Recipe: The Juiciest Baked Chicken

Recipe adapted from Gimme Some Oven.

This baked chicken breast recipe earned a permanent place in our rotation last year. We must’ve made it every other week.

I love this recipe because it’s really all about technique. It takes boring old chicken and makes it sexy. And good news! It’s Whole30-compliant.

Yes, it requires a few more steps than just popping it in the oven, but the result is oh-so-worth it.

If you’re looking for a better way to cook chicken, this is it. It’s easy, fast enough, and will consistently give you the juiciest chicken breast you’ve ever made.

RECIPE (the long version) : The Juiciest Chicken Breasts

Recipe adapted from Gimme Some Oven.

Ingredients

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 Tbsp. avocado oil
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly-cracked black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. paprika

POUND to even size

Throw your chicken breasts into a gallon-size Ziploc bag and lay the bag flat on a cutting board. Use a meat tenderizer (a hammer will also do, but the tenderizer has spikes that really break the fibers down nicely) to beat the breasts to even thickness.

BRINE in salty goodness

Then, you brine the chicken in a salty bath. Brining in warmish water makes the meat deliciously juicy, and helps spread a nice salty flavor throughout the breast. It also helps bring the chicken up to room temperature so it can cook evenly.

(When you cook cold chicken, the outside will cook faster way than the center and you’ll end up ruining the outside edges trying to get the inside to come up to a safe temperature.

Speaking of meat temperatures — invest in a meat thermometer so you can learn to cook meat and fish to exact temperatures. It really ups your meat game. Using a meat thermometer also helps you avoid giving yourself and your loved ones food poisoning — which is not fun, I promise. This is the one I have and recommend to others.)

The great thing about this recipe is that you only have to brine the chicken for 15 minutes to get the desired effect. You don’t have to do anything in advance.

DRY with paper towels

After brining for 15 minutes, you dry your chicken so you can get the surface of your chicken nice and oily.

RUB with oil

Once the breasts are dry, you rub avocado oil all over them. Oil will help sear the outsides of the chicken, locking in all of that delicious moisture.

Avocado oil is best here because it has a high smoke point, meaning that it maintains its nutrient value up to a higher temperature than other healthy fats, like avocado oil. You can also use melted ghee for this.

RUB with spices

I like the simple, flavorful spice mix in this recipe, but you can add anything here.

BAKE until 160 degrees

All that’s left is to bake these babies for 15–18 minutes (until your meat thermometer reads 160) and then let them rest. I only started intentionally resting meat in the past year or so, but boy is it worth it. Resting meat before cutting it allows the juices to spread evenly throughout the breast. This is so important, I should probably add it as its own step.

REST for 5 minutes

Srsly tho, do it.

RECIPE: THE SHORT VERSION

Ingredients

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 Tbsp. avocado oil
• 1/4 cup + 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly-cracked black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. paprika

Instructions

1. Throw your chicken breasts into a gallon-size Ziploc bag and lay the bag flat on a cutting board. Use a meat tenderizer (a hammer will also do, but the tenderizer has spikes that really break the fibers down nicely) to beat the breasts to even thickness.
2. Fill a large bowl with warmish water, a little warmer than lukewarm. Add 1/4 cup of kosher salt and stir to dissolve. Add chicken breasts and allow to soak for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 450.
3. Remove breasts from water and dry thoroughly with paper towels.
4. Combine all spices in a small bowl.
5. Rub breasts with oil, then coat in spices.
6. Bake breasts for 15–18 minutes, until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees.