Easy, Tender, & Delicious Oven Baked Split Chicken Breasts Recipe (2024)

These oven-baked split chicken breasts are an easy, healthy, and delicious choice for dinner any night of the week. My bone-in-baked chicken breasts turn out beautifully with a crispy seasoned skin while retaining their juices for perfect, tender, moist chicken meat. Pair this dish with any of your favorite sides for a well-rounded and complete meal that the whole family will enjoy.

Use leftover chicken meat in my tasty soup recipes like the classic Chicken Noodle Soup, the perfectly spiced Chicken Tortilla Soup, and the heavenly Creamy Chicken Minnesota Wild Rice Soup!

Well-seasoned and perfectly cooked oven-baked split chicken breasts are a staple dinner that is both affordable and healthy.

Baking the chicken with the bone in and skin on helps keep all the wonderful juices and flavors of your baked chicken breast inside the meat.

This is an everyday kind of bone-in, skin-on chicken breast recipe. In its many variations of seasoning, I use this recipe as the base for so many things.

Leftover seasoned chicken meat like this is fantastic in soups, casseroles, chicken salad, and much more!

🥘 Ingredients

This recipe only requires chicken breasts and a handful of spices and herbs. You can swap out the seasoning combination for some store-bought chicken seasoning if desired.

• Chicken Breasts - (also called Split Breasts): You'll need roughly 2-3 pounds of chicken meat. The brands will vary, but this will typically be around 2-4 chicken breasts.
• Olive Oil - 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) to pan-sear your chicken breasts and for baking.
• Chicken Seasoning - ½ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon each of pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika. These are my base spices for seasoning chicken. Cayenne pepper can be added for some heat, and fresh herbs, including thyme, rosemary, and parsley, are also exceptionally good with chicken. ***For an amazing seasoning for chicken, try my poultry seasoning!

*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*

🔪 How To Bake Split Chicken Breasts

I highly recommend searing your chicken for crisp and flavorful skin.

When you are ready to start, you'll need a baking sheet, a skillet (for searing), and some measuring spoons for your seasonings.

The exact amount of servings will depend on the weight of your chicken. In general, you can expect about 6 portions.

Prepare the Chicken

1. Preheat. Preheat your oven to 400°F (205°C) and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil (or coat a baking dish with olive oil or non-stick cooking spray).
2. Prepare chicken. Rinse and pat dry your split chicken breasts. Coat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, rubbing the olive oil into the skin and breast surface side that will be facing upward during cooking. *Be sure to carefully clean all surfaces after preparing raw chicken, cook the chicken to the minimum safe temperature, and store unused leftover chicken once cooled.
3. Season. Season each piece of chicken, sprinkling with combined spices: ½ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon each of pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika.
4. Transfer. Place the chicken breasts, skin side up, on your prepared baking sheet.

Cook the Chicken

1. Sear the skin. *For extra crispy chicken skin, heat a skillet or frying pan to medium-high heat. There is no need to add oil (it's already on your split chicken breasts); place the skin side down on the seasoned chicken breasts and sear for 3-4 minutes or until nicely golden brown. Then place it onto your baking sheet and continue with steps 5 & 6.
2. Bake. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches a minimum of 165°F (74°C) when checked with a meat thermometer. *Check next to the bone at the breast meat's deepest (thickest) point.
3. Rest. Remove the baked chicken from the oven and allow it to sit (rest) for 3-5 minutes before being served; this allows the juices to sink back into the meat rather than running out when the chicken is cut.

This versatile main dish can easily be paired with any of your favorite side dishes. I like to serve it with some creamed corn, bacon cream cheese mashed potatoes, and green beans almondine. Enjoy!

🌡️ How Long To Bake Bone-In Chicken Breasts

I recommend baking your chicken at 400°F (205°C) for best results. However, some people have specific temperature preferences for baking chicken, so follow this handy temperature chart below!

• Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 50-55 minutes
• Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 45-50 minutes
• Bake at 400°F (205°C) for 40-45 minutes
• Bake at 425°F (220°C) for 35-40 minutes
• Bake at 450°F (230°C) for 30-35 minutes

💭 Tips & Notes

• Adjusting Baking Times: The cooking time for your split chicken breasts will depend on their size and thickness. For example, a 2½ pound package containing two large, bone-in chicken breasts, as shown here, can provide several 4-6 ounce servings per breast due to their substantial size.
• Seasoning Flexibility: While my seasoning blend is highly recommended, customize the chicken with any preferred spices and herbs to suit your taste before baking.
• Benefits of Bone-In Chicken: Cooking with bone-in chicken not only helps retain moisture but also infuses additional flavor into the meat, enhancing the overall taste of your dish.

🥡 Storing & Reheating

If you happen to have any leftovers, keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Alternatively, you can freeze your cooked bone-in chicken breasts for extra easy meal prep. Wrap the meat in freezer paper, followed by a layer of plastic wrap and aluminum foil, before placing it into a storage bag.

The chicken can be frozen for up to 3 months. Allow it to thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.

Reheating

Gently reheat any leftovers in the oven at 350°F (175°C) until heated through.

🤔 When Is Baked Chicken Done

Your chicken (any cut or any poultry) is done when the internal temperature, measured with a meat thermometer, reaches 165ºF (74ºC) according to USDA food safety guidelines.

With bone-in chicken specifically, I prefer to make sure that my chicken temps out at 180ºF (82ºC). The temperature should be taken at the thickest portion of the chicken and close to the bone.

Other indicators include the color of the chicken juices. If there are still blood-tinged juices in the baking tray, there is a good chance that one or more pieces are not fully cooked.

Also, when using your meat thermometer to take the internal temperature of your chicken, the juices that run back out after the temperature has been checked should be clear. Not pink or discolored.

The meat closest to the bone and at the deepest portion of meat is the most likely undercooked area of the chicken breast. As the last check before serving your baked chicken breasts, carve the meat away from the bone. The chicken meat should be white when fully cooked, with no remaining 'pink' color.

If you want to learn more, look at my in-depth guide to chicken internal temperatures!

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❓ FAQ

🍗 More Chicken Recipes

• Chicken Hearts - Go ahead and switch up your standard chicken recipes by trying out some nutritious and tasty chicken hearts!
• Biscuit Chicken Pot Pie - Using premade biscuits makes this chicken pot pie recipe incredibly easy to make!
• Panda Express Teriyaki Chicken - This copycat recipe tastes even better than the one from the restaurant!
• Chicken Schnitzel - A traditional German dish, this chicken schnitzel features thin chicken cutlets that have been coated and fried!
• Bag Roasted Chicken - If you have some roasting bags on hand, you need to try out this flavorful chicken recipe!
• Smoked Spatchco*ck Chicken - Fire up the smoker and get ready to enjoy this tender and flavorful protein!

📖 Recipe Card