Baked Chicken Breast

By FoodfaithfitnessMay 29, 2024Jump to Recipe

You’re only 450 degrees from a totally DEVOUR-able dinner!

Table of Contents

Of all the birds in the world, why did we ever start eating chicken? There are larger birds in various regions of the world, yet chicken seems to be utilized in culinary dishes globally despite their average size. Maybe I’m the only one who lies awake at night wondering about the origins of certain livestock, restless until I grab my phone and fall into a rabbit hole of anthropology, but I had to figure it was for a couple of reasons even before my manic Wikipedia dive!

Much like I’d presumed before waking up my spouse with the icy glow of my phone in the middle of the night, humans cultivated chickens for ease of capture and their ability to produce eggs. By being mostly landlocked and capable of reproducing rapidly, chickens ended up being perfect to cage up and harvest for their nutritious eggs and meat. However, in my research, I found that there are other animals that make for better agriculture than chickens. Ducks, for instance, lay delicious eggs more frequently than chickens and can grow to provide meat that is just as tasty. Ostriches and turkeys both produce far more meat than chickens do and both are relatively grounded birds, so why did we settle for chicken all those millennia ago?

But something Wikipedia wasn’t brave enough to say is that chicken just tastes different! I can’t get turkey or duck to taste quite like a chicken does when it’s magnificently marinated and beautifully baked—like in today’s recipe for baked chicken breast! Scrumptious white meat slathered in a totally customizable oil dressing comes out of the oven in juicy and tender perfection that’ll have you wondering how we could ever have gone with any other bird!

Is Baked Chicken Breast Healthy?

White meat chicken is better for you than the dark meat on the bird, as well as red-meat options when it comes to low-fat, lean protein! There’s a reason countless fitness experts often dine on varieties of white meat chicken for building their muscles! With fewer calories and more protein per bite, you can’t go wrong with a skinless chicken breast! And did I mention that it’s keto friendly?

…except when it comes to vegan eaters as, naturally, chicken isn’t vegan. You will likely find white meat chicken alternatives in the vegan/vegetarian sections of your local grocer’s but I always recommend seitan when trying to replicate white meat chicken!

What’s brining and why should I do it?

The very first step in our perfectly baked chicken breast is to brine your chicken, but that’s a term you might have heard referring to pickles or the sea. That’s because brining is the process of soaking something for an extended time in a mixture of water and salt (the brine), a technique used when pickling vegetables. So what is it doing in our chicken recipe? Delicious chicken often requires a thorough brining to ensure that it remains juicy, flavorful, and tantalizingly tender!

Because adding salt to anything will extract the moisture within it, you’ve got to make sure you add that moisture back somehow! This is a lot more difficult than it sounds. That’s where brines and marinades really shine, as they allow you to salt and flavor your food without drying it out through a process called ‘osmosis’.

Brining proteins like white meat chicken allows liquid to stay trapped within the meat’s cells, keeping it juicy and tender throughout cooking! Additionally, because you can add almost anything to your brine/marinade, you can get that delicious flavor into your meat on a molecular level! That’s some scrumptious science you can do right in your kitchen!

INGREDIENTS

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded to even thickness
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika

INSTRUCTIONS

Brine

Prepare brine for chicken, if necessary.

Preheat

Get oven ready at 450°F.

Season

Oil and season chicken breasts.

Cook

Cook chicken until the proper temperature is reached.

Rest

Let chicken rest before serving.

Devour!

FAQs & Tips

How do I prep and store the chicken?

Baked chicken breast is perfect to make ahead of time since it can take some time to get onto the table; however, if you’re serving up baked chicken breast leftovers, you’ll have a much easier time! After keeping your chicken breasts wrapped in foil in the fridge, pop that tin foil package in the oven at 350°F and have a deliciously moist, tender chicken entrée in no time! Just ensure that your chicken is hot all the way through before serving, 165°F to be exact.

Can I use a marinade?

You can! Just ensure that your marinade has the saline content of a brine before entering the brining step with your choice of delicious soaks! Go with a Greek-inspired lemon and oil marinade or an herbaceous garlic marinade for some of the most flavorful chicken you’ll ever make in your kitchen!

Can I use a different bird for this recipe?

Though we, as a people, have opted for chicken for their ease to cultivate, don’t let that stop you from trying out our baked chicken recipe with delicious deboned duck breast or tasty turkey white meat! Though the steps are the same, making this recipe with a different bird means you’ll have a different meal every time!

Serving Suggestions

Boneless, skinless white chicken breast beautifully brined and baked in your oven pairs deliciously with dishes from FoodFaithFitness’s dinner catalog! Just try it with classic steamed broccoli or, if you want to class it up, grilled brussels sprouts! Any and all keto options make baked chicken breast feel right at home at your dinner table, including quinoa and roast vegetables and a slathering of keto BBQ sauce!

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