How To Bake Chicken Breast *

By classycook

The secret to juicy chicken breasts? Bake for a short time at a high temperature. Baking for 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees F will yield dry meat. But baking for just 20 minutes at 450 degrees F will result in delightfully juicy chicken breasts, every time.

Ingredients

• 2 raw boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 lb total weight)
• Olive oil cooking spray
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika

Preparation

Step 1

. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking dish with foil and spray it with olive oil nonstick spray.

Spray both sides of each chicken breast half with olive oil spray and sprinkle with the seasonings. Bake for 10 minutes, flip to the other side, lightly spray again and bake for 8-10 more minutes, or until juices run clear when pierced with a fork (it’s fine to make a small slit in the thickest part and see if it’s done!).

Sometimes I get really large chicken breasts at the store – total weight 2 pounds – in this case I find that baking them 15 minutes on each side is just right. Of course, the best way to make sure they are done is to use an instant-read thermometer. It should read 165 degreed F when inserted into the thickest part.

Transfer to a platter. Loosely cover with foil and allow to rest 5 minutes before slicing.

Nutrition per serving
Calories 272.2
Total Fat 7.2 g
Saturated Fat 1.3 g
Cholesterol 130.0 mg
Sodium 640.6 mg
Total Carbohydrate 0.5 g
Dietary Fiber 0.2 g
Sugars 0.1 g
Protein 46.1 g
Weight Watchers Points Plus: 6 points
(I calculated the olive oil spray as 1 teaspoon of oil)