Oven Roasted Chicken Breasts

The foundation for many weekly meal preps, Oven Roasted Chicken Breasts are crispy, juicy and tender. Just a few minutes of hands on time saves you hours in the kitchen during the week. And they’re better than store-bought rotisserie chicken!

I wasn’t going to post this recipe for a variety of reasons. The pictures are not beautiful. The recipe is silly, stupid simple. It’s just chicken. I didn’t want to insult you all by posting something like Oven Roasted Chicken Breast but the truth of the matter is, it’s the basis for many of my quick prep meals.

I like to make a few roasted bone-in chicken breasts during Sunday meal prep and use them throughout the week for things like chicken salad and chicken soup. Sure, I could make another trip to the store and buy a fresh rotisserie chicken, but why? By making my own chicken, I can control what I put into it. And I keep it simple, olive oil, kosher salt, black pepper. And split chicken breast, of course, but I think you get the gist.

Simply put, this recipe is similar to Oven Baked Chicken Breast because the process is similar and you can use seasoning, like a dry rub, or not. It’s totally up to you. But, this roasted chicken breast recipe uses bone in chicken breasts instead of boneless, skinless chicken.

And the best part of this chicken breast recipe, to me, is the extra crispy, salty skin. It keeps the moisture inside of the meat so you end up with super tender, juicy chicken breast without breaking a sweat.

Ingredients

• Chicken Breasts – We use bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts to keep the chicken juicy and tender. You can substitute with boneless chicken breasts but decrease the cooking time so they don’t dry out.
• Olive Oil – Olive oil helps crisp up the skin and keep the chicken moist. You can use avocado oil or another neutral oil in place of the olive oil.
• Seasoning – We use a simple seasoning of kosher salt and black pepper. Feel free to get creative with your favorite seasonings like a sprinkle of garlic powder, Italian Seasoning, Cajun Seasoning or Old Bay Seasoning.

For the full ingredient list and instructions, see the recipe card at the bottom.

How To Roast Chicken Breast

1. Line your baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil for easy clean up. If you’re lucky, you won’t even poke a hole in the foil and may not even need to wash it! 🙂 
2. Place the chicken skin side up on the baking sheet and pat dry with paper towels. Coat with about a tablespoon of olive oil. Rub to coat the chicken evenly. If chilled, allow the chicken to come to room temperature before baking.
3. Sprinkle liberally with kosher salt to coat evenly. You’re going to discard the skin so it’s ok if it’s extra salt. Or you can eat it. It’s really good…like addictingly good…like a potato chip.
4. Sprinkle liberally with fresh ground pepper. Because your chicken skin snack will be even better with pepper. Just sayin’.
5. Roast in a 425˚F oven for a cooking time of 25-30 minutes or until it registers 165˚F on a meat thermometer or instant read thermometer. The high temperature helps to seal in the juices.
6. Allow the chicken to rest until cool enough to handle and then discard the skin. (You know my feelings on this.)  
7. Shred, chop or just leave on the bone, store in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Refrigerated, of course.

For extra flavor, we sometimes use this Chicken Marinade overnight before baking chicken breasts.

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Temperature to Bake Chicken Breasts

This question has plagued me forever and I finally made some notes with my temperature times to see what the best result is. Too low of a temperature seemed to dry out the chicken because it did have to cook for a longer period of time.

Boneless skinless, chicken breasts do better with a higher temperature because it allows the outside of the chicken to sear which seals in the juices. I use this same method for my roast turkey and it’s been the best turkey ever for the past 20 years. No kidding.

So, 425˚F is my go to for the juiciest chicken breast because it’s not so searing hot that the outside dries out but it’s just hot enough to sear the outside of the chicken keeping the inside juicy and tender.

How Long To Bake Chicken Breasts

Bone in, skin on chicken breasts will bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes until they reach an internal temperature of 165˚ F. This, of course, depends upon the weight and thickness of the chicken breast you’re baking. If the size of your chicken breasts vary, be sure to check the temperature with your instant read thermometer before serving.

Large chicken breasts will take about 5 minutes longer than small chicken breasts.

Follow the guidelines below for estimated cooking times for oven baked chicken breasts

• 5 ounces 14-16 minutes
• 8 ounces 16-20 minutees
• 10-12 ounces 20-30 minutes

Sometimes, in a pinch, I’ll whip up this easy Garlic Butter Sauce to drizzle on top and call it a day….or dinner. 🙂

How To Store Leftovers

Cooked chicken breasts will last up to 4 days in the fridge if stored in an airtight container. We love to use them for meal prepping at the beginning of the week.

To store leftover chicken breast in the freezer, remove the meat from the bone and wrap each breast tightly in plastic wrap. Transfer to an airtight container. Store your chicken breasts in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Easy Oven Roasted Chicken Breasts are also awesome on their own in a sandwich but I highly recommend trying it in this Skillet Chicken Pot Pie because this comfort food comes together in just 30 minutes. Don’t believe me…try it out for yourself!

Got an Instant Pot? You may also LOVE this easy Shredded Chicken, too. It’s totally juicy and packed with zesty flavor.

Best Sides for Chicken Breasts

• Roasted Green Beans
• The Best Mashed Potatoes
• Broccoli Cauliflower Salad
• Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries

More Easy Chicken Recipes

• Oven Baked Chicken Breasts…ready in minutes!
• Oven Baked Chicken Tenders.…a hit with the littles!
• Crispy Baked Chicken Thighs….so easy!
• Easy Crispy Baked Chicken Wings

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