Frequently asked questions
The chicken breast comes out so juicy and perfectly seasoned with our favorite simple seasoning blend. Alex and I both grew up eating baked chicken recipes, and this is our spin on the classic. Just like our pan seared chicken breast and baked chicken thighs, it has become a go-to method in our house. Bookmark it and let us know what you think!
Chicken breast: Look for boneless skinless chicken breast, and buy organic chicken if at all possible. If you’ve made our other chicken recipes, you might expect to butterfly the chicken or buy it in cutlets. But for baked chicken, we’ve found it’s best with pounded whole breasts. Olive oil: Olive oil is our cooking oil of choice for chicken, but you can use any neutral oil or even melted butter. Spices: A custom blend of garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and dried oregano infuse major savory flavor to the chicken breasts.
Purchase quality chicken. In some commercially raised chickens, the breast muscle becomes harder and denser than normal, resulting in a mushy texture when cooked. Purchase the highest quality chicken breast you can find, organic if possible. Pound the chicken to an even thickness. Pounding the chicken is essential for helping it to cook through evenly. Cook the chicken to an internal temperature of 165°F when measured with a food thermometer. Avoid overcooking the chicken, which can dry it out. Add enough salt. This is an issue we see a lot with many cooks. While you don’t want to oversalt, you’ll need enough for the flavor to shine! This recipe calls for 2 teaspoons salt for 2 pounds chicken breasts. Allow the chicken to rest for 5 minutes before serving. This ensures maximum juiciness.
“Woody” chicken breast is a condition that affects commercially raised chickens where the breast muscle becomes harder and denser than normal. Even with proper cooking, woody chicken breasts can have an unappealing, mushy texture. To avoid this issue, try to purchase as quality of breast as possible.
Overcooking: Chicken breast is lean and cooks quickly. Overcooking the chicken dries the meat out and causes the protein fibers to contract and toughen, which can lead to a mushy texture. Cook the chicken to an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C), then remove it from the heat source immediately when it reaches that temperature. Freezing and thawing: Repeated freezing and thawing of chicken can damage its cell structure, causing moisture loss and potentially affecting the texture. Spoilage: In the early stages of going bad, chicken can become a bit mushy before developing a noticeable off-odor. Always check your chicken before cooking. A slimy texture or strong smell means it’s spoiled and needs to be tossed out.
Add a grain like white rice, lemon rice, seasoned quinoa or farro. Add a pasta like orzo, couscous, linguine, or garlic butter noodles. Add a green salad like arugula salad, kale salad, chopped salad, or Mediterranean salad. Make it into a main dish salad by serving it sliced over Caesar salad, apple salad, taco salad, or chicken pasta salad. Add it to bowl meals like a fajita salad, burrito bowl, rice bowl, or farro bowl.
Try our go-to methods like pan seared chicken breast, baked chicken thighs, and pan seared chicken thighs Fire up the grill for grilled chicken breast or grilled chicken thighs. Make classics like Tuscan chicken, chicken piccata, chicken tacos, and chicken enchiladas.
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