How to Bake Chicken Breast

Boneless chicken breasts are a wonderful, easy to work with raw material. They are versatile and can be used in a number of different meals. The best part about chicken breast is that they are the healthiest cut of the chicken, the one recommended for heart patients. Whenever possible, buy boneless chicken breast that is on sale as opposed to the packaged frozen ones. There are hundreds of different ways to use chicken breast; they can be used in sandwiches, skillet dinners, casseroles and pasta dishes, cut into strips for salads, and also in many crockpot dishes. There are also many different ways of baking chicken breast, so we will explain to you the basics.

Using Oven

If not knowing how to bake boneless chicken breast held you back so far, let it no longer, for the process is incredibly easy. This easy preparation gives up flavorful results:

1. You need split chicken breasts, 1 tablespoon of herb butter for each breast, at room temperature and salt and pepper.
2. As always, start by heating the oven to 375F. For the herb butter, all you need to do is mix some of your favorite herbs into the butter.
3. Make a slit in the skin and carefully slip your fingers in to create space between the skin and the meat. Try not to tear the skin. Ease in a tablespoon of herb butter and under the skin of each breast.
4. Spray a roasting pan with cooking spray and place the chicken breasts in it.
5. People are often confused about how long to bake chicken breast, often pulling it out while it is still raw. The ideal baking times is between 45 to 60 minutes, depending on the thickness of the breasts.
6. It is best to check the chicken breasts after 45 minutes. If you feel it is done, pull it out as you want it to retain its moisture. Let it stand for 5 minutes before digging in.

Grilling Chicken Breasts

Apart from the split chicken breasts, you will need 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic, 2 to 4 tablespoons of barbecue sauce per breast, 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper, and Irvine Spices Smokey Rotisserie Blend Seasoning. Start by filling a deep pot with water and bringing it to a boil.

1. Drop the chicken into the water and simmer for 10 minutes. Then remove the chicken, drain the water and allow it to cool.
2. In the meantime mix together the Smokey Rotisserie seasoning, chopped garlic, olive oil, and salt and pepper. When the chicken is cool to touch, rub the chicken breasts with the mixture, cover and refrigerated for 30 minutes in the least.
3. Preheat your grill and spray with cooking spray. Place chicken on hot grill and cook for 7 minutes. Turn the chicken and cook for five more minutes.
4. Add some of the barbecue sauce to the chicken and turn it over. As it cooks, cover the other side of the chicken breast with barbecue sauce. Wait 5 minutes and then turn again. After another 5 minutes, your chicken should be done. Check and if not done, keep cooking for two-to-three minutes per side.

As chicken breasts are fairly tender and cook easily, which is why they are most often cooked in a skillet. One of the best ways of how to cook chicken breast in a pan is recipe that includes bell peppers, prosciutto and wine. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and then brown it in the pan. In the pan, cook together bell peppers (red and yellow), prosciutto, garlic, diced tomatoes, white wine, thyme and oregano to form a rich gravy. Then add in the chicken breast and chicken stock, and bring to a boil. Then simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, remove and serve.

The above instructions teach you the basics of how to bake chicken breast. Armed with this knowledge, you can try the hundred of different preparations of baked chicken breast. Bon appetit!