Easy Baked Chicken Breasts (Perfect for Meal Prep)

Baked Chicken Breasts are easy to make in minutes with just a few ingredients. Perfect when you need cooked chicken for a recipe or a simple meal.

Easy Baked Chicken Breast Recipe for Meal Prep

This is the best baked chicken recipe to make when you need cooked chicken breasts for salads, sandwiches or casseroles. It’s super easy, uses just a few simple ingredients and makes a healthy dinner on it’s own.

Everyone needs a basic recipe for plain chicken, and this juicy oven baked chicken breast recipe is exactly that. Whenever I decide to make chicken salad or a chicken casserole or chicken recipes using pre-cooked chicken, I just throw a few chicken breasts on a baking sheet, and I have perfectly cooked chicken in less than 30 minutes.

It’s much easier than cutting up a whole chicken, especially since my picky eaters don’t like dark meat. I keep the seasonings super simple so that I can use leftover chicken in multiple recipes. Makes dinner super easy!

Ingredients

You only need 4 ingredients for this easy recipe. Full amounts and instructions are in the printable recipe card below.

• Boneless skinless chicken breast — You can use bone-in chicken, but the baking time is longer.
• Oil — I use avocado oil for its mild flavor and high smoke point, but you can use olive oil or butter to help keep the chicken juicy and prevent sticking to the baking sheet.
• Sea salt and black pepper — These are the most basic seasonings that will add flavor but won’t overpower the chicken. You can definitely use garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, herbs or your favorite seasoning blends.

How to Bake Chicken Breasts in the Oven

This recipe works best if the chicken is all the same size and thickness. If your chicken is uneven, you can lightly pound chicken using a meat mallet or rolling pin until it is even. Place chicken in a large freezer bag or between sheets of wax paper before pounding.

Then, add a little bit of avocado oil or olive oil to a baking sheet, and rub some of the oil over the chicken. I like to use foil to line the baking sheet for easy clean-up, but you don’t need to. Season the chicken on both sides with sea salt and pepper. Then, place it in a preheated oven.

How Long to Bake Chicken at 425

Smaller baked boneless skinless chicken breasts take about 15 to 20 minutes to reach the minimum safe internal temperature of 165 degrees. At this temperature, the chicken will still be juicy, and the juices should run clear.

Chicken needs to bake until the internal temperature of cooked chicken reaches 165 degrees. So, the cooking time will vary depending upon what type of chicken you’re using, the size of the chicken, and what temperature you’re baking it at.  You can learn more about safe cooking times for meat and seafood on this food safety chart.

If the chicken is extra large or thick, it may take 25-30 minutes to cook. For best results, use a good meat thermometer or instant-read thermometer.

Let Chicken Rest

Allow the chicken to cool down and rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing. This will let the juices settle and prevent the chicken from drying out. If you are using it right away, you can cut it up or shred it. Then, it’s ready to use in your recipe.

Storage

If you are making chicken in advance, slice it or shred it. Then store chicken in an airtight container in your refrigerator for 3-4 days. If you have a lot of leftovers, you can freeze cooked chicken for up to 3 months. Just take it out and let it thaw whenever you need to use it!

Seasoning Ideas for Chicken

You can easily change the seasoning for different recipes. Use taco seasoning, ranch seasoning, lemon pepper seasoning or your favorite blend.

Herbes de Provence is one of my favorite seasoning blends because it gives chicken a light, fresh flavor, and it’s not overpowering. If you can’t find it, Italian seasoning works well, and so does dried parsley.

Ways to Use Cooked Chicken

In the summer, I use baked chicken in simple chicken salad or lemon chicken salad or ranch chicken salad or Ramen chicken salad. We also use the chicken in casseroles like chicken pot pie casserole or Crack chicken casserole or Dorito chicken casserole. Check out even more easy chicken recipes your family will love.

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Recipe first published in 2019 and updated in 2024.