Love and Olive Oil

Kitchen Basics: Oven-Roasted Chicken Breasts

Kitchen Basics: Oven-Roasted Chicken Breasts

Oven roasted chicken is a staple in our kitchen. Maybe because it is so easy, or maybe because roasted chicken is basically the Swiss Army Knife of proteins. It is so juicy it can be eaten right off of the bone, shredded for use in soups, tacos, or sandwiches, or the meat can be removed from the bone in one piece and sliced into medallions. The options are endless.

Easy Oven-Roasted Chicken Breasts: Before

There are a few tricks Lindsay and I have discovered for the perfect oven-roasted chicken breasts. The first trick is to keep things simple. We use olive oil, salt, and pepper to season the chicken. That’s it. More often than not, we are using the chicken as an ingredient in another dish (these tacos, for example) and additional seasoning at the roasting stage is unnecessary.

Easy Oven-Roasted Chicken Breasts: After

The second trick is to buy bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts. Dealing with bones might be scary if you’re not used to it, but the extra effort is completely worth it (trust me). The meat turns out juicier and more flavorful than boneless. Plus, as an added bonus, bone-in, skin-on is much cheaper per pound.

Lastly, don’t overcook the chicken! Our recipe is just a guideline, since meat comes in different weights and thicknesses and ovens vary wildly from kitchen to kitchen. Get a meat thermometer (if you don’t have one) and use it. It will tell you whether or not the chicken is cooked through. We bake ours to 165 degrees Fahrenheit (FDA recommends 170 degrees, use your own judgement). When the chicken reaches your desired temperature, let it rest for ten minutes or so in loosely tented foil. From here it is ready to be sliced, shredded, or eaten right off of the bone with your favorite side dishes.

Oven-Roasted Chicken Breasts

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Ingredients:

  • 2 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • pinch of kosher salt
  • fresh black pepper

Directions:

  1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
  2. Rub both sides of chicken breasts with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place breasts skin side up on prepared baking sheet.
  3. Bake for about 45 minutes (more or less depending on size and weight of chicken breasts) or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. Remove from oven and loosely cover with foil; allow meat to rest 10 minutes before slicing or shredding.
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33 Comments

  1. Yummy. THis is my “go to” roasted chicken on the bone recipe. THank you!

  2. Thank you for taking the time to post this recipe. I’m just now relearning the benefits of cooking chicken breast with skin and bone. I always remove the skin and bones before we eat, but cooking the breast with it makes a huge difference in tenderness and taste.

  3. Should we check the chicken breast if it done before allowing meat to rest 10 minutes? Since an uncooked chicken has many poison.

    • You want to check for doneness while it is still in the oven. It should read 165º at that point, then take it out and let it rest. If after your first test the chicken is underdone, then put it back in the oven for more time (and wash off your thermometer).

  4. BEST AND EASIEST CHICKEN BREASTS EVER!!! So easy, so tender and oh so tasty!! I sprinkled just a little bit of onion powder over the chickens too and at the end put them under the broiler for a few minutes on each side to give it that crunchy yummy goodness!!:) thank you for this!! Fav!!

  5. I’m sold! Excellent recipe, this is now my go-to for bone-in-skin-on-chicken breast!

  6. Did I miss something……degrees for oven?

  7. Will definitely do this. Do you ever recommend using the convection oven for roasting chicken?

  8. Thanks for sharing the tips Lindsay! My fiance and I always make our chicken in the skillet, and while it turns out delicious, I have been interested in mixing things up a bit. I cook with chicken a lot, and this oven-roasted technique sounds like a must try. 

  9. I actually pull the skin back first and season the breast itself. Then, I recover the breast with the skin and season the skin itself. This locks the flavor into the meat and the skin keeps the juices inside.

  10. how long would you bake bone in skin on frozen chicken thighs for?

    • I wouldn’t bake straight from frozen. Let them thaw overnight in the refrigerator and then bake until the internal temperature registers 165ºF. My guess is they’d take slightly less time than bone-in breasts, maybe 35-40 minutes.

  11. is there a meat thermometer that you like?  The once that I have bought are always off a bit.

    • You can calibrate/test your thermometer by testing boiling water, which boils always at a consistent temperature (based on your altitude). Then you at least know how off your thermometer is. :)

      Specifically, we have this thermometer: http://amzn.to/1lGyJPe and I love it. Great for meat, candy, oil, etc. and is quite reliable.

  12. Great, easy recipe!  Made this for my kids tonight and they loved it!

    -m

  13. Also – let’s not forget using the bones for stock!

  14. I’ve never tried bone-in, but I’ll try your recipe this week! Sounds yummy! Thanks for sharing! 

  15. I love that you posted this… its such a staple and its nice to have a good recipe

  16. Oven roasted chicken breast is my favorite way to make chicken! It’s so easy you can just leave it in there and forget about it for a while. I think that when I oven roast chicken breast it is so much more tasty! I like to cook it all the way through and then cut it up into cube and roll it around in the juices left in the pan and then bake it just a bit longer, it totally locks in the flavor! Plus, then it’s already cut and ready to eat! 

  17. You are so right, bone-in does provide a great flavor. Love the tips :)

  18. I get so excited when my chicken turns out just right.  It does vary, but I’ve never used a meat thermometer  to keep from over cooking it.  I’ll definitely try this next time.  My problem is knowing how Lon to cook FROZEN chicken breasts, when oven roasting and/or poaching my chicken.  Any suggestions?   Thanks.  Great blog!   

    • A meat thermometer will really help to prevent overcooking. We rarely cook anything from frozen (other than frozen pizza) so I don’t have any suggestions there. We usually thaw frozen meat overnight in the fridge. That way the outside of the meat doesn’t get overcooked while waiting for the inside to thaw and cook.

  19. Skin on for me is the best! Love your Kitchen Basic!

  20. So simple and delicious! I love keeping dinners nice and easy like  this. I can’t wait to try this recipe next date night! Thanks for sharing :)

  21. I do this a lot for recipes. If I don’t have any bone in, I make a foil packet with skinless, boneless breasts and cook them the same way. They turn out moist as well.

  22. You made me lol! Chicken is the swiss army knife of proteins! It is such a staple and I don’t know where I would be without several fail-safe, juicy chicken breast recipes! I’ve never roasted it with the bone-in, so I’ll definitely be trying this! 

  23. Yeah, bone-in, skin-on is definitely the best. These are great tips.

  24. Love your blog. Looks delicious! 

    -Brittny Alys

    http://www.piusale.blogspot.it

  25. Swiss army knife of protein <— WELL SAID! Bone in-skin on is the best, and I love that it's usually less expensive too. Wins all around.

  26. This is such a great post, something you think is so simple but actually so many people (including myself) get wrong some time! Thank you, favoriting this one (:

  27. Such a great, simple how-to! I love roasting chicken, but I always buy skinless…guess I should switch ‘er up! Pinning

    • Buy bone-in from now on. Trust me you won’t be disappointed. And just like the recipe says olive oil, S&P. If your oven has a convection setting, that is even better yet!!

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