Baked Bone-In Chicken Breast

By FoodfaithfitnessJun 1, 2024Jump to Recipe

Want the flavor of bone-in chicken and the healthfulness of chicken breast in one dish? With this recipe for Baked Bone-In Chicken Breast, you get the best of both worlds!

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Without a doubt, you’ve picked up some boneless, skinless chicken breast at the grocery store—and I wouldn’t blame you! Skinless means a healthier cut, generally speaking, and boneless means undeniable convenience; but you might not know just how much flavor you’re missing out on!

Since there’s a thin layer of fat just underneath the skin on a bird, cooking your chicken with the skin on means that those flavors can seep right into your whole dish and, if you’re browning the skin on your chicken, you’re technically frying it in its own naturally occurring oils! That, combined with the nutritional and flavorful boons from cooking chicken bones, results in some of the tastiest white meat you can imagine!

All of the flavor of chicken skin and bone and the health-conscious white meat option? Sounds to me like the best of both worlds! But don’t just take my word for it. Try our baked bone-in chicken breast for yourself! Nutritious, protein-packed chicken breast cloaked in delicious, savory skin and infused with whole chicken flavor! What more is there to do than DEVOUR!

Is Baked Bone-In Chicken Breast Healthy?

White-meat chicken is well known for being the healthier option on the bird, being protein packed and full of essential B vitamins; however, chicken skin is always culled from health-conscious chicken recipes despite being better for you than we are often led to believe. Bones, meanwhile, are worth the inconvenience, as they’re full of nutrients, too!

Chicken skin is full of collagen, an essential protein that keeps your skin plump and youthful! Most of the fat layer just underneath the skin is unsaturated, meaning that it’s actually beneficial for regulating heart health and lowering cholesterol! And chicken bones infuse meat with flavor, as well as micronutrients that are beneficial to gut health!

Baked bone-in chicken, as a result, is a fantastic feast for low-carb diets like keto and fits perfectly onto any paleo plate, too!

More than Just Skin and Bones

You might have heard someone refer to a super-skinny person as “nothing but skin and bones.” That might sound like a bad thing when it comes to chicken but, fact of the matter is, so much flavor comes from chicken skin and bones that you could totally be missing out by discarding them!

Next time you’re preparing a whole chicken or even if you’ve got leftover bones from your latest bone-in feast, salvage them and use them to make delicious bone broth! Bone broth is excellent for flavoring chicken and can be used to ensure you get as much collagen in your diet as possible!

If you’re not going to use your chicken skin, at least keep it to add even more flavor to a bone broth or to make schmaltz! Schmaltz is rendered chicken fat and the secret to extra delicious dishes. Just substitute it for oil whenever you’re sautéing onions or for butter in baked potatoes—the possibilities are endless!

INGREDIENTS

4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts (7 to 8 oz. each)
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat

Get the oven ready at 400°F.

Season

Oil and season chicken, then arrange on a baking sheet.

Bake

Cook until done, let rest, then serve.

Devour!

FAQs & Tips

How do I prep and store Baked Chicken?

Baked chicken is so easy to make that prepping it for later is a no-brainer! Just wrap your baked chicken tightly in aluminum foil and store in the fridge for up to 3 days! When you’re ready to reheat and eat, pop that foil pouch in a hot oven to keep the juices contained within—that way you don’t dry out your meat with overcooking!

How can I tell if my chicken is fully done?

Meat thermometers are indispensable when baking large cuts of meat—just stick and read! If you don’t have a meat thermometer on hand, check that your cooked chicken is fully white but still juicy! Any longer and you’ll end up with chalky chicken and that flavor will be gone!

If I want to store my chicken for later should I remove the bone and skin first?

For the sake of later ease, it may be beneficial to remove the bones from fully cooked chicken before wrapping and storing for later. This gives you the opportunity to make a bone broth out of them! As for the skin, leave it on your chicken for the best flavor upon reheating!

Serving Suggestions

Nothing pairs with baked bone-in chicken breast quite like colorful vegetables! Brighten up your plate with a side of Parmesan brussels sprouts, oven-roasted vegetables (easier still to make while your oven is hot!), or a vegetarian succotash! If you’re looking for a rustic and wholesome healthy meal, serve up a baked chicken breast with a side of kale soup! Then, polish all of it off with a light, keto-friendly dessert like our favorite sugar-free, low-carb cookies (plus, you don’t even have to bake ’em! Win!).

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