How To Oven Roast Chicken Breasts

Juicy, easy oven roasted chicken breasts are waiting for you, your family and even dinner guests. I love this cooking method for chicken, especially because there is so little clean up. First I brined the breasts for a mere four hours before roasting, though you can roast any bone-in chicken breasts this way. Here you go:

Ingredients
For this recipe, 3 bone-in and skin on brined chicken breasts (you may use brine-free meat but your cooking time might be a bit longer)
Herbs de Province -If you don’t have this, go buy you some. It is heaven on roasted chicken. Alternately, a good season mix is equal parts thyme, oregano, sage, rosemary and black pepper for a nice, though less nice, season-blend
Black pepper
High-heat oil, like safflower or canola oil or cooking spray
Equipment and tools needed
Instant-read thermometer
Oven-safe skillet or roasting pan
450F degree preheated oven

If using brined chicken breasts, remove from brine and pat dry. Barely oil or spray the pan. Add chicken to the pan. Sprinkle Herbs de Province and black pepper, to taste, on each breast. If, and only if you have not brined your chicken, you may also add salt.

Place your oven-safe skillet or roasting pan (if cooking more than four breasts) on the middle rack in your pre-heated 450F oven.

Do not open oven for 20 minutes. At the 20 minute point, insert an instant-read thermometer to the thickest part of the breast, careful not to touch the bone. Chicken needs to reach 161F degrees internally. If not at 161F degrees, return to oven and check every 4 minutes until 161F has been met.

At this point, remove the chicken from oven and let rest in pan for 10 minutes.