Perfect Baked Chicken Breast

 

“You don’t need a silver fork to eat good food.”

– Paul Prudhomme

There’s a lot of truth behind this quote.  Most of the time it’s the simplest recipes in lieu of the fancy ones that we work into our dinner rotation.  1. Because they’re convenient to make.. 2. Because the simplest whole foods are often the best tasting.. and 3. Because nobody’s got time for silver forks on a Monday night!  I mean seriously, who’s going to break out the silver ware and polish the silver forks?  Not me!

That being said, I present to you the perfectly “simple” platform for many dinners to come.  🙂

Juicy tender baked chicken breast!

 

I can’t rave about this enough so I’m going to get started right away…

Start by brining your chicken in salt water.

 

I often add peppercorns and sugar too, but salt water will do the trick just fine.

 

Now place the chicken on a baking sheet or pan and drizzle with olive oil, coating both sides.  Season all sides of the chicken with salt, pepper and your favorite enhancing seasoning such as Lawry’s or Old Bay.

 

Bake uncovered at 450º F for 15-16 minutes.  Make sure the internal temperature reaches 165º F.. or you can go old school and cut into the thickest part of the breast to make sure it’s no longer pink.

 

That’s it!  You can use this as a platform for SO MANY MEALS!

 

Like this chicken with fettucine alfredo. 🙂

Here are some dinner ideas for your perfect chicken breast:

• White Chicken Chili
• Leftover Turkey (or Chicken!) Pot Pie
• Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas
• Copycat KFC Famous Bowl
• Smothered Chicken Burritos
• Easy (Chicken!) Fried Rice
• Easy Rotisserie Chicken Salad
• Joanna Gaines Tortilla Soup

 

Perfect Baked Chicken Breast

• 3-4 large boneless skinless chicken breast
• Olive oil
• Salt and Pepper
• Seasoning Salt, Lawry’s, Old Bay, etc.
• 1/4 C. Salt for the Brine
• 4-5 cups Water

Pour 4-5 cups of room temp water into a large bowl.  Stir in 1/4 cup of salt until mostly dissolved (I typically add whole peppercorns and 1/8 cup sugar to the brine also, but that’s optional).  Add the chicken to the water.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes, preferably an hour.

After you’ve brined the chicken, rinse and pat dry.  Preheat the oven to 450º F.  Place the chicken in a large baking dish (or on a baking sheet) and drizzle with olive oil making sure to cover both sides with a light coating.  Generously season with salt, pepper, and your favorite enhancer such as Lawry’s Seasoned Salt, Old Bay, etc.

Bake the chicken uncovered for roughly 15-16 minutes (longer if needed depending on the oven).  The internal temp needs to reach 165º F, but I always make a sacrificial cut into the largest piece of breast to make sure it’s not pink.

Now your chicken is ready to take a nap.  Rest it under a foil tent for at least 10 minutes to let it become extra juicy!

Enjoy