Baked chicken breast
Beautifully tender and succulent, baked chicken breasts cooked this way can be served hot or eaten cold for salads and sandwiches. The key is not to overcook them.
Ingredients
- 1 skinless chicken breast fillet
- ½ tsp olive oil
- flaked sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the seasoning suggestions
- large pinch dried chilli flakes, plus pinch dried oregano (optional)
- pinch dried mixed herbs plus pinch garlic granules (optional)
- 2 pinches Cajun seasoning (optional)
- 2 pinches ground paprika, plus small pinch dried thyme (optional)
Method
Preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
Place the chicken breast on the tray – if cooking more than one breast, space them well apart. Drizzle a little olive oil over each breast. Season with a little sea salt and black pepper and, if you wish, one of the seasoning suggestions.
Bake for 16–22 minutes, depending on size and thickness. (Thicker chicken breasts will take longer to cook.) A 150–200g/5½–7oz skinless chicken breast fillet will need 16–18 minutes; a 200–250g/7–9oz one 18–20 minutes; and a 250–300g/9–10½ one 20–22 minutes. If cooking more than four breasts at a time, increase the cooking time by 5 minutes, and don’t forget to check that each breast is cooked through.
If you have a digital food thermometer, test the internal temperature through the thickest part of each chicken breast. It should reach at least 75C. Alternatively, pierce the thickest part of the breast with a skewer and check that the juices run clear; make sure there is no pinkness remaining when the chicken is sliced. If there is, put the chicken back in the oven for a few minutes.
Leave to rest on the tray for 5 minutes before serving. If serving the chicken cold, pat it lightly with kitchen paper after resting and leave to cool.
Recipe Tips
A digital food thermometer will help you achieve perfect results whatever the size of the chicken breast.
Sometimes very large chicken breasts are cut in the packs to come closer to 150g, but this can mean they are very thick and take longer to cook than a genuine 150g breast.
Lining the tray with baking paper means the chicken juices will collect as the breasts are cooked and rested. The juices can be spooned over the hot chicken as a light gravy.