Juicy Oven Baked Chicken Breast (2024)

FAQs

How do you keep chicken breast moist when baking? ›

Cooking them at high heat ensures the crispy, caramelized edges while keeping your chicken super juicy on the inside. Once the chicken is golden and caramelized, it's cooked! Let it rest for about 5 minutes to recirculate all of those natural juices through the meat.

Given the fact that drumsticks and thighs are dark meat and won't dry out as easily as breasts, the range from 350 to 450 degrees is okay for baking them. 350 to 375 is generally best for breasts. The best answer to these questions? Simply check the chicken for doneness using an instant read thermometer.

Brines and marinades help tenderize the meat by bringing more moisture in the protein. With that extra moisture, you lose less when you cook. The simplest way to do this is with a dry brine — unwrap the chicken breasts, salt them on both sides and let them sit in the fridge for at least an hour.

Covered baking typically requires a longer cooking time due to the slower heat transfer. This slower cooking method can be beneficial when working with larger cuts of chicken or tougher pieces, as it allows the meat to become tender and fully cooked without drying out.

Bake the chicken breasts uncovered until their internal temperature reaches 165°F. This should take about 20 minutes in a 450°F oven. Loosely cover them with foil and let them rest, then slice and serve. Look how juicy and perfect the chicken turned out!

Getting a good sear through medium high heat, then reducing the heat to LOW and COVERING the chicken while it cooks. The butter, oil, and chicken juices create a super flavorful liquid that acts as a way to steam the chicken at a low temperature, ensuring that it is moist & tender on the inside.

chicken breast at 350°F (177˚C) for 25 to 30 minutes. Use a meat thermometer to check that the internal temperature is 165˚F (74˚C).

When baking wings, we're almost always going for crispy skin, and the pieces are small and cook quickly so the higher temp at 425 is the best bet. For chicken breasts, it's best to go with the lower temp of 350 and keep an eye on the internal temperature of the chicken: white meat will dry out faster than dark meat.

Bake chicken breasts uncovered at 375°F for 25 to 30 minutes or until a meat thermometer shows the chicken is heated to 165°F. To store: Let chicken stand 30 minutes to cool.

The best way to cook a chicken breast so it's moist and tender and not dry is to cook it in a water bath in a vacuum sealed bag. The temperature of the water bath should be between 150–160F. The chicken should be seared in a hot pan for no more than 2 minutes per side for color and texture.

What makes chicken soft and juicy? ›

There are three key tricks: tenderize, marinate, and controlled cooking time. When you use all three of these methods, you will have succulent, moist chicken every time, and you can apply these strategies to other cuts of meat as well.

Marinate them.

If you're cooking chicken breasts without skin or fat, infuse them with some extra flavor and liquid to keep them tender. Choose your favorite marinade and throw them in a ziploc bag with the marinade. Marinate them overnight before grilling, baking, or searing. The difference is uncanny.

The secret? The parchment paper method. By covering the chicken with a piece of parchment paper, the chicken bastes in its own juices so they never dry out. It's basically a cross between braising and roasting and is sure to become one of your new favorite ways to cook chicken.

As you go higher in temperature, the proteins shrink, moisture is pushed out, and the meat turns stiff and dry. All those things are especially unpleasant, and easy to do, with chicken breasts.

It's usually not necessary to add water to the pan for a roast chicken: the steam created by the water can prevent the skin from becoming browned and crisp.

After your chicken breasts are done cooking, let them rest for at least half the time that you cooked them for before slicing into them. This will ensure that the breasts stay super juicy and flavorful, and that they're fully cooked. Trust me, waiting the few extra minutes pays off big time — every time.

Take a baking sheet and place a grated rack over it, leaving space for air to circulate underneath. Then transfer the chicken straight to the rack as you cook it to drain, and keep it in the oven to prevent it from cooling off.

Because chicken isn't a very fatty cut of meat, you'll want to add some fat to keep the meat hydrated. Most recipes use butter or oil for cooking chicken, but mayo is the better fat option when it comes to producing juicy chicken.