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Serve a 5-minute delicious, easy, and healthy dinner with these baked basil chicken breasts! The tender, juicy chicken cooks in a flavorful white wine, Dijon, and fresh basil sauce for a versatile, low-calorie, low-carb, and high-protein weeknight meal!
Table of Contents
If you have an abundance of fresh basil, be sure to make this homemade pesto, this 5-ingredient pasta with cherry tomatoes, and a batch of tomato salad with basil and balsamic, too!
Humble chicken breasts get a major upgrade in this fancy-tasting dinner that’s perfect for your laziest days! Trust me, friends…the secret is in the sauce…
Why You’ll Love this Easy Baked Basil Chicken Recipe
- Easy. Thanks to the dump-and-bake method, this dinner is about as easy as it gets. Combine all of the ingredients in a dish, and pop it in the oven. That’s it! While the basil chicken breasts seem fancy enough to serve at your next dinner party, they can also be whisked together in about 5 minutes for a quick last-minute dish.
- Flavorful Sauce. White wine and Dijon mustard give the meat a rich, sophisticated flavor; a touch of honey adds an underlying sweetness; and plenty of herbs lend a fresh zip to this simple meal.
- Versatile. The baked chicken pairs well with just about any of your favorite sides — from rice to pasta, bread to biscuits, salad, or roasted veggies. Anything goes for a kid friendly meal!
Ingredients
This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for our favorite baked basil chicken. As always, the specific measurements and step-by-step instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- White wine: pick a dry white wine, such as pinot grigio, pinot gris, or sauvignon blanc.
- Extra virgin olive oil: helps transfer the flavor of the sauce ingredients into the chicken.
- Dijon mustard: for zippy tang.
- Fresh basil leaves: bright flavor.
- Garlic: for earthy, savory flavor.
- Honey: a hint of sweetness.
- Italian seasoning: a convenient blend of herbs and spices such as marjoram, basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano, savory, and sage.
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper: to enhance the flavors of the other ingredients.
- Chicken: the recipe calls for boneless skinless chicken breasts, but you can sub with boneless skinless chicken thighs, too.
How to Make Baked Basil Chicken in Oven
You can’t beat an easy dinner with just 5 minutes of prep! You’ll find detailed directions in the recipe card below, but here’s the quick version:
- Whisk together the sauce.
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
- Place the chicken in a baking dish.
- Pour the sauce over top and toss to coat.
- Bake until the chicken is cooked through, about 30-40 minutes, basting with the pan sauce as the chicken roasts.
Serving Suggestions
Here are a few great options that go well with the baked basil chicken:
- Pasta tossed with butter, olive oil, pan sauce, or pesto
- Coleslaw or Vinegar Coleslaw
- A side salad such as a Wedge Salad with Buttermilk Ranch Dressing, Southern Caesar Salad, Green Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette, House Salad with Candied Pecans, Mixed Greens with Dijon Vinaigrette, or Classic Caesar Salad
- Baked Potato Wedges, Crispy Parmesan Potatoes, Twice Baked Potatoes, 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes, Mashed Potatoes with Sour Cream and Chives, Skin On Mashed Red Potatoes, Baked Potatoes, or Easy Potato Salad
- Cast Iron Cornbread, Sour Cream Cornbread, Southern Cornbread, Pumpkin Cornbread, Cake Mix Cornbread, Skillet Cornbread, Sweet Cornbread, Jiffy Cornbread with Creamed Corn, Corn Sticks, Honey Cornbread, Broccoli Cornbread, or Cornbread Muffins
- Creamy Baked Mac and Cheese, Duke’s Homemade Mac and Cheese, Pumpkin Mac and Cheese, Crock Pot Mac and Cheese, No-Boil Overnight Mac and Cheese, Shells and Cheese, or Creamy Stovetop Mac and Cheese
- 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits, Cathead Biscuits, Southern Buttermilk Biscuits, Flaky Biscuits, Aunt Bee’s 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits, Sweet Potato Biscuits, Cheese Biscuits, Easy Drop Biscuits, or Cheddar Biscuits with Chives and Bacon
- Rice Pilaf or Charleston Red Rice
- Pumpkin Bread or Pumpkin Muffins
- Corn Salad, Jiffy Corn Casserole, or Fried Corn
- 3-Ingredient Sour Cream Muffins
- Refrigerator Dill Pickles, Cucumber Salad with Vinegar, Tomato Cucumber Onion Salad, or Cucumber Dill Salad
- Arkansas Green Beans with Bacon or Southern-Style Green Beans
- Broccoli Cauliflower Salad
- Fried Apples or Baked Apple Slices
- Southern Succotash
- Southern Collard Greens
- Fried Okra
- Broccoli and Cheese
- Easy Pasta Salad
- Homemade Baked Beans with Bacon or Cowboy Baked Beans
- Okra and Tomatoes
- Southern Squash Casserole
- Cheese Grits
- Fried Cabbage with Apples and Onion, Braised Red Cabbage, or Roasted Cabbage
Preparation and Storage Tips
- Store leftover chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Leftovers will also keep in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Use leftover cooked chicken in soups, casseroles, sandwiches and wraps, pizzas, and salads.
