An easy baked chicken breast recipe is a great kitchen basic to have in your back pocket. Deliciously seasoned baked chicken breast is satisfying and tasty served with your favorite side dish (think popcorn broccoli or creamy garlic mushrooms) and it's the perfect protein to add to your weekend meal prep.
Remove the chicken breasts from the fridge and allow them to sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before cooking. The closer to room temperature that they are, the better.
Preheat oven to 450ºF. Place the chicken breasts between two pieces of saran wrap or wax paper and gently pound with a meat mallet*, starting from the center and pounding towards the edges. The goal is to create a chicken breast that is uniform in thickness so that it cooks evenly.
Place chicken breasts on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle each side with avocado oil and season liberally with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika.
Bake for 15 minutes or until the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 160 degrees.
Rest the chicken for 10 minutes so the juices can settle and the internal temperature rises up to 165 degrees. Serve and enjoy.
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Notes
Store baked chicken in an airtight container in the fridge. It will keep well for up to 5 days.