✕

Perfect Oven Chicken Breast

High and fast, then rested. Flattening the thick end and resting under foil are the two steps that decide whether it's juicy or whether it's the dry chicken that puts people off eating well.

serves 3 30 mins basics meal-prep
Perfect Oven Chicken Breast

why it works

Skinless chicken breast is about as low as saturated fat goes in a meat protein, and roughly 35g of protein per fillet. Cooking three at once and holding one back means tomorrow's lunch is already done, which is most of what makes eating well sustainable.

Ingredients

  • 3 skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp dried oregano or thyme
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika
  • sea salt and black pepper

Method

  1. Put the breasts on a board, cover with baking paper, and gently bash the thick end with a rolling pin or a heavy pan until each one is an even 1.5–2cm thick. Chicken breast is naturally thick at one end and thin at the other, which is exactly why the thin end turns to cardboard while you wait for the middle.

  2. Rub all over with the olive oil, oregano, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. The oil is there to help the spices cling and to seal moisture in, not to fry anything.

  3. Heat the oven to 200°C fan. Lay them on a parchment-lined tray with space between them — packed tight, they steam instead of roasting.

  4. Bake for 18–20 minutes. If you didn't flatten them, give them 22–25 minutes at 190°C instead.

  5. Check the thickest part. The juices should run completely clear, or a thermometer should read 75°C.

  6. Transfer to a board, cover loosely with foil, and rest for 5–10 minutes before slicing. This is the step everyone skips and the one that matters most — cut it straight out of the oven and all the moisture ends up on the board, and it'll be dry by day three.

remix

  • Cook three, eat two, slice the third cold into a salad or wrap the next day
  • Swap the oregano for ras el hanout, Cajun blend or shawarma spices depending on where dinner's going
  • Sits happily on the same tray as roasting Mediterranean veg and chickpeas
  • Butterfly rather than flatten if you want it to cook in half the time
  • A squeeze of lemon over the rested chicken before slicing