Learn how to cook chicken breast in the oven for tender, juicy, flavorful results every time. This simple method uses a garlic and herb compound butter to add tons of flavor while keeping the chicken moist in the center, with perfectly golden, crispy skin on top.
When I’m home, I cook chicken at least once a week. Rotisserie-style oven-roasted chicken is my favorite. However, it makes a lot and requires quite a bit of effort. So, day-to-day, I typically stick with simple oven-baked chicken breasts instead.
For this recipe, I use a garlic and herb compound butter, tucking it directly underneath the skin, similar to how I prepare my Thanksgiving turkey. As the chicken bakes, the butter melts into the meat while the skin becomes golden and crisp.
It’s the best way to achieve tender, juicy chicken and is an easy starting point for everything from salads and sandwiches to pasta dishes and weeknight dinners with sides like my five cheese mac and cheese.
Ingredients and Notes
See the recipe card below for the complete ingredient list and instructions.
- Chicken Breast – I use skin-on chicken suprêmes for this recipe. You can also use boneless, skinless chicken breasts or bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts. Choose breasts that are fairly similar in size so they cook at roughly the same rate. Adjust the cooking time as needed depending on the type of chicken and the thickness of each piece.
- Butter – This adds richness and helps create juicy, flavorful chicken.
- Garlic – Freshly crushed garlic adds savory flavor to the compound butter.
- Fresh Herbs – I use fresh chives, parsley, and thyme. They provide herbaceous flavor and a touch of brightness without overpowering the chicken.
- Seasoning – Kosher salt and black pepper work perfectly, or use your favorite all-purpose chicken seasoning. OSMO Golden Gourmet Seasoning is my favorite.
How to Cook Chicken Breast in the Oven
Nick’s Tips for Success
- Use a meat thermometer. Chicken breast can go from juicy to dry pretty quickly. A good instant-read thermometer takes the guesswork out of determining when it’s done.
- Choose similarly sized chicken breasts. Chicken breasts that are roughly the same size and thickness will cook at a similar rate, so you aren’t left with one that’s undercooked while another dries out.
- Even out the chicken. Chicken breasts naturally taper from a thick end to a thin end. Gently pounding the thickest section helps everything cook more evenly and prevents the thin end from drying out before the center is cooked.
- Bake skin-side up. Keep the skin exposed as the chicken cooks so it has a chance to turn golden and crisp.
- Always rest your chicken. Give the chicken a few minutes to rest after cooking. This also allows carryover cooking to continue raising the internal temperature and keeps the chicken tender and juicy.
- Cut against the grain. When slicing chicken breast for serving, cut across the direction of the muscle fibers to keep each bite tender.
What to Serve With Baked Chicken Breast
Oven-baked chicken breasts are one of the most versatile protein sources you can make. I like to serve them as a main course with sides like roasted vegetables, crispy roasted potatoes, mashed potatoes, or French fries. They’re also delicious added to salads, sandwiches, wraps, soups, tacos, pesto pasta, mushroom risotto, or you can use them to make chicken burritos or chicken quesadillas.
Oven-Baked Chicken Breast Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Mixing Bowl or Food Processor
- Plastic Wrap
- 1 Meat Mallet or Rolling Pin
- 1 Sharp Knife
- 1 Baking Sheet
- Parchment Paper
- 1 Instant-Read Thermometer
Ingredients
- ½ cup (113 gram) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
- 2 teaspoon (10 milliliter) fresh chive, chopped
- 2 teaspoon (2 milliliter) fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 sprig fresh thyme leaves, chopped
- kosher salt, to taste
- black pepper, freshly ground, to taste
- 2 skin-on chicken suprêmes
- OSMO Golden Gourmet Seasoning, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).
- Combine the softened butter, garlic, chives, parsley, thyme, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl.½ cup unsalted butter, 1 clove garlic, 2 teaspoon fresh chive, 2 teaspoon fresh parsley, 2 sprig fresh thyme leaves, kosher salt, black pepper
- Spoon the butter onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Roll it into a tight log, twisting the ends of the plastic wrap to seal. Refrigerate until firm.
- Place the chicken breasts on a cutting board. Using a meat mallet or rolling pin, gently pound the thickest portions until the breasts are a fairly even thickness, being careful not to damage the skin.2 skin-on chicken suprêmes
- Unwrap the chilled butter and cut it into approximately ¼-inch (five-milimeter) slices. Tuck three slices underneath the skin of each chicken breast.
- Season the chicken generously with OSMO Golden Gourmet Seasoning or your seasoning of choice.OSMO Golden Gourmet Seasoning
- Arrange the chicken skin-side up on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the thickest part reaches 150°F (65°C).
- Remove the chicken from the oven and rest for five minutes, allowing carryover cooking to continue before serving.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
yum
LOOK SOOOO DELICIOUS, AND JUICY. BREAST IS MY FAVORITE PART OF THE CHICKEN. THANKS FOR THAT AWESOME VIDEO.
This chicken tastes amazing
This is so helpful!