Description
This perfect 20-minute oven-baked chicken breasts recipe delivers juicy, evenly cooked chicken with a flavorful dry rub. Quick to prepare and cook, it is ideal for a healthy dinner option that comes together effortlessly.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken
- 3 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (4 extra-large breasts or 6 average)
- 3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Dry Rub
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 to 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 to 2 teaspoons paprika or smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional and to taste
Garnish (Optional)
- 1 to 2 teaspoons finely minced fresh herbs (parsley, cilantro, basil)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat oven to 425F using convection if available, and line a baking sheet with foil for easier cleanup.
- Prepare Chicken: Place the chicken breasts on the baking sheet and pound them to an even thickness using a wine bottle, meat pounder, rolling pin, or heavy frying pan. This ensures even cooking.
- Season Chicken: Drizzle olive oil evenly over the chicken and season generously with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Make Dry Rub: In a small bowl, combine light brown sugar, chili powder, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, and optional cayenne pepper. Stir well to blend all the spices.
- Apply Rub: Evenly spoon the dry rub over both sides of the chicken breasts, applying a bit more to the top side facing up.
- Bake Chicken: Place the chicken in the preheated oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165F and the chicken is cooked through.
- Rest Chicken: Remove the chicken from the oven and let it rest covered with foil for 5 to 10 minutes to lock in the juices and moisture.
- Garnish and Serve: Optionally, garnish the rested chicken with finely minced fresh herbs like parsley, cilantro, or basil before serving.
Notes
- The brown sugar in the rub may cause some caramelization or mild burning on the pan runoff, but this usually coincides with the chicken being done.
- Lining the baking sheet with foil is highly recommended to catch juices and make cleanup easier.
- Resting the chicken after baking is crucial to retain moisture; do not skip this step.
- To ensure even cooking, pound the chicken breasts to uniform thickness but not too thin.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/8 recipe
- Calories: 280 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 450 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8.5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 12 g
- Fiber: 1.5 g
- Protein: 38 g
- Cholesterol: 90 mg
