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Easy Italian Baked Chicken

Course Main dishes, Poultry
Cuisine Mediterranean
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 18 minutes
Total Time 28 minutes
Servings 6 people

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs 907.185g chicken breast boneless skinless
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 tsp 3.6g oregano dry
  • 1 tsp thyme fresh, (from 2 springs of thyme)
  • 1 tsp 2.1g sweet paprika
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 3 tbs 44.4ml extra virgin olive oil
  • the lemon juices from 1/2 lemon
  • 1 medium red onion halved and thinly sliced
  • 5 to 6 campari tomatoes (or small Roma tomatoes), halved
  • a handful parsley fresh, chopped, for garnish
  • basil leaves fresh, for garnish

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
  • Pat chicken dry. Place a chicken breast in a large zip-top bag and zip the top (make sure to release any air in the bag first), then place it on your poultry cutting board. Using a meat mallet like this one, pound to flatten the chicken. Remove from the zip-top bag and reuse bag and mallet to repeat the process with the remaining chicken breast pieces.
  • Season chicken with salt and pepper on both sides and place in a large mixing bowl or dish. Add spices, minced garlic, extra virgin olive oil, and lemon juice. Combine to make sure the chicken is evenly coated with the spices and garlic.
  • In a large lightly oiled baking dish or pan, spread onion slices on the bottom. Arrange seasoned chicken on top, and add the tomatoes.
  • Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and bake for 10 minutes covered, then uncover and bake another 8 to 10 minutes or so. Watch carefully. This can take less or more time depending on the thickness of your chicken breasts. To be sure chicken is cooked through, use an instant digital Cooking or Meat Thermometer for the proper temperature of 165 degrees F.)
  • Remove from heat. Let chicken breasts rest (cover with foil or another pan) for 5 to 10 minutes or so before serving. Uncover and garnish with fresh parsley and basil. Enjoy!

Notes

We can never have too many delicious and quick chicken recipes, can we?! You’ll love this healthy, juicy Italian Baked Chicken Recipe. Boneless skinless chicken breasts prepared with a simple spice mixture, garlic, and olive oil, and finished with fresh parsley and basil! Afraid to serve dry chicken breasts? Be sure to check out my tips and watch the video at the bottom of this post.
  • Important Cook’s Tips: Do not skip pounding the chicken (step #2). Pounding the chicken into thinner, and more evenly flat pieces help it cook faster and more evenly. And by pounding the chicken breast, you’re also mechanically tenderizing it, which means you’ll end up with a juicer and tastier chicken dinner.
  • Cook’s Tip: Let chicken rest before serving to allow juices to redistribute.

4 Tips for Baked Chicken Breast

1. Pound the chicken. I’m a big fan of pounding chicken breasts into thinner, more evenly flat pieces; it helps it cook faster and more evenly. And by pounding, you’re also mechanically tenderizing the chicken breast, which means you’ll end up with a juicer and tastier chicken dinner.
2. Add Enough Flavor. To begin with, be sure to season chicken breasts well on both sides with salt and pepper. Then, layer more flavor in the form of spices and aromatics. I use a simple mixture for this Italian baked chicken: oregano, fresh thyme, and sweet paprika along with fresh minced garlic. To bring everything together, a generous drizzle of my favorite Early Harvest extra virgin olive oil and a splash of lemon juice. The key is to toss the chicken well to coat evenly with the mixture. And if you leave it just for 10 minutes or so, this little bit of time helps the flavoring process.
3. Avoid Baking Too Long. This is the thing about cooking chicken breast, one minute makes a difference. I found that when baking, covering chicken breasts for the first 10 minutes or so was helpful in allowing steam to cook the chicken a bit from the inside first. Then, once uncovered, it finishes cooking quicker (again an attempt to avoid dry chicken breast). Always watch carefully, and test using an instant thermometer to avoid baking too long (Once chicken registers 165 degrees F, it’s ready. 18 to 20 minutes at most.)
4. Let Chicken Rest Before Serving or Slicing Through. This is a known rule, just like with a good steak, once chicken breast hits that magic 165 degrees F, remove from heat and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes so that the juices redistribute. And this time, I actually covered the chicken while it rested. I’ve found that to work even better.