Healthy Baked Chicken Breast Recipe

This healthy baked chicken breast recipe will always be one of our all-time favorites.

Chicken breast is a simple and versatile ingredient that everyone loves.. However, it can be tricky to work with as it can become dry and bland easily.

But don’t worry! You will never have a dry piece of chicken ever again with today’s easy, juicy, fail-proof recipe.

This one-pan chicken breast recipe only takes 10 minutes of prepping and 35 minutes in the oven. It’s all done in less than an hour.

And, this recipe is kid-friendly. They can have fun while helping you out in the kitchen.

But first, here is some useful information about today’s healthy recipe.

Is Baked Chicken Breast Healthy?

We are happy to announce that baked chicken breast is healthy. But how is it healthy?

Firstly, boneless skinless chicken breast is one of the healthiest meat options.

It’s super lean and packed with protein— perfect for almost any diet. Having a protein-rich meal can also give you a sense of satiety.

Some people may think that carbs are better filler than protein. But when you eat more protein, your body actually needs more time to digest than carbs.

And since the body needs more energy to digest all that protein, it will burn more calories as well.

This is also the reason why chicken breast is good for weight loss.

Secondly, to keep your chicken healthy and delicious, baking is one of the best options. You don’t need to use as much oil as you would if you deep-fried or stir-fried.

Using less oil in your recipe means you’ll consume less calories, saturated fat, and cholesterol. You will be eating healthier and cutting out excess fat.

But exactly how many calories and how much fat are there in chicken breasts? Let’s take a look at the nutritional contents and find out.

Ingredients for a Healthy Baked Chicken Breast Recipe

The ingredients for today’s healthy baked chicken breast recipe are simple. Let’s categorize them:

• Main protein: boneless skinless chicken breast (of course).
• Vegetables: russet potatoes and asparagus.
• Fat: olive oil and unsalted butter.
• Seasonings: paprika, garlic powder, black pepper, salt, and dried oregano. We also use grated Parmesan cheese to season the chicken and vegetables as well.
• Garnishes: lemon slices and herbs. We’re using fresh parsley, but you can use thyme if you prefer.

For lean protein like chicken breast, you want to keep the seasoning blend simple. But simple doesn’t have to be plain and boring.

You can add paprika, cayenne pepper, dried herbs, garlic, or onion powder. Anything your heart desires to give the chicken more character.

As for the fat, both olive oil and butter can give more flavor to your chicken and veggies. Olive oil will also act as a shield to keep the chicken moist and juicy.

And last, but not least, adding lemon slices will give the chicken a hint of citrus freshness. You can put lemon slices on top of the chicken for visual effect and to prevent it from drying out, too.

You can customize the recipe to your preference. Use ingredients that complement each other and you will have a perfect chicken recipe.

How to Make Baked Chicken Breasts in the Oven

Now that we’ve established how nutritious chicken breast is, here’s a brief run-down of how to cook baked chicken breasts.

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How to Baked Chicken Breasts Recipe | 2-Minutes Video

1. How Do You Make Chicken Breast Taste Good?

Here are a few tips to make the juiciest, tastiest chicken breast:

Cut into the chicken to create a pocket. You will later rub oil and seasonings into this pocket to marinate the chicken.

Make a diagonal incision when you cut into the chicken. This will create a downward slope inside the chicken.

When the chicken cooks and releases its juices, they will be drawn down the slope, helping to keep it moist.

Brush or rub oil on the chicken to keep it juicy.

Marinate the chicken for at least 5 minutes. If you’re busy, let it marinate ahead of time in the fridge for up to 2 hours.

Cover the chicken. You can wrap the whole baking tray tightly in aluminum foil and put it in to bake.

As mentioned, we also put lemon slices on top of the chicken breasts for an extra layer of covering.

