Easiest Baked Chicken Breast

My method for Easiest Baked Chicken Breast results in perfect chicken, every time! Tender, juicy, flavorful, and hands-off too.

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Resting time 15

Total Time 45

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword dairy free, gluten free, low carb, low fat

Method Baking

Servings

Calories 234kcal

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees then spray a 9x13" baking pan with nonstick spray.
Place the chicken breasts into the bottom of the baking pan then drizzle on the Italian dressing and sprinkle on seasonings to taste. Use tongs or your hands to flip the chicken breasts to coat in the dressing and seasonings then arrange into an even layer.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the thickest part of the largest chicken breast reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees as read by a digital instant-read thermometer. Let the chicken rest for 5-10 minutes before serving and/or slicing.

Add the chicken breasts, Italian dressing, and seasonings to a gallon-size Ziplock bag then seal and squish to coat. Press out all the air then reseal and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 24 hours. Pour the entire contents of the bag into the nonstick sprayed baking dish then bake as directed above.

If your chicken breasts are 10oz+, pound them out then cut them in half to ensure they cook evenly.
Really any prepared vinaigrette/dressing will work for this chicken, though creamy dressings like Ranch or French dressing will burn in the oven. I almost always use Ken's Zesty Italian salad dressing, but your favorite balsamic vinegar, lemon vinaigrette, or Asian-style dressing are all fine to use.
If you don’t have a salad dressing on hand that you’d like to use, feel free to simply brush the chicken breasts with extra virgin olive oil then add your seasonings and bake as directed.