Garlic Butter Baked Chicken Breast is a simple and delicious way to make juicy, flavorful chicken every time. These oven-baked chicken breasts are covered in a tasty garlic butter sauce. This sauce keeps them tender and moist, with a golden and slightly crispy edge. Perfect for a quick weeknight dinner or easy meal prep!
Best Chicken Breast Recipe You’ll EVER Make!
If you love juicy chicken breast recipes, I’m sure you’ll love this one. My husband also loves it, especially because I cook it in garlic butter sauce. Who doesn’t love a buttery flavoured sauce?
This sauce gives more flavor to this recipe and helps the chicken breast to be tender, moist and juicy too. This sauce is so good that you don’t need to even use a chicken marinade.
I also love how quick and easy this recipe is. No complicated steps, wrapping, or brining required. You don’t need to pound the chicken breasts with a rolling pin or meat mallet. Also, there’s no need for parchment paper or plastic wrap either.
I absolutely love easy and quick baked chicken breast recipes for dinner. If you’re like me, try these delicious family chicken breast recipes too: Creamy Parmesan Chicken Breast and Stuffed Chicken Breast recipe. Want even more chicken breast recipes? Try these 50 Best Chicken Breast Recipes, Instant Pot Chicken Breast and this Air Fryer Chicken Breast Recipe.
Chicken Breast – I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts for a lean, quick-cooking protein. After making this recipe many times, I found that this cut is the best. It has a great balance of tenderness and juiciness, especially when baked with garlic butter. But feel free to replace chicken breast for chicken thighs if it’s what you have.
Butter – I always opt for unsalted butter in recipes like this to give me full control over the salt levels. I’ve found that unsalted butter allows the garlic and other seasonings to shine without the risk of the dish being too salty.
Garlic – Freshly minced garlic is a must for its vibrant, aromatic flavor. I’ve tried pre-minced or jarred garlic, but nothing beats the flavor and freshness of fresh garlic in the butter sauce.
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Season all the sides of chicken breast with salt, pepper and smoked paprika. If you prefer you can also use your favorite spices like garlic powder, dried oregano and chili powder too.
2. In a cast iron skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Once the skillet is hot, add the chicken breast. Sear for 1-2 minutes on each side, or until golden brown.
2. In a small bowl mix together the butter, Italian seasoning, parsley, and garlic. Then, pour the garlic butter mixture over the chicken breasts.
3. Place the skillet in the oven. There’s no need to flip them when baking.
4. Bake chicken breast for 20-30 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
4. Remove the cooked chicken breasts from the oven. Using a spoon, drizzle some of the butter sauce from the skillet over the juicy, tender chicken breasts before serving.
Olivia's Recipe Tips:
- After removing the chicken breast from the fridge, pat dry the chicken with paper towels.
- Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving.
- You can use a regular skillet to sear your chicken if you don’t have a cast iron skillet. Then, transfer them to a casserole, or an oven-safe baking dish.
- If you want a more buttery sauce, add two extra tablespoons of butter.
The cooking time will depend on the size of your chicken breast and also on the power of your oven. Some ovens have slight heat differences.
But according to USDA, a 4-oz. chicken breast should be bake at 350°F (177˚C) for 25 minutes or 30 minutes to be fully cooked. If it’s smaller than 4oz, bake it for about 20 minutes.
However, to bake a 5 to 6 ounce chicken breast at 400F, it will take around 20 to 25 minutes.
It’s important that you use an instant read thermometer when cooking chicken breast to check that the internal temperature.
How do you keep chicken breast from drying out in the Oven?
Be sure to not over bake the chicken breasts to avoid them getting dried out when baked. We also put the garlic butter overtop the breasts so that there’s extra added moisture to it. This is how I make delicious baked chicken breast that retain all of their natural juices.
Serve this Recipe with:
This baked chicken breast recipe is amazing served fresh out of the oven with some veggie sides. But you can also slice, shred, or dice them to use in other dishes, like chicken noodle soup, chicken salad, or chicken chili.
