Everyone will be full of praise if you cook chicken like this







I asked if you guys might be interested in a back-to-basics series about the best methods to bake meats in the oven a few weeks ago on Instagram. These proteins included chicken, pork, beef, seafood, tofu, etc. Your response? A hearty "yes, please!" Many of you had requests and inquiries regarding the best ways to prepare different proteins, as well as many stories to share about proteins that had not turned out so well in the past. And I hear you, boy. Over the years, my tiny kitchen has also witnessed its fair share of overdone steaks, completely dried-out pork chops, salmon skin stuck to pans, and not quite as crispy tofu. They are never enjoyable, particularly because proteins can be expensive and are only used on exceptional occasions. Hey, but, it's all a part of



Therefore, I figured we could go through each of them over the course of the following two weeks, starting today with the top protein requested on Gimme Some Oven.



…chicken.



particular chicken breasts that are boneless and skinless.



I've gotten a ton of requests throughout the years for fresh chicken breast recipes as well as advice on how to bake chicken breasts in the oven. Since chicken breasts can be highly adaptable but also incredibly difficult to work with, especially when baked in the oven, anyone who has ever worked with them previously will know this. If you cook them incorrectly, the result will be a flavorless, tough, rubbery, and dry disaster. But prepared properly? You will adore these juicy, tender, delicious, and expertly roasted chicken breasts.



The good thing is that adding your preferred seasonings or sauces makes them incredibly simple to modify. Additionally, using my 5-step baked chicken breasts recipe, it is really simple to prepare. Over the years, thousands of our readers have given it a try and stated that this technique completely changed the way they cook chicken. So let's bake some chicken together if you haven't tried it yet.


Ingredients for baked chicken breasts:
To prepare this recipe for baked chicken breasts, you will need:


Chicken breasts with no bones or skin: You can buy fresh chicken breasts, which is what I like, or frozen chicken breasts, which you must fully defrost before using. Nowadays, some chicken is also pre-brined; in that case, skip step one below.
Pick either butter or olive oil! Olive oil will also work nicely, but I prefer the additional taste that butter provides.


Kosher Salt: A vital component of our brine, as well as the seasoning we'll use to season the chicken before baking.
Seasonings: For the super-easy and versatile recipe below, I used an all-purpose blend of smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. But