Recipe Variations
- Double all of the ingredients and bake the chicken in a large dish to feed a bigger family (or to have plenty of leftovers).
- Use boneless skinless chicken thighs instead of the white meat chicken breasts.
- Try bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces. The bone-in meat will require a much longer baking time (closer to 1 hour).
- Add extra fresh herbs if you have them. Good options include parsley, thyme, rosemary, or sage.
Tips for the Best Baked Basil Chicken Recipe
- Bake the chicken in a dish that’s larger enough to fit the meat in a single layer. This will ensure that it cooks evenly.
- Use a meat thermometer to know when your chicken is done. Total cooking time will vary depending on a number of factors, such as the size and heat of your skillet, as well as the size, thickness, and temperature of your chicken breast when it goes into the oven. The chicken is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 160-165 degrees F and the juices run clear. The temp will continue to rise as the meat rests.
- Make it spicy by adding crushed red pepper flakes, or garnish the dish with additional fresh herbs or a squeeze of fresh lemon juice for even more flavor and color.
More Chicken Breast Recipes to Try
Chicken Dijon
38 minutes mins
Oven Fried Chicken Breast
30 minutes mins
Cast Iron Chicken Breast
24 minutes mins
Dump-and-Bake Basil Chicken Breasts
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Total: 35 minutes
Fresh and healthy baked basil chicken breasts with just 5 minutes of prep!
Ingredients
- ½ cup dry white wine (or chicken broth)
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 ½ – 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts*
- Optional garnish: additional chopped fresh basil or parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray an 11 x 7-inch baking dish (or any similar size that accommodates your chicken in a single layer) with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together wine, olive oil, Dijon mustard, basil, garlic, honey, Italian seasoning, and salt.
- Season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Place chicken in the prepared baking dish.
- Pour sauce over the chicken and toss to make sure that each piece of chicken is well coated.
- Bake, uncovered, for 30-40 minutes, or until meat thermometer reads 165°F. Baste with pan sauce periodically while the chicken is cooking.
- Be sure to spoon plenty of the sauce over the chicken before serving! Garnish with additional fresh herbs, if desired.
Notes
* I use 5 small chicken breasts that total 24 ounces. The small chicken breasts only require about 30 minutes in the oven. If you use much thicker, larger chicken breasts, you might have to increase the cooking time to about 45-50 minutes.
Nutrition
Serving: 6ounces of chicken and 2 tablespoons of sauceCalories: 250kcalCarbohydrates: 0.7gProtein: 39gFat: 7.7gSaturated Fat: 1.4gCholesterol: 99mgSodium: 312mgSugar: 0.7g
I just put this in my oven and it already smells great. I really don’t know what to serve on the side though. I guess I’ll go with buttered broad noodles and some fresh corn… suggestions?
Hi, Pat! Don’t worry — just about anything will go nicely with this dish! In the post, I noted that the entree pairs perfectly with rice, couscous, buttered noodles, pesto pasta, or just a hearty loaf of crusty bread for