I usually love to serve it with salads, rice, mashed potatoes, roasted asparagus, broccoli salad and sweet potato fries.
You can also serve with a delicious quinoa salad and yummy air fryer baked sweet potato.
More Chicken Breast Recipes To Try:
Chicken Mushroom Recipe
30 mins
Baked Chicken Breast Recipe
35 mins
Lemon Rosemary Chicken
40 mins
Mediterranean Chicken Recipe
35 mins
Garlic Butter Baked Chicken Breast
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- salt and black pepper
- 1/2 + 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 4 tbsp butter (melted)
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 tbsp. olive oil extra virgin
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Season chicken breast with salt, pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of paprika and set aside.
- In a small bowl mix 1/4 teaspoon of paprika, butter, Italian seasoning, parsley, and garlic. Set aside.
- In a cast iron skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. When the skillet is hot add chicken breast. Sear until golden. It’s about 1-2 minutes each side.
- Pour garlic butter mixture over the chicken breast. Place skillet in the oven and cook until cooked through. It’s about 20 minutes or until chicken breasts gets to an internal temperature of 165F.
- Remove from the oven. Using a spoon, pour some of the butter sauce left in the skillet onto the chicken breast. Also, if you prefer, top with fresh herbs before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Made this last night for dinner. The chicken was flavor- filled and juicy.It also cooked quickly which is a necessity for our busy schedule. I would highly recommend this recipe.
So glad to hear the recipe worked well for you! Flavor-filled, juicy chicken that fits into a busy schedule is a win-win. Thanks for recommending it!
Easy and delicious, I’m adding this recipe to my favorites.
That’s great to hear! A delicious and easy chicken breast—sounds like a winner! Happy you liked it.
Easy dish with great flavor! I did double the sauce as mentioned in a tip. Served it with quinoa and squash and black chickpea curry and sautéed spinach.My husband loved it! What’s not to love with garlic butter sauce! Thanks for the recipe and nutritional information!
That sounds like an amazing spread! Doubling the sauce is a fantastic idea, especially with such complementary sides. Garlic butter sauce truly has that special touch. I’m thrilled to hear it was a hit for you and your husband. If you ever need more recipes or tips, feel free to reach out. Enjoy your culinary adventures!
Had to search for a suggested temperature. Putting 400 in the actual recipe would be good. Thanks!
Please look at the first step of the recipe card instructions and you will find the proper temperature.
Tried recipe last night and followed directions as is. Could not believe how delicious it turned out. In fact, believe this to be my #1 favorite recipe (even better than my favorite chicken parmigiana). Luckily I made a lot of breasts and was able to freeze the leftovers, meaning I can enjoy this meal again and again. Thank you for sharing.
That’s fantastic to hear! It’s always a win when a dish becomes a new favorite. Freezing leftovers is such a great idea for future delicious meals. So glad you enjoyed it!
I wanted a simple but delicious main course for a small family Christmas gathering and this was perfect! Delicious and definitely flavorful and juicy. 🙂 Thanks for this recipe, I will definitely make it again!
That’s wonderful to hear! I’m thrilled the recipe worked out well for your Christmas gathering. It’s great knowing you enjoyed it and found it flavorful and juicy. Wishing you many more delicious meals ahead! Cheers!
Absolutely delicious. The next day the cold chicken was just so good cold. So flavorful and we dipped our crescent rolls in leftover garlic Butter mixture.
Amazing!
Perfect favors and very easy to prepare. Love being able to chop any leftovers up and throw them in a salad.. ymmmm! My go-to recipe for chicken breasts!!
Thank you!!
Your feedbak made my day! Thank you so much 😉
Very good. Chicken was done in 12 minutes.
Awesome! Thank you for stopping by 😉
I found this to make when I had no idea’s for dinner. I thought it will be good enough but we all LOVED it and it will definitely become a part of our dinner rotation. Thank you for this easy and delicious recipe.
