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Healthy Baked Chicken Breast (Juicy & Easy)
The BEST way to bake chicken breast, with simple ingredients! My juicy, healthy baked chicken breast recipe is fast, easy, and never dry.
Prep
15 min
Cook
20 min
Total
35 min
Serves
4
Instructions
- 01
To brine the chicken breasts, place them in a large bowl with enough water to cover them (about 4 cups). Add sea salt and stir to mostly dissolve. Let sit for 10 minutes at room temperature, or for up to 24 hours in the refrigerator.
- 02
Drain the salt water, rinse the chicken, and pat dry.
- 03
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (232 degrees C).
- 04
Place the chicken breasts into a baking dish large enough for the pieces to fit without touching, or just barely touching. Brush both sides with olive oil.
- 05
Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with Italian seasoning, garlic powder, sea salt, paprika, and black pepper.
- 06
Bake for 18-22 minutes, until firm and no longer pink, and internal temperature reaches 160-165 degrees F (71-74 degrees C). (Internal temperature will rise another 5 degrees when resting.) A probe thermometer like this is the best set-it-and-forget-it method because it will beep when ready, but an instant-read thermometer also works.
- 07
Cover with foil and rest for 5 minutes before serving or slicing.
Nutrition
per serving · 1 serving
- Calories
- 324
- Protein
- 48.4g
- Carbs
- 1.5g
- Fat
- 12.7g
- Fiber
- 0.6g
- Sugar
- 0.1g
- Sat. fat
- 2.2g
- Sodium
- 7930.7mg
- Cholesterol
- 145.2mg
Variations & swaps
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Here I explain the best ingredients for my healthy baked chicken breasts recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.
- Chicken Breast – I developed this recipe for boneless skinless chicken breasts. Choose ones that are similar in size and thickness, so that they cook at the same rate. (I just pound them with the flat side of a meat mallet if the thickness is not the same.) If your chicken is frozen, you’ll need to thaw it first, but you can do this while brining. To cook other cuts, I’ve got other basic recipe…
- Salt Water Brine – This is simply a combination of water and sea salt (or you can use kosher salt). Brining is my secret to juicy baked chicken breast!
Seasoning Variations
- I use this baked chicken breast recipe as my base for all kinds of flavors, depending on what I’m serving it with. The combo above is what I make most often because it goes with everything, but these are great for more punch:
- Add heat – If you want to keep my original spice mixture but like a kick, add 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes, or 1 teaspoon of chili powder.
- Mexican – Swap all the spices with 1-2 tablespoons of taco seasoning or fajita seasoning. These are my faves when I’m making this healthy baked chicken breast to go with other Mexican recipes.
- Poultry flavor – For a comfort food vibe, use 2 teaspoons of my poultry seasoning instead of the Italian seasoning.
- Cajun – My husband’s favorite! Use Cajun seasoning in place of the spices (same amount as the Mexican version above).
- BBQ – After brining, brush the chicken with your favorite barbecue sauce (I use this sugar free BBQ sauce). Bake, and baste with more sauce halfway through. If you want it even more caramelized, finish under the broiler for 5 minutes.
- Teriyaki – Use my instructions for BBQ sauce above, with teriyaki sauce instead.
- Lemon pepper – Like my lemon pepper wings, you can simply substitute all the spices in this baked chicken breast recipe with 1 tablespoon of lemon pepper seasoning. Or just make my lemon garlic chicken.
- Ranch – Use ranch seasoning instead of the Italian seasoning, or just follow my ranch chicken recipe.
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