Bone-In, Oven Baked, Split Chicken Breasts are an easy weeknight meal with crispy skin, or perfect for any recipe calling for cooked chicken!
You can make Baked Chicken Thighs, Oven Baked and Rice Casserole or crispy Oven Baked Split Chicken Breasts with the bone in for a delicious, juicy dinner that the whole family will enjoy, and you won’t have to bribe your kids to eat. It’s really easy to prepare, only takes about 35 minutes to cook, and keeps well for lunch tomorrow.
Oven Baked Chicken is one of those back pocket recipes you should keep bookmarked for all the recipes that have ever called for cooked chicken. It’s simple, delicious and makes a great built in sauce that you can make into a quick gravy (melt 2 tablespoons butter and whisk in 2 tablespoons flour then add in the chicken cooking liquid and whisk well until you have a creamy gravy).
Even better, serve that chicken and gravy over delicious Homemade Biscuits or with Homemade Dinner Rolls.
This chicken recipe is really easy to prepare, all you have to do is preheat the oven and rub split chicken breasts with kosher salt, pepper, and vegetable oil, put the chicken pieces skin side up on a baking sheet and let them bake.
The cooking time is extremely reasonable for a roasted chicken breast recipe, and they come out a delicious golden brown and crispy. Don’t worry about the oven drying out the split breasts either, they end up being extremely juicy and full of flavor.
It’s the perfect recipe for making a Classic Chicken Salad or Chicken Casserole too!
How to Make Oven Baked Split Chicken Breasts
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190.5 degrees C.)
- Season chicken with salt, pepper and vegetable oil and place in baking pan.
- Cook chicken for 30-35 minutes until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees F (73.8 degrees C).
Frequently Asked Questions
Try adding even more flavor to your chicken by adding a dash of paprika or garlic powder to it before you put it in the oven. You can even add a drizzle of lemon juice on top to give it a little extra zing. The lemon juice will make the chicken even more juicy and crisp.
Oven Baked Chicken Breasts are perfect for a ton of other recipes, which will save you time later in the week. Tear the chicken into bite sized pieces and served them in sandwiches, in chicken salad, or make them into a soup.
This chicken recipe is the perfect base to try out with different flavored sauces. Try the BBQ sauce from these Slow Cooker Barbecue Ribs, the Honey Mustard Sauce from Honey Mustard BBQ Chicken, or our delicious Buffalo Sauce, just to name a few.
Just like other chicken recipes, you should always make sure to check the internal temperature of your meal before you serve it up just to be sure it has cooked through all the way. The best way to do this is to insert a probe thermometer into the thickest part of each chicken breast to get an accurate reading.
The USDA states on their website that the temperature should be 165 degrees F (73.8 degrees C) or higher. Also when cooking chicken you should always thoroughly disinfect your workspace when you’re done to avoid getting sick. The extra clean up time is worth it to not get Salmonella.
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Bone In vs. Boneless Chicken Breasts
Why choose one over the other? That really depends on what the overall texture you’re going for. Boneless chicken gets more tender and is easier to eat, since you don’t have to pick through the bones to get to the good stuff. Skin-on bone-in chicken is delicious because of how flavorful and crispy the skin gets. That crispness doesn’t make the insides dry, it actually helps keep the meat juicy and moist.
You also have the added benefit of the flavor the bone provides as the chicken roasts. There is a lot of flavor in bones (this comes from bone marrow) and as the chicken bakes the marrow comes out of the bones and into the chicken.
What to Serve with Oven Baked Split Chicken Breasts
You’ll love to serve this with any of our favorite Side Dishes including Baked Mac and Cheese, Creamed Spinach or Corn Casserole.
How to Store Oven Baked Split Chicken Breasts
- Serve: Never leave cooked chicken out at room temperature for longer than about 2 hours or it can make you very sick. Make sure to always allow the meat to cool to room temperature before you refrigerate it, or it can still grow bacteria and make you ill.
- Store: To properly refrigerate your baked chicken, put it in something that can be completely sealed, like plastic wrap or tupperware. When completely sealed, Baked Split Chicken Breasts will be good for up to 3 days before they go bad.
- Freeze: Frozen cooked chicken is good for up to 6 months, as long as it doesn’t thaw out or it isn’t just sitting bare on the shelf. Make sure you seal it up good, or you’ll regret it when you try to thaw it and it’s completely freezer burned.
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts , bone-in and skin on
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Season chicken with salt, pepper and vegetable oil and place in baking pan.