That’s fantastic to hear! I’m thrilled the recipe was such a hit for you. It’s always wonderful when a last-minute dinner idea turns into a new family favorite. If you need more recipes or ideas, feel free to ask!
Made 4 chick breasts last night. Just me here. Ate one. Awesome! Put others (minus butter, of course) into chicken salad. SOOOOO flavorful!
That’s such a clever way to repurpose the chicken breasts! Chicken salad sounds delicious, and I’m glad you enjoyed the flavor. Creative cooking at its best! 👩🍳🍗
Seared and used the oven temp probe, got to temp very quickly! Turned the oven off and left for 10 min. Put the juices in the rice, and served with buttered peas. Happy wife…
So happy you and your wife enjoyed this recipe 😉
My husband is a very picky eater when it comes to chicken. I tried this recipe last week and he absolutely loved it. He asked for it again tonight!
So happy to hear that!
Made this for dinner and it’s really good.. very garlicky but you adjust to taste.. I always add much more herbs to flavor things and put a ton of smoked paprika, thyme, Italian seasoning, season salt, pepper, parsley and onion powder on the chicken while pan searing. Had 1/2 stick of butter melted in the pan to sear, then added another 1/2 stick to the pan and the minced garlic right before putting it in the oven. I also basted the chicken a few times with the butter while in the oven, too. The breasts weren’t all even, so I had to take out the smaller pieces before the larger one so it didn’t dry out, but it was very flavorful and really fast and easy. Made some boiled little tiny golden potatoes and after I drained the water I added a good amount of butter to the pan to melt, with salt, pepper and a ton of parsley. Creamy and yummy 😋
So thrilled to hear you enjoyed the recipe and made it your own! Your additions of smoked paprika, thyme, Italian seasoning, season salt, pepper, parsley, and onion powder sound absolutely delicious – talk about a flavor-packed meal! The basting with butter in the oven and the creamy touch to the potatoes make it all sound irresistibly good. Thanks for sharing your tips, and I’m glad it turned out flavorful and quick for you. If you ever try more recipes, feel free to share your creative twists!
My family loved this recipe! The flavors are outstanding and the chicken is so tender and juicy! One of our favorites for sure!
Awww how awesome to hear that! My family also love this recipe so much. It’s easy and tender and flavorful! Perfect for a weeknight dinner.
I tried this recipe for dinner yesterday. It was delicious!! Perfectly seasoned, tender, and so juicy! It was so easy to! My husband loved it as well. It will definitely be on the go to list from now on. Thank you for sharing it!
I’m thrilled to hear that you enjoyed the recipe! It’s wonderful to know that it turned out deliciously seasoned, tender, and juicy. I’m glad both you and your husband loved it! Having it on your go-to list is fantastic, and I’m grateful for your kind words.
The chicken was tough but it was good
Thanks for sharing your feedback! I’m glad you found the chicken tasty, despite it being a bit tough. Next time, you might try cooking it for a bit less time to avoid it becoming tough.
I have tried this recipe and it is quite possibly the best one so far for boneless chicken breasts.Every ingredient compliments the other..not to mention that it’s done in an iron frying pan. Additionally this gem of a recipe freezes very well.Thank you so much for sharing this!!
Wow, I’m thrilled to hear that you loved the recipe! Thank you for trying it out and sharing your feedback—it means a lot!
This turned out just okay. The flavor was good but the chicken wasn’t tender or moist. I think next time I will pound the chicken.
It sounds like you had a good flavor but the texture wasn’t quite right. Did you find that you might have overcooked the chicken a bit? Sometimes that can lead to it being a bit tough and dry.
This had a very good taste and we liked it, however, it wasn’t tender. I did use an in the oven temperature probe and removed it at 160° and let it finish cooking during the rest time. Next time I will try pounding the chicken a bit.
Excellent chicken breast – so flavourful, incredibly easy and not dry! After one go, it will enter regular rotation.
Right? My favorite chicken breast recipe EVER!