This tasty baked chicken breast is cooked with garlic butter sauce in the oven for 20 minutes until tender and juicy. It’s sure to become an instant family favorite!
If you love juicy chicken breast recipes, I’m sure you’ll love this recipe. My husband also loves it, especially because I cook it in garlic butter sauce. Who doesn’t love a buttery flavoured sauce?
This sauce gives more flavor to this chicken breast and helps it to be tender, moist and juicy too. This sauce is so good that you don’t need to even use a chicken marinade.
Don’t be afraid to bake chicken in the oven – it won’t be dry or tasteless. This is one of the juiciest chicken breast recipes you can find online.
This is also one of my favorite chicken recipes because it’s so quick and easy to make. No weird steps, no wrapping or brining needed. You don’t even need to pound the chicken breast with a rolling pin or meat mallet and you don’t need to use parchment paper or plastic wrap either. The garlic butter sauce will bring all the flavors.
Ingredients to Make Baked Chicken Breast
- Chicken breast — I use boneless skinless chicken breast.
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper — Keep in mind that kosher salt is twice the size of table salt. A sprinkle of table salt is much saltier than the same amount in kosher salt.
- Paprika — Use sweet or smoked paprika. You can replace paprika for other spices like garlic powder and chili powder too.
- Butter — use Ghee if you’re doing Whole30.
- Italian seasoning – You can also use dried oregano.
- Fresh parsley — chopped
- Garlic — minced
- Olive oil — extra virgin
Instructions to make Baked Chicken
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Season all the sides of chicken breast with salt, pepper and paprika. In a cast iron skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. When the skillet is hot add chicken breast. Sear for about 1-2 minutes each side or until golden.
2. In a small bowl mix together the butter, Italian seasoning, parsley, and garlic. Set aside.
3. Pour garlic butter mixture over the chicken breast. Place skillet in the oven and cook for about 20-30 minutes or until chicken breasts gets to an internal temperature of 165F.
4. Remove from the oven. Using a spoon, pour some of the butter sauce left in the skillet onto the chicken breast before serving.
Olivia’s Recipe Tips
- After removing the chicken breast from the fridge, pat dry the chicken with paper towels.
- Replace chicken breast for chicken thighs or even chicken legs if it’s what you have. I prefer to make this recipe with boneless skinless chicken breast. However, you can make it with bone-in and skin on chicken thighs too.
- Let the baked chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving.
How To Store Leftovers
- To Store: Let the chicken cool, then place it in an airtight container. I prefer using glass containers because they don’t retain smells and are easier to clean. It’ll last for up to 4 days in the fridge.
- To Freeze: You can freeze it for up to three months. For convenience, I suggest shredding, dicing, or slicing the chicken before freezing.
- To Reheat: Microwave your baked chicken with a damp paper towel over top the container to keep it moist.
How long to Bake Chicken Breast?
The cooking time will depend on the size of your chicken breast and also on the power of your oven. Some ovens have slight heat differences.
But according to USDA, a 4-oz. chicken breast should be bake at 350°F (177˚C) for 25 minutes or 30 minutes. If the chicken breast is smaller then 4oz, bake it for about 20 minutes.
However, to bake a 5 to 6 ounce chicken breast at 400F, it will take around 20 to 25 minutes.
How do you know when boneless chicken breast is done?
Check the temperature of the chicken breast with an instant read thermometer. Chicken is cooked when it reaches the internal temperature of 165°F (74˚C). Don’t forget to always insert the meat thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken.
What should I serve with this Baked Chicken
- Serve it with a salad on the side.
- Over roasted veggies.
- Over quinoa, rice, dinner rolls or mashed potatoes if you’re not following a low-carb diet.
More Chicken Breast Recipes to Try:
- Delicious Chicken Mushroom that are both super easy to make.
- Super Juicy Chicken Breast that we love for dinner.
- Chicken Fajitas and it’s stays good in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Easy and quick to make Mediterranean Chicken Skillet.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you don’t have a cast iron pan, no need to worry. Use a skillet to cook chicken, then transfer to a foil pan or baking dish before adding garlic butter and baking.
Tip: if you bake it in a sheet pan or casserole, add some potatoes, cauliflower and broccoli to make it a one-pan meal.
No, there’s no need to flip it when baking.
I recommend using a garlic butter sauce, as it adds extra moisture to the chicken. This is how I prepare this easy chicken dinner to ensure it retains all its natural juices.
It comes down to what you prefer and how you like your chicken. Both baking and pan-frying can make tasty chicken breasts, but baking usually needs less oil, which some people prefer for health reasons.
For more quick and easy chicken breast recipes for dinner, give my family’s favorite dishes a try like this Stuffed Chicken Breast. We also love this Instant Pot Chicken Breast and this Air Fryer Chicken Breast Recipe.
