I’ve been in a cooking rut as of late.  The last two recipes I made did not come out that great and I became a little discouraged and unmotivated.  I’ll post about my unsuccessful recipes eventually, but this weekend I finally liked the results of my chicken and I couldn’t wait to share!

In an attempt to go back to basics, I had a plan to prepare simple meals for work that consisted of grilled chicken breast, brown rice and that delicious roasted broccoli recipe I made a few weeks ago.  I was home sick one day and decided to order groceries using Instacart.  Given my uncertain record of cooking chicken, I cheated and ordered some grilled chicken breasts from the prepared meals section.  Imagine my surprise when I received my delivery and saw two pounds of raw chicken breasts!  Definitely not something I felt like tackling, so I put it away and out of my mind.

A few days later I decided to tackle the chicken breasts that were in my fridge and looked for a recipe that involved using only the oven.  That is how I came across The Kitchn’s recipe for baked chicken breasts.  It seemed simple enough and I had all of the ingredients on hand.  I highly suggest clicking on the link though before you make this recipe.  The site is very detailed and helpful, and it explains a bit the process.

INGREDIENTS

• Butter or olive oil (I used olive oil for the chicken and Coconut Spray Oil for everything else)
• 1 or more boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Salt and pepper
• Other spices or seasonings (check out Borsari, pictured below; I also used half a lemon and a few cloves of garlic)

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat the oven to 400°F with a rack in the middle position.  Rub the pan and one side of the parchment paper with butter or olive oil (I used Coconut Spray Oil); this prevents the chicken from sticking.
2. Pat the chicken dry and rub with a little butter or olive oil, if desired (I used a drizzle of olive oil).  Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and any other favorite seasonings (I used salt, pepper and Borsari seasoning).
3. Place the chicken breasts in the baking dish, spaced slightly apart.  You can also tuck herbs or lemon wedges around the chicken for extra flavor.  (I had some leftover herbs from a previous recipe, so I used some rosemary, thyme and sage; I also added some lemon slices and garlic cloves.)
4. Lay the parchment, butter/oil-side down, over the chicken.  Tuck the edges into the pan and press the parchment down so that it’s snug around the chicken.  The chicken breasts should be completely covered with the parchment.
5. Transfer the chicken to the oven until the chicken is completely opaque all the way through and registers 165°F on an instant-read thermometer.  Start checking after 20 minutes; total cooking time is usually 30 to 40 minutes.  (I baked for 40 minutes and then removed the parchment paper and broiled on high for 3 minutes.)
6. Serve the chicken immediately, or let it cool and refrigerate for up to a week.

NOTES

I am so happy with the results!  The chicken was very juicy and tender, perfectly cooked.

Enjoy!
Adri