The is the best chicken breasts I have prepared and had recently. Brining made a huge difference. Here is how I prepared them.
How do I bake chicken without drying it out?
Brine the chicken is the shortest answer to this question. I brined the chicken for 15 minutes in lukewarm salty water to cover. It is better to use fresh chicken. If you have frozen chicken make sure is has defrosted before starting to brine. Brining should not continue for more than an hour in which case you should keep the chicken in the fridge. I preferred to go for only 15 minutes to save time and not having to look for space in the fridge.
I preferred to cut the chicken vertically into halves so that they would cook faster and those that wanted to have smaller portions could easily do so. Then I spread melted butter all around the chicken and seasoned simply with salt, pepper, smoked paprika (my favorite) and with garlic powder (if not available substitute with crushed garlic cloves). Finally sprinkled with fresh thyme and rosemary, can be substituted with dry ones.
How long do I cook chicken breast for in the oven?
Bake in an oven pre-heated to 220° Celsius (425°F) for about 15 minutes. Do check with an internal thermometer to see 75° Celsius (165° F) and remove from the oven. I had a difficult time resting for 5 minutes (10 would be better) and served. You can bake at lower temperatures, but it will take longer and baking at this temperature gives best results, lower temperatures make the chicken leave out its juice and the chicken turns dry.
Do you cover chicken when you bake it in the oven?
There is no need to cover the chicken while baking. But covering after you take it out of the oven to rest is a good idea, so that it does not get cold. You can use a loose aluminium folio – not touching the food, I generally prefer to use a tray. I had a difficult time resting for 5 minutes (10 would be better) and served.
I served it with the following Beetroot-Pink Sultan Salad and Rice Pilaf with Tomatoes , followed by Chocolate Pudding.
Enjoy the feast with loved ones.
Oven Baked Chicken Breasts
Ingredients
Brining
- 6 chicken breasts
- 1 litre lukewarm water
- 1 tablespoon salt
Seasoning
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 teaspoon rosemary
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon jerk seasoning
Instructions
- Prepare a luke warm bowl of water with 1 tablespoon of salt.
- Place the chicken breasts into the water and leave at room temperature for 15 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 220° Celsius (425°F).
- When time is up, rinse the chicken under flowing water to get rid of the salt.
- Pat dry with paper towels.
- Cut the chicken vertically if too thick or pound to make it more flat so that it bakes evenly all around.
- Melt the butter. Spread butter all around the chicken using an egg brush. Also butter your baking dish.
- Sprinkle with salt, pepper, jerk seasoning, smoked paprika and garlic powder.
- Toss in some fresh or dry thyme, garlic powder and rosemary.
- Bake until chicken is done. Check thickest part of the chicken with a thermometer. The internal heat 75° Celsius (165° F) indicates that chicken is ready. It will take around 15-20 minutes
- Take out of oven, rest for 5-10 minutes and serve.