Serves 4
I've always found baking chicken breasts in the oven to be a little tricky. They would either come out dry, rubbery, tough or flavorless. But all that has changed since I tried this easy, absolutely foolproof recipe from Gimmesomeoven.com for making juicy, tender chicken breasts that taste unbelievably delicious! You can even make an extra-large batch and freeze the leftovers for future use!
Ingredients:
- 4 organic boneless skinless chicken breasts, which have been pounded to even thickness and brined in saltwater (*super important step, see easy instructions below)
- 1-2 tablespoons of organic grass-fed melted butter ghee or olive oil (I prefer using ghee or butter as it gives great flavor and helps give a nice crust on the outside.
- 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- Chopped basil, parsley or cilantro as garnish (optional)
Preparation:
- To brine your chicken breasts, simply fill a large bowl with 1 quart (or enough water to cover the chicken) and ¼ cup kosher or sea salt. Stir to combine until most of the salt is absorbed. Add the chicken breasts and let them sit in the mixture for 15 minutes. Or if you have the time you can also cover the bowl and refrigerate for up to 6 hours.
- Remove the chicken breasts from the brine, rinse them with cold water and then pat them dry with paper towels. (Some store-bought chicken breasts are now sold pre-brined. So double-check your packaging before doing this step. If it has already been pre-brined in a sodium solution you can skip this step.
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
- Place the chicken breasts in a single layer in a large baking dish. Brush on both sides with melted butter, ghee or oil.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk the salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika until combined. Then sprinkle the mixture evenly over the chicken on both sides.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink. If you use a cooking thermometer, measure the temperature at the thickest part of the breast; it should be at least 165 degrees F.
- Or if you want the chicken to be a little bit browned and crispier on top, you can broil the chicken on high for the final 3-5 minutes, keeping a close eye on the chicken so that it does not overcook and/or burn.
- Once the chicken is cooked, remove from oven, top with chopped, basil, parsley or cilantro (optional) and loosely tent a sheet of aluminum foil over the pan to keep the heat in while the chicken rests for at least 10 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy your perfectly cooked chicken breasts!
- Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.