Baked Chicken Breast
Updated Aug 25, 2026
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This easy baked chicken breast recipe makes tender, juicy chicken with simple seasonings and one easy trick that keeps it from drying out in the oven. It’s ready in about 30 minutes for a quick dinner or meal prep.
The Baked Chicken Breast Recipe I Always Come Back To
Baked chicken sounds simple enough, but we all know how quickly it can go from juicy to dry in the oven. I’ve been making chicken this way for years, and the trick is covering it with parchment paper while it bakes. The parchment traps the steam around the chicken, helping it stay moist and tender while it cooks.
I season the chicken with garlic, oregano, and Italian seasoning, then add a little butter before covering it and popping it into a 400°F oven. It’s simple enough to make on a weeknight and versatile enough to use throughout the week in salads, pasta, sandwiches, and meal prep.
If you’d like to try a different method, my slow cooker chicken breast is great for hands-off cooking, and this yogurt-marinated baked chicken is another easy oven-baked option.
Why You’ll Love This Baked Chicken Recipe
- Quick. Ready in about 30 minutes, it’s an easy chicken dinner for busy weeknights.
- No marinating needed. Season the chicken and it can go straight into the oven, so there’s nothing you need to prep hours ahead.
- Easy to change up. Keep the same baking method and switch the seasonings depending on what you’re serving.
- Goes with just about anything. Pair it with rice, pasta, potatoes, vegetables, or a salad, or slice it up to use in other meals.
Ingredients You’ll Need
You only need chicken breasts, butter, garlic, and a few simple seasonings for this recipe. The parchment paper is the extra step that helps keep the chicken moist while it bakes.
- Chicken breasts: Use boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Pat them dry and trim away any excess fat if needed.
- Garlic: Fresh minced garlic adds plenty of flavor.
- Seasonings: I use garlic powder, dried oregano, Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper. You can also use my chicken seasoning blend.
- Butter: Place a pat of butter over each chicken breast before baking. Salted or unsalted both work.
- Cooking spray: For lightly greasing the baking dish.
- Parchment paper: This covers the chicken while it bakes and helps trap moisture in the dish. Use parchment paper, not wax paper.
Recipe Tips
- Use similar-sized chicken breasts. They’ll cook more evenly and should finish at roughly the same time.
- Check the temperature. An instant-read thermometer is the easiest way to tell when chicken breast is done. Check the thickest part and cook to 165°F.
- Don’t rely only on the clock. Chicken breasts vary quite a bit in thickness, so use the cooking time as a guide rather than a guarantee.
- Let the chicken rest. Give it about 5 minutes before slicing so the juices have a chance to settle.
- Want more color? Since the parchment keeps the chicken covered while it cooks, it won’t brown much. You can briefly place it under the broiler after baking if you’d like a more golden finish.
- Change the seasonings. The parchment method works with plenty of different seasoning blends, and I also use a similar approach for my stuffed chicken breasts.
What to Serve With Baked Chicken Breast
This is one of those recipes that makes the rest of dinner easy to plan. Here are a few of my favorite ways to serve chicken:
- Rice and bowls: Serve sliced chicken over jeera rice or coconut lime cauliflower rice.
- Pasta: Pair it with my creamy garlic butter pasta with spinach for an easy chicken pasta dinner.
- Vegetables: Add sautéed garlic broccolini or roasted Parmesan mushrooms on the side.
- Potatoes: Serve it with air fryer baked potatoes or Parmesan truffle fries.
- Salads: Slice leftover baked chicken and add it to your favorite green salad or Caesar salad.
- Soups: Shred leftovers and stir them into chicken vegetable soup or Thai chicken soup.
FAQs
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts usually take about 25 to 30 minutes at 400°F, depending on their size and thickness. Start checking them toward the early end of the cooking time and use an instant-read thermometer to make sure the thickest part reaches 165°F.
For this recipe, I cover the chicken breasts with parchment paper before baking. It traps moisture around the chicken as it cooks, which helps keep the meat tender and juicy. Just as important, avoid overcooking the chicken and let it rest for about 5 minutes before slicing.
Not always, but I do for this recipe. Covering the chicken breasts with parchment paper helps trap moisture in the baking dish so the chicken stays tender and juicy as it cooks. Tuck the parchment around the chicken before baking, then remove it once the chicken reaches 165°F.
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Baked Chicken Breast
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Ingredients
- olive oil cooking spray
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, fat trimmed off
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon Italian Seasoning, or to taste
- 1 tablespoon butter, cut up into 4 pats
- parchment paper
Instructions
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Lightly grease a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray.
- Prep the chicken. Pat dry the chicken breasts with paper towels. Transfer the chicken breasts to the baking dish and rub a bit of minced garlic over each chicken breast. Season chicken on both sides with salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano, and Italian seasoning. Place a pat of butter over each chicken breast.