- Cook chicken for 30-35 minutes until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees.
Video
Nutrition
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Photos used in a previous version of this post.
I am not usually a fan of oven baked chicken. But this is the best chicken I’ve ever had! Thank you for sharing the recipe.
You’re Welcome!
If you cook them in butter (3/4 of a stick) instead of vegetable oil, when you take them out of the oven you can use that browned butter and add it to heavy cream, chicken bullion and a splash of white wine for an amazing gravy.
Made this chicken recipe again as requested by my hubby. I made it to go in a Caesar salad. It has to be a fabulous chicken recipe if he requested it again. He is a challenge to cook for and is very particular! Thank you Sabrina for all your recipes ?
So happy when food brings people together!
Sabrina the chicken was fabulous! I brushed a little Bar B Que sauce on it as well, paired it with pineapple cole slaw and fresh summer corn on the Cob! So tender! So juicy !So delicious!! I make mine this way but never used the olive oil. What a difference it made. Wonderful! Mine was always dry. Thank you!!
I’m so glad Jennifer! Thank you so much!
The recipe stated “vegetable oil”, not … “olive oil” but I like the way you roll so much, that I HAD to look up ‘Pineapple Cole Slaw’!!!
Oh yeah… it’s GONNA happen!!!
This did not turn out well. I followed all instructions, including preheating oven to 375. The chicken took much longer to cook than the directions stated, more like 50 minutes. The flavor was rather bland too. Would not recommend.
This did not turn out well. I followed all instructions, including preheating oven to 375. The chicken took much longer to cook than the directions stated, more like 50 minutes. The flavor was rather bland too. Would not recommend.
A very good recipe for a basic baked chicken breast. However, the first time I made it I followed the recipe to a T and it came out pretty bland. Since I am from Louisiana, I had to kick it up a bit with additional flavoring.
I started out by brining my split breast in a mixture of lukewarm tap water, kosher salt, and sugar. I guess about a good handful of salt and sugar in about 6 cups of water.
I also injected a mixture of chicken broth butter, onion powder, garlic powder and a bit of lemon juice.
I then drained the breasts, patted them dry, and rubbed olive oil all over the breast. Then I made a rub with onion powder, garlic powder, kosher salt, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper. I added about 1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano and dried basil.
I place the rub all over the breasts and baked in a 375 F oven for about 40 minutes until the internal temp was 165F.
Once I made those changes the end result was a very moist yet crispy chicken breast with a deep and wonderful flavor.
Thanks for the feedback, Tim.
is it food safe to FREEZE the cooked, chicken STILL ON THE BONES?
Yes 🙂
I made this tonight for the first time. I can’t tell you have delicious this was! It was so juicy and the skin was so yummy. I used sea salt and pepper, Mrs. Dash Garlic Herb, Paprika, and a dash of Curry. It was amazing with so little effort. I had chicken thighs so I took them out at 35 minutes, cut them up and baked a little longer. So good!
This makes me so happy!! I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
You have saved me! I’ve been getting all my great recipes from your site since I’ve been cooking every night, and everything has been delicious ?????
Yay!! Thanks for coming back to let me know.
Do you bake chicken uncovered in the oven?
Uncovered 🙂
Chicken does not cook in 35 minutes
Did you have your oven preheated to 375 degrees?
30 minutes is not enough time if the breasts are big. More like 45 minutes.
I normally don’t have garlic cloves I was wondering if I could just use garlic salt?
It’s going to add salt to it too. I would use garlic powder instead, in a pinch.
YUM!!! Such a great dinner idea.
Hope you enjoy!
This is such an easy and great way to cook chicken! Awesome for meal prep, too.
My husband really likes chicken on the bone so I know he’d enjoy this if presented with it. It looks nice and golden and it sure sounds easy to make!
I totally agree with you that this is a staple recipe. You can do so much with baked chicken and it’s easy and clean to cook/bake. Love!
I really loved that it is so easy to make! Everyone at my house loved it!
This is definitely the best way to cook chicken breasts, if you want them tender & tasty. Boneless skinless chicken breasts turn out pretty dry & lack flavor. The skin (even if you pull it off before eating) adds moisture & flavor while cooking, and all meats are much more flavorful when they’re cooked with the bone in. I also sprinkle on a ‘pinch’ of garlic powder, along with the salt & pepper, & always season both sides of whichever meat I’m cooking.
I agree, it keeps them so juicy and flavorful! Thanks for the review and sharing!