The Best Baked Chicken Breasts

Article by Amanda Neal

The secret to making the best baked chicken breasts comes down to technique; once you learn our method you’ll have perfectly juicy results every time. For more ideas for how to cook chicken breasts, consider this poached chicken that’s perfect for meal prep and more chicken breast recipes.

How to Make Baked Chicken Breast Like a Pro

The downfall of most baked chicken breast recipes is the long time in the oven that dries out the lean meat before it can fully cook through. We’ve solved that problem with a few easy tricks. The result is the best boneless, skinless chicken breasts that are plump and juicy, with a minimum of hands-on time.

Use a wet brine: A wet brine is a simple saltwater solution that the chicken soaks in beforehand. The quick wet brine adds moisture to the chicken and also seasons it from the inside out.

Bake in high heat: A high-heat bake allows the chicken to cook quickly and thoroughly without drying out.

Drizzle with melted butter: A bit of melted butter and dried spices add a little extra fat and seasoning to the chicken breasts, making them even more flavorful and moist.

What’s the Best Chicken Breast to Buy?

There are some things to consider when purchasing boneless, skinless chicken breast.

Color: First, look at the color – it should have a light pink hue with minimal bruising.

Plumpness: It should also look plump and not have any dents or creases; a dry looking chicken breast could show spoilage.

Fat: Choose chicken breast with minimal visible fat – a chicken breast is properly trimmed if there’s little to no visible fat.

Scent: Chicken breast should not have any smell. If there’s a lot of liquid in the packaging and/or there’s an off smell, it could be going bad.

How to Store Cooked Chicken Breast

Store cooked chicken breast in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If there are any residual juices or butter left in the baking dish, add them to the airtight container with the chicken. The liquid will help keep the chicken moist when reheating.

How to Reheat Cooked Chicken Breast

There are a few ways to reheat cooked chicken breast.

Reheat in broth: If you plan to add it to soup or stew, shred or chop the cold chicken, then add to warm broth to reheat gently; it should only take 4 to 5 minutes to heat through.

Reheat in the oven: If you plan to enjoy the chicken on its own, place the chicken (and its residual juices) in a baking dish and cover tightly with foil (this will keep the chicken from drying out). Bake at 350 degrees F until warmed through and the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, 10 to 15 minutes.

Reheat in the microwave: Lastly, you can reheat in the microwave on a microwave safe plate until warmed through. Be careful not to overheat the chicken, or you run the chance of it drying out.