- Add the parchment paper. Place a sheet of parchment paper over the chicken breasts. Tuck the edges so that the parchment paper is snug around the chicken.
- Bake. Place the chicken in the oven and bake for 30 to 33 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 162˚F to 165˚F.
- Rest and serve. Remove the chicken breasts from the oven and transfer them to a serving plate; let rest for 5 minutes before serving and cutting.
Notes
- Chicken Breasts: This recipe uses boneless and skinless chicken breasts. If you want to use chicken thighs, please check out this recipe: Oven Baked Chicken Thighs.
- Parchment Paper: This will help retain moisture, resulting in tender and juicy chicken. Aluminum foil can be used in place of parchment paper.
- Seasonings: Chicken can be flavored with various herbs and spices. My go-to’s are almost always garlic powder, onion powder, some paprika, dried oregano, dried thyme, or dried rosemary. Feel free to get creative using your favorite seasonings.
- Golden Brown Finish: To add a touch of golden crispiness, give the chicken breasts a quick broil to achieve that browned top.
- Instant Read Meat Thermometer: Please use a meat thermometer to check the chicken for doneness. Chicken is cooked through when its internal temperature registers at 165˚F. Also, let the chicken rest for 5 minutes after you pull it out of the oven and before slicing and serving.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
How to Bake Chicken Breast
This method is easy: season the chicken, top it with butter, cover it with parchment paper, and bake at 400°F. The exact cooking time will depend on the size and thickness of your chicken breasts, so use an instant-read thermometer to check for doneness.
- Prep the chicken. Preheat the oven to 400°F and lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish. Arrange the chicken breasts in the dish.
- Season. Rub the chicken with minced garlic, then season both sides with salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano, and Italian seasoning.
- Add the butter and parchment. Place a pat of butter on each chicken breast. Cover the chicken with parchment paper, tucking the edges around the breasts to help hold in the steam.
- Bake. Bake until the chicken is cooked through and reaches a safe internal temperature of 165°F. Depending on the thickness of the breasts, this will take about 25 to 30 minutes.
- Rest. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
Proper Storage
- Refrigerate: Store leftover baked chicken breast in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- Reheat: Microwave individual portions in short intervals until warmed through, or reheat the chicken in a 350°F oven. Avoid overheating to keep the chicken tender.
- Freeze: Let the chicken cool, then transfer it to a freezer-safe container or bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
I realize this sounds like a dumb question, but I dont’ understand the tucking the parchment paper under the chicken thing. My butter sticks to the paper when I try to tuck the parchment under the chicken. Is it supposed to be tucked in tightly all round? Just lengthwise? I appreciate the hard work that goes into making a recipe and posting it on your blog and not trying to nitpick, but another photo of what it looks like all tucked in would be helpful. Thanks!
I would like to know this as well
I’m glad you asked this because I didn’t see the question that the first commenter had posted. I’m VERY sorry about that!
You don’t have to tuck the parchment paper all under and around the chicken… tuck it just around the edges so that the liquid does not escape. The liquid is what will keep the chicken moist. Refer to the 4th picture from the top and that’s as much tucking as needs to be done. 🙂 I hope this helps! Please let me know if I’m still not making sense. 😀
Can you use wax paper instead of parchment paper?
Hi!
Wax paper will burn or melt. It’s best to use parchment paper because it is heat resistant.
Can you leave out the pat of butter? I’m marinating with a Greek Chicken Marinade. Will the chicken still be juicy and tender if I do not add a pat of butter to each?
Hi! I assume the marinade is saucy, so you can definitely get away with not using the pat of butter. This recipe is used more for the plain baked chicken seasoned with salt, pepper, and herbs.
thank you!
This sounds super easy! Going to try tonight!! Thanks for sharing such a great recipe.
Wondering if you’ve ever stuffed the breasts with goat cheese & sun dried tomatoes?
I’m just about to make this but wasn’t sure if the recipe is calling for 4 chicken breasts totaling 1 pound or each chicken breast is 1 pound for a total of 4 pounds? Please help. Thank you!
Hi! That’s 4 chicken breasts, each breast should be around 4 ounces. So, a total of 1 pound of chicken. I hope that helps. 🙂
Your macros are off. There is WAY more protein in 1lb of chicken breast than 24g
this is stating that there is 24g per piece
Cam i make this without the italian seasoning?
Sure! You can use whatever seasonings you prefer. 🙂
I dont have parchment paper or garlic. Can I use just garlic salt and foil??
Yes, you certainly can, but I would still advise to try it with parchment paper and fresh garlic, when you have a chance. 🙂
I’ve made this multiple times since I found this recipe…..my family LOVES it! Absolutely delicious, juicy and easy! Waaaay better and faster than cooking on a grill.
Thank you for a perfect recipe!