I suggest you use an instant read meat thermometer, and bring the thickest part of the breast up to 160 degrees
  • Remove the pan from the oven & the chicken from the pan to rest for about 5 minutes on a cutting board
  • Once rested, you’re all set to serve it up!
  • One more pro-tip, using a pan like this gives you a great opportunity to make a pan sauce with some wine & stock.

Comments (5 )

Reply
Rob Yan
May 28th, 2016 - 11:24am
It would have been nice to see the chicken breast have a few slices cut off to show what the inside looked like. Thanks.
Reply
Cameron
March 21st, 2017 - 2:15pm
You shouldn't cook with olive oil that hot.
Reply
Jay
August 2nd, 2017 - 11:41am
You should not cook with Extra Virgin Olive Oil that hot ... Extra Light Virgin Oil has a smoke point of 450+ F
Reply
Margaret
October 24th, 2018 - 6:49pm
In your video you say to preheat the oven to 400, but in the instructions, it says to preheat the oven to 450. Which is right?
Reply
바카라사이트
January 2nd, 2021 - 3:32am
And when the door closed, we started walking. http://cc.vmm789.com

Leave a comment

Top Categories

Our most popular recipes in our most popular foods.


Pasta

Our best pasta recipes & techniques will have you cooking like an Italian Grandma.

Chicken

The best chicken recipe, is the well-cooked chicken recipe. Learn our secrets now...

Pork

Tired of dull, dry pork? So are we! Learn how to make the best chops on the block.

Steak

Fear not! The grill, the pan, the oven, we've got you covered with the recipes and techniques to get the perfect steak...