A sweet and savory marinade adds delicious flavor to this tender and juicy 5-Ingredient Baked Chicken Breast recipe! The perfect family-friendly meal, this easy dinner only requires about 5 minutes of hands-on prep time.
Every busy household could use more baked chicken breast recipes in the repertoire, right?! This particular marinade requires just four simple ingredients and can be used to prepare oven baked chicken breasts, oven baked chicken thighs, or baked chicken tenders. Grab whatever is sitting in your refrigerator and let's get started!
The best way to cook chicken breasts in the oven:
A flavorful, tender and juicy piece of chicken begins with a great marinade. You'll need the following ingredients for this recipe:
- A thick teriyaki sauce
- Orange juice
- Brown sugar
- Rosemary
Whisk together these four items to prepare the marinade.
Place the marinade in a dish or Ziploc bag with the raw chicken breasts. Marinate in the refrigerator for about 1-2 hours, but not more than 4 hours.
Before baking, allow the chicken to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Place the chicken in a baking dish, along with about ½ cup of the marinade. Discard any remaining marinade in the bag.
How long does it take to cook a chicken breast in the oven at 400 degrees F?
Bake the chicken breasts, uncovered, at 400 degrees F for about 30-40 minutes (or until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F).
How to serve this Healthy Baked Chicken Breast Recipe:
One reason boneless, skinless chicken breast recipe ideas are so popular is because they're versatile! Pair this protein with your family's favorite sides and you have a kid-friendly meal ready in no time. Here are a few ways to serve the dish:
- Use this chicken breast recipe for salad! Slice the meat and serve it on top of a simple green salad or on top of this Chinese Chicken Salad with Cashews.
- The teriyaki sauce in the marinade makes this chicken perfect with Asian-inspired sides like rice or egg rolls.
- For a green veggie, try pairing the chicken with Garlic Roasted Broccoli, Sesame Broccoli, Sesame Ginger Snap Pea Salad, or Ramen Noodle Salad.
Cook's Tips and Recipe Variations:
- Make sure that you use a thick teriyaki sauce or marinade for this recipe. I like the La Choy brand (shown here) or Soy Vay Veri Veri Teriyaki. Anything similar will work! Just make sure that you're not using a thinner teriyaki sauce that has the consistency of soy sauce. It will be too watery for this dish.
- Two hours is the perfect amount of time to marinate the chicken. You can leave the meat in the marinade for up to 4 hours, but I don’t recommend marinating for much longer than that. Too much time in the acidic marinade can cause the chicken to become mushy.
- Use this same marinade to bake chicken thighs or chicken tenders. The cooking instructions for these cuts of meat are included in the recipe.
- Line your baking dish with foil and spray with cooking spray for easy clean-up!
- I love the combination of rosemary and chicken. If you prefer a different herb, feel free to substitute with basil, parsley, oregano, cilantro or thyme.
- Cooking for a larger family? Add 2-3 lbs. of chicken breasts to the prepared marinade. Use about 1 cup of the marinade in the baking dish, and bake according to the recipe instructions.
- For a shorter cooking time, cut large chicken breasts in half lengthwise to create thinner pieces of meat.
- Since the size and thickness of chicken breasts can vary greatly, I suggest using a meat thermometer to know when your chicken is done. The meat needs to reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
- Wrapped tightly, the baked chicken breast will keep in the fridge for up to 1 week. You can also store the chicken in an airtight container or wrapped tightly in the freezer for up to 3 months.
More easy baked chicken breast recipes for dinner:
- Dump-and-Bake Basil Chicken Breasts
- Dump-and-Bake Chicken and Mushrooms
- 5-Minute Honey French Baked Chicken Breasts
- "No Work" Baked Chicken
5-Ingredient Baked Chicken Breast Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup thick teriyaki sauce and marinade (see note below)
- ¾ cup orange juice
- ¼ cup packed brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons minced fresh rosemary (or 2 teaspoons dried rosemary)
- 1 ½ lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or substitute with chicken tenders or chicken thighs)
Instructions
- In a bowl or large Ziploc bag, whisk together teriyaki sauce, orange juice, brown sugar, and rosemary until blended. Add chicken; turn to coat. Refrigerate for about 1-2 hours (but not more than 4 hours).
- Remove chicken from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Line a baking dish with foil and spray with cooking spray.
- Place chicken in prepared dish, along with about ½ cup of the marinade. Discard the remaining marinade.
- Bake, uncovered, for 30-40 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. If using chicken tenders or boneless chicken thighs, decrease the baking time to 20-25 minutes.
Notes
- Make sure that you use a thick teriyaki sauce or marinade for this recipe. I like the La Choy brand (shown here) or Soy Vay Veri Veri Teriyaki. Anything similar will work! Just make sure that you're not using a thinner teriyaki sauce that has the consistency of soy sauce. It will be too watery for this dish.
- Two hours is the perfect amount of time to marinate the chicken. You can leave the meat in the marinade for up to 4 hours, but I don’t recommend marinating for much longer than that. Too much time in the acidic marinade can cause the chicken to become mushy.
- Use this same marinade to bake chicken thighs or chicken tenders. The cooking instructions for these cuts of meat are included in the recipe.
- Line your baking dish with foil and spray with cooking spray for easy clean-up!
- I love the combination of rosemary and chicken. If you prefer a different herb, feel free to substitute with basil, parsley, oregano, cilantro or thyme.
- Cooking for a larger family? Add 2-3 lbs. of chicken breasts to the prepared marinade. Use about 1 cup of the marinade in the baking dish, and bake according to the recipe instructions.
- For a shorter cooking time, cut large chicken breasts in half lengthwise to create thinner pieces of meat.
- Since the size and thickness of chicken breasts can vary greatly, I suggest using a meat thermometer to know when your chicken is done. The meat needs to reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
- Wrapped tightly, the baked chicken breast will keep in the fridge for up to 1 week. You can also store the chicken in an airtight container or wrapped tightly in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Tess
Yum this looks really good.... will be trying soon! 🙂
Blair
Awesome! Enjoy, Tess! I'm making it again this week, too. 🙂
Becca
If substituting thyme (instead of rosemary), would you use 2 T of it as well?
Blair
Yes! That should work well, although it's really just a matter of personal preference. If you like a more mild thyme (earthy) flavor, just reduce it to 1 tablespoon. Either way will be great!