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Juicy Chicken Breasts · Oven-Baked

Easy Oven-Baked Chicken Breasts

4

Hands-free cooking

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Reading aloud

Before you start

Gather your ingredients

  • Swaps for boneless skinless chicken breasts

    Instead of chicken breasts or thighs

    • Chicken thighs: The same weight. Juicier and richer; cook a few minutes longer.
    • Extra-firm tofu or chickpeas: About the same weight of pressed tofu, or 1½ cups chickpeas per ½ lb chicken. A different dish, but it takes the same seasoning well.

    More for chicken breasts or thighs

    Cook all chicken to 165°F (74°C) in the thickest part, checked with a thermometer.

  • Swaps for olive oil

    Instead of olive oil

    • Avocado oil or another neutral oil: The same amount. No olive flavor; avocado oil handles higher heat.
    • Butter: The same amount. Richer and nutty when browned.
    • A neutral oil + more seasoning: The same amount. Dressings lose the fruity, peppery note; a little extra lemon, garlic or mustard makes up for it.

    More for olive oil

  • Swaps for kosher salt

    Instead of salt

    • Table salt or fine sea salt: About half as much as Diamond Crystal kosher, about ¾ as much as Morton kosher. The same saltiness when measured this way.
    • Salt by weight: 1 tsp is about 6 grams of table salt, 5 grams of Morton kosher, 3 grams of Diamond Crystal kosher. The most reliable way to swap, especially in baking and brines.

    More for salt

  • Swaps for brown sugar

    Instead of brown sugar

    • White sugar + molasses: 1 cup granulated sugar + 1 tbsp molasses (light) or 2 tbsp (dark). The same as store-bought.
    • White sugar: The same amount. Crisper, paler cookies with less caramel flavor.
    • Light and dark brown sugar: The same amount, either way. Dark brown sugar tastes stronger and makes bakes a bit darker and moister.

    All 4 swaps for brown sugar

  • Swaps for smoked paprika

    Instead of paprika

    • Sweet paprika + a pinch of chipotle or cumin: The same amount of paprika, plus a pinch. Some smokiness without the full smoked flavor; chipotle adds heat.
    • Chipotle powder: About ¼ the amount. Smoky and much hotter.

    More for paprika

  • Swaps for garlic powder

    Instead of garlic

    • Fresh garlic: 1 clove for each ⅛ tsp powder, minced fine. Sharper and stronger.
    • Granulated garlic: About twice as much as the powder. The same flavor in coarser grains, which blend better into rubs.

    More for garlic

  • Swaps for dried oregano

    Instead of oregano

    • Fresh oregano: 1 tbsp chopped fresh for each 1 tsp dried (three times as much). Brighter and more peppery; use a little less than you think.
    • Dried marjoram, Italian seasoning or dried basil: The same amount. Marjoram is milder, basil sweeter; Italian seasoning already has oregano in it.

    More for oregano

Step 1 of 6

Heat the oven to 425°F with a rack in the middle position.

425°F

Step 2 of 6

Pound (how to pound thin) Pound thin Flatten meat to an even thickness so it cooks quickly and evenly. 1. Put the meat between two sheets of plastic wrap or in a zip-top bag with the air pressed out.2. Start in the thickest part and hit it with the flat side of a meat mallet, a rolling pin or a small heavy pan.3. Work outward, pushing as much as hitting, so it spreads instead of tearing.4. Stop when it is the thickness the recipe asks for all over. Done when: The piece is the same thickness edge to edge, usually ¼ to ½ inch, with no holes. Safety: Raw meat, poultry and fish juices carry germs: use a separate board, wash your hands and tools after, and cook to a safe temperature checked with a thermometer.How to pound chicken and cutlets thin: mistakes to avoid
the thick end of each breast with a meat mallet until the breasts are an even 3/4 inch thick.

Step 3 of 6

Pat the chicken dry and set it in a 9x13 baking dish or on a lined sheet pan. Drizzle with the oil and turn to coat.

Step 4 of 6

Stir the salt, brown sugar, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano and pepper together, then sprinkle it over both sides of the chicken.

Step 5 of 6

Bake until the thickest part reads 165°F (74°C). Start checking at 16 minutes.

165°F

Step 6 of 6

Let the chicken
rest (how to rest) Rest Leave cooked meat, baked goods or dough alone for a while before you cut, slice or shape it. 1. Move meat to a board or plate as soon as it is done (a few degrees shy of target for big roasts; it keeps rising).2. Tent it loosely with foil if the kitchen is cool.3. Rest steaks and chops 5 minutes, roasts 15 to 20, a turkey 30.4. For dough, cover it so it doesn't dry out while it relaxes. Done when: Meat juices stay in when you slice; dough rolls out without springing back. Safety: Rest at room temperature for under an hour, then refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours of cooking.How to rest meat and dough: mistakes to avoid
in the pan before slicing so it keeps its juices.

All done

Enjoy!

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Ingredients

  • Swaps for boneless skinless chicken breasts

    Instead of chicken breasts or thighs

    • Chicken thighs: The same weight. Juicier and richer; cook a few minutes longer.
    • Extra-firm tofu or chickpeas: About the same weight of pressed tofu, or 1½ cups chickpeas per ½ lb chicken. A different dish, but it takes the same seasoning well.

    More for chicken breasts or thighs

    Cook all chicken to 165°F (74°C) in the thickest part, checked with a thermometer.

  • Swaps for olive oil

    Instead of olive oil

    • Avocado oil or another neutral oil: The same amount. No olive flavor; avocado oil handles higher heat.
    • Butter: The same amount. Richer and nutty when browned.
    • A neutral oil + more seasoning: The same amount. Dressings lose the fruity, peppery note; a little extra lemon, garlic or mustard makes up for it.

    More for olive oil

  • Swaps for kosher salt

    Instead of salt

    • Table salt or fine sea salt: About half as much as Diamond Crystal kosher, about ¾ as much as Morton kosher. The same saltiness when measured this way.
    • Salt by weight: 1 tsp is about 6 grams of table salt, 5 grams of Morton kosher, 3 grams of Diamond Crystal kosher. The most reliable way to swap, especially in baking and brines.

    More for salt

  • Swaps for brown sugar

    Instead of brown sugar

    • White sugar + molasses: 1 cup granulated sugar + 1 tbsp molasses (light) or 2 tbsp (dark). The same as store-bought.
    • White sugar: The same amount. Crisper, paler cookies with less caramel flavor.
    • Light and dark brown sugar: The same amount, either way. Dark brown sugar tastes stronger and makes bakes a bit darker and moister.

    All 4 swaps for brown sugar

  • Swaps for smoked paprika

    Instead of paprika

    • Sweet paprika + a pinch of chipotle or cumin: The same amount of paprika, plus a pinch. Some smokiness without the full smoked flavor; chipotle adds heat.
    • Chipotle powder: About ¼ the amount. Smoky and much hotter.

    More for paprika

  • Swaps for garlic powder

    Instead of garlic

    • Fresh garlic: 1 clove for each ⅛ tsp powder, minced fine. Sharper and stronger.
    • Granulated garlic: About twice as much as the powder. The same flavor in coarser grains, which blend better into rubs.

    More for garlic

  • Swaps for dried oregano

    Instead of oregano

    • Fresh oregano: 1 tbsp chopped fresh for each 1 tsp dried (three times as much). Brighter and more peppery; use a little less than you think.
    • Dried marjoram, Italian seasoning or dried basil: The same amount. Marjoram is milder, basil sweeter; Italian seasoning already has oregano in it.

    More for oregano