2. How to Bake Frozen Chicken Breast

If you forgot to thaw the chicken before cooking, you can still cook frozen chicken in the oven. Here’s how:

1. Preheat your oven to 350℉ and bake your chicken for 30-45 minutes.
2. Take the chicken out. Add vegetables to the sides of the baking tray and season both chicken and veggies.
3. Bake again for 30-45 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

How Long to Cook Chicken Breast in the Oven

At 375℉

This recipe requires the meat to be cooked uncovered at 375℉ for 35 minutes in the oven.

However, the cooking time and temperature may vary depending on the size and thickness of the chicken breast. Different cuts of chicken affect the cooking time and temperature as well.

It can be tricky. But have no fear, we have a detailed article on how long to bake chicken.

You will master the skills of cooking chicken in no time.

But in the meantime, it’s best to use a meat thermometer to make sure that your chicken is perfectly cooked.

When using a meat thermometer, you want to insert it at the thickest part of the chicken. The internal temperature of cooked chicken should be at least 165°F.

If your chicken’s temperature is lower than that, put it back in the oven for another 5 minutes and then check again.

What to Serve with Boneless Baked Chicken Breast Recipe

Although baked chicken breast is delicious and healthy, it’s not a whole meal on its own. However, it’s super versatile so you can pair it with almost any other food.

Here are some of our recommendations:

1. Vegetables and Potatoes

Since you’re baking your chicken, it would be ideal to bake the vegetables on the same tray. You want to choose veggies that take about the same time to cook as the chicken.

Here are a few vegetable options for this healthy baked chicken breast recipe:

• Asparagus: Requires little preparation. You only need to rinse and cut off the fibrous ends before seasoning them.
• Broccoli: When roasted, broccoli will become caramelized, crispy, and nutty. You can add garlic and parmesan cheese to make it more flavorful.
• Mushrooms: You can add butter, parmesan, chopped parsley, and pepper to your roasted mushrooms. And if you love chicken and mushrooms, check out our healthy stuffed chicken breast recipe.
• Brussel sprouts: Tend to have a nutty, charred, slightly bitter flavor with a crunchy and soft texture when roasted. They are a great fit for oven baked chicken.
• Potatoes: Whether you’re using yukon gold, russet, or sweet potatoes, any variety will fit well with baked chicken.
• Carrots: Are easy to prepare, yet taste amazing— making them a perfect side dish. For a simple seasoning, toss your carrots in olive oil, minced garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper.
• Pumpkin: Roasted pumpkin can have a sweet taste, soft texture, and a thin crust. To season your pumpkin, drizzle olive oil and sprinkle over minced garlic, grated parmesan cheese, and pepper.
• Onions: Roasted onions add a nice hint of sweetness to a savory dish. You can cut them into slices, wedges, or cubes.

2. Rice

People love rice for its versatility. It can be a great side dish that makes you feel full longer as well.

Here are a few ways to cook rice:

• Steamed rice: A simple and quick side dish for those who are busy. You can prepare and let the rice cook while your chicken is baking.
• Seasoned rice: The base is plain old steamed rice with a few tweaks to make it more flavorful. Experiment with your rice by adding salt, pepper, scallions, chicken broth, saffron, or butter when you cook.
• Stir-fried rice: Works best with leftover cooked rice. For a simple stir-fried rice, you’ll need a bit of oil, minced garlic, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
• Risotto: Though it takes the most effort to make, a delicious risotto pairs perfectly with our baked chicken breast. You can cook your risotto while your chicken is in the oven to save time.

To make risotto, you will need arborio rice. This Italian short-grain rice is super starchy— giving the risotto its signature creamy consistency.

For steamed, seasoned, or stir-fried rice, any type of rice will work just fine. 

Meal Plan for Healthy Baked Chicken Breast

Although our healthy baked chicken breast already comes with asparagus and potatoes, it’s always better to have more vegetables.

We recommend serving these lean chicken breasts with a crunchy, tangy salad on the side. And today’s pick for the side dish is our very own broccoli salad.

