Oven Baked Chicken Breast (The Chicken I Use for everything)
This easy oven baked chicken breast is the ultimate meal prep staple—tender, juicy, and perfectly seasoned with just salt, pepper, garlic, and olive oil. Use it in salads, wraps, bowls, and more all week long. Ready in 20 minutes!
Creator: Leslie Stokes
If you’ve ever wondered what chicken I’m using in half the meals I post—this is it. My oven-baked chicken breast is the behind-the-scenes hero of salads, wraps, bowls, casseroles, stuffed sweet potatoes, and everything in between.
It’s juicy, flavorful, and comes together in about 20 minutes. And unlike store-bought rotisserie, it’s seasoned simply and doesn’t contain anything weird. Just salt, garlic, pepper, olive oil, and a drizzle of honey if I want to lock in moisture.
Why I Love This Chicken
-
It’s done in 20 minutes, start to finish
-
It’s kid-approved and picky-eater-friendly
-
You can use it in everything—from pasta to nachos to soups
-
It’s the perfect clean protein to keep on hand for quick meals
How to Make It:
See full recipe card below, but the short version is:
-
Slice each chicken breast in half so it cooks quickly and evenly.
-
Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt, garlic powder, and pepper.
-
Roast at 400°F on the top rack for 15–20 minutes, flipping once.
-
Rest, slice, and store!
It’s that easy—and this method works every single time.
Ways I Use This Chicken (Your Weekly Rotation, Solved)
Here are some of my favorite actual recipes that use this exact chicken prep:
Strawberry Quinoa Salad
This one screams summer! I top quinoa with strawberries, cucumbers, shallots, basil, feta, and this oven-baked chicken. It holds up great for meal prep and has over 30g of protein per serving.
Elote Chicken Nachos
Crispy chips layered with pepper jack cheese, a creamy corn mixture, this shredded chicken, and all the elote toppings. I could eat this on repeat.
Dill Pickle Chicken Salad
This one’s a chopped chicken salad with mayo, pickles, bacon, and ranch seasoning—and yes, it’s as good as it sounds.
Lemon Artichoke Pasta Salad
One of my all time favorite pastas salads- it’s so light and fresh!
Chicken Bacon Ranch Bites
Using this chopped chicken, layer up in a muffin pan (in this order): 1 Tbsp shredded cheese, chicken, ranch seasoning, 1 tbsp shredded cheese. Bake at 400 for 10-15 mins until golden and crispy, dunk in ranch!
Meal Prep + Storage Tips:
-
Fridge: Store sliced or shredded chicken in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
-
Freezer: Freeze in meal-size portions for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
-
Reheat: Microwave gently or toss into a hot pan with a splash of broth or olive oil to keep it juicy.
Oven Baked Chicken Breast (The Chicken I Use for Everything)
Ingredients
- 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1.5 lbs total)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Optional: 1 teaspoon honey
Let's Make It
- Preheat oven to 400°F (use convection roast if available).
- Slice each chicken breast in half horizontally to create 4 thin cutlets.
- Place on a parchment-lined sheet pan or oven-safe rack.
- Drizzle with olive oil and optional honey.
- Sprinkle with salt, garlic powder, and black pepper on both sides.
- Bake on the top rack for 15–20 minutes, flipping halfway through, until internal temp reaches 165°F.
- Let rest 5 minutes before slicing or shredding.
Nutrition Facts
Nutritional Information (Per 1/4 of recipe / approx 4 oz cooked chicken):
Calories: 185
Protein: 33g
Fat: 6g
Carbs: 1g
Fiber: 0g
Sugar: 0g (add ~1g if using honey)