Garlic Butter Baked Chicken Breast
Video
Ingredients
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 + 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 4 tbsp butter (melted) use Ghee if you're doing Whole30.
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 tbsp. olive oil extra virgin
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Season chicken breast with salt, pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of paprika and set aside.
- In a small bowl mix 1/4 teaspoon of paprika, butter, Italian seasoning, parsley, and garlic. Set aside.
- In a cast iron skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. When the skillet is hot add chicken breast. Sear until golden. It’s about 1-2 minutes each side.
- Pour garlic butter mixture over the chicken breast. Place skillet in the oven and cook until cooked through. It’s about 20-30 minutes or until chicken breasts gets to an internal temperature of 165F.
- Remove from the oven. Using a spoon, pour some of the butter sauce left in the skillet onto the chicken breast before serving.
Tips
- Fresh garlic tastes a lot better than pre-minced garlic, so I recommend you use fresh garlic cloves.
- Get chicken breasts similar in size, so they cook evenly.
- If you don’t have a cast-iron skillet, you can cook the chicken in a regular pan. After cooking it on the stove, transfer the chicken to a baking dish or sheet pan. Finish cooking the chicken in the oven.
- To store: Store leftover chicken breasts in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge.
- To reheat: You can reheat in the microwave when ready to eat. You can also eat chicken cold.
- To freeze: Freeze the cooked chicken breasts in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 3 months.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.
Watch the Baked Chicken Breast Web Stories.
Courtney B. says
Made this last night for dinner. The chicken was flavor- filled and juicy.It also cooked quickly which is a necessity for our busy schedule. I would highly recommend this recipe.
Olivia says
So glad to hear the recipe worked well for you! Flavor-filled, juicy chicken that fits into a busy schedule is a win-win. Thanks for recommending it!
Clara says
Easy and delicious, I’m adding this recipe to my favorites.
Olivia says
That’s great to hear! A delicious and easy chicken breast—sounds like a winner! Happy you liked it.
Phyllis says
Easy dish with great flavor! I did double the sauce as mentioned in a tip. Served it with quinoa and squash and black chickpea curry and sautéed spinach.My husband loved it! What’s not to love with garlic butter sauce! Thanks for the recipe and nutritional information!
Olivia says
That sounds like an amazing spread! Doubling the sauce is a fantastic idea, especially with such complementary sides. Garlic butter sauce truly has that special touch. I’m thrilled to hear it was a hit for you and your husband. If you ever need more recipes or tips, feel free to reach out. Enjoy your culinary adventures!
Normal Applesauce says
Had to search for a suggested temperature. Putting 400 in the actual recipe would be good. Thanks!
Olivia says
Please look at the first step of the recipe card instructions and you will find the proper temperature.
Sylvia Cardines says
Tried recipe last night and followed directions as is. Could not believe how delicious it turned out. In fact, believe this to be my #1 favorite recipe (even better than my favorite chicken parmigiana). Luckily I made a lot of breasts and was able to freeze the leftovers, meaning I can enjoy this meal again and again. Thank you for sharing.
Olivia says
That’s fantastic to hear! It’s always a win when a dish becomes a new favorite. Freezing leftovers is such a great idea for future delicious meals. So glad you enjoyed it!
Sunday says
I wanted a simple but delicious main course for a small family Christmas gathering and this was perfect! Delicious and definitely flavorful and juicy. 🙂 Thanks for this recipe, I will definitely make it again!
Olivia says
That’s wonderful to hear! I’m thrilled the recipe worked out well for your Christmas gathering. It’s great knowing you enjoyed it and found it flavorful and juicy. Wishing you many more delicious meals ahead! Cheers!
Marsha Meece says
Absolutely delicious. The next day the cold chicken was just so good cold. So flavorful and we dipped our crescent rolls in leftover garlic Butter mixture.
Olivia says
Amazing!
Jane says
Very good. Chicken was done in 12 minutes.
Olivia says
Awesome! Thank you for stopping by 😉
Grams says
I found this to make when I had no idea’s for dinner. I thought it will be good enough but we all LOVED it and it will definitely become a part of our dinner rotation. Thank you for this easy and delicious recipe.
Olivia says
That’s fantastic to hear! I’m thrilled the recipe was such a hit for you. It’s always wonderful when a last-minute dinner idea turns into a new family favorite. If you need more recipes or ideas, feel free to ask!
Cynthia Devereese says
Made 4 chick breasts last night. Just me here. Ate one. Awesome! Put others (minus butter, of course) into chicken salad. SOOOOO flavorful!
Olivia says
That’s such a clever way to repurpose the chicken breasts! Chicken salad sounds delicious, and I’m glad you enjoyed the flavor. Creative cooking at its best! 👩🍳🍗