Here are the nutrition facts for the meal:

How to Store Baked Chicken Breast

Baked chicken breasts tend to be dry when left in the fridge. Here’s how to store cooked chicken breast properly:

1. Do not cut your chicken. Slicing the chicken breast creates more surface area and makes the meat dry faster. You want to leave the chicken breast whole when you store it, if possible.
2. Wrap chicken breasts separately and tightly in parchment paper, aluminum foil, or plastic wrap.
3. Use an airtight container to store your chicken. If your chicken comes with vegetables, keep them in a separate container.

If you wrap and store carefully, cooked chicken breast can last from 3 to 5 days in the fridge. 

How to Reheat Chicken Breast

Leftover poultry tends to be dry, especially after reheating. And it’s even harder when it comes to baked chicken breasts.

Here are a few tricks to heat up leftover chicken without making it dry:

1. Use the oven. This will ensure your chicken heats up more evenly than using a microwave. Preheat the oven to 350℉ and bake the chicken for 15-20 minutes.
2. Brush your chicken with olive oil, chicken broth, or its leftover sauce. This will create a shielding layer to trap the moisture inside the chicken.
3. Wrap the chicken tightly in either aluminum foil or parchment paper to prevent drying out. You can also put chicken in a baking dish, add ¼ cup chicken broth, wrap tightly with foil, and bake.

And that’s how to reheat chicken breast properly.

For an even better treat, throw any leftover chicken breast into this healthy chicken and rice casserole and save yourself lots of effort!

Nutrition Facts

A medium boneless skinless chicken breast generally weighs about 6 oz, but it can vary from 4 to 8 oz.

Here are the nutrition facts per 4 oz of boneless skinless chicken breast:

• Calories: 136
• Protein: 25.4g
• Fat: 2.96g
• Sodium: 50.8mg
• Carbohydrates: 0g
• Sugar: 0g
• Fiber: 0g

This nutritional data is from USDA Food Data Central. Let’s get into the details.

1. How Many Calories in Chicken Breast?

There are 136 calories per 4 oz of raw boneless skinless chicken breast.

For the amount, this is relatively low in calories. But why is chicken breast low in calories?

It’s because it doesn’t come with fatty skin. If you eat skin-on chicken breast, you will consume a lot more calories than you should.

And if you eat more calories than your body needs, your body stores the excess as body fat.

So, if you want to lose weight, boneless skinless chicken breast should be your go-to cut of meat.

2. How Much Protein Is in Chicken Breast?

There is 25.4g of protein in 4 oz of boneless skinless chicken breast.

So, if you have a 6-oz piece, it provides you with about 38g of protein. This is nearly 80% of an adult’s daily protein intake.

Chicken breast is a popular cut of meat among bodybuilders and fitness gurus.

Its high protein content helps build muscle mass and makes you feel full for longer. If you’re looking for an affordable source of protein, skinless chicken breast is your best bet.

3. Fats

There are 2.96g of total fat per 4 oz of skinless chicken breast. It also contains only 0.63g of saturated fat.

Since it’s so low in fat, this makes it the best candidate for any diet. And, you can add more fat into your meal later without worrying about over-consumption.

4. Sodium

Since this data is based on raw, unseasoned chicken, it only contains 50.8mg of sodium. With its low sodium content, you can season the chicken to perfection without consuming too much sodium.

5. Carbs

There are 0 grams of total carbohydrates in raw boneless skinless chicken breast. This is another great benefit of chicken breast.

It is also rich in protein and can keep you full, making it the best fit for any low-carb diet. You would want to increase your carb intake by adding something to the chicken for a rounded meal.

6. Sugar

Raw chicken breast does not contain any sugar. So, if you’re on a zero-sugar diet like keto or Atkins, you can have chicken breast.

7. Fiber 

Lastly, it also has 0 grams of fiber.

Although chicken doesn’t contain fiber, you can find other sources of fiber like fruits and vegetables to go with it. Having vegetables with chicken will ensure you have a well-balanced meal as well.

We’ll discuss later what vegetables pair well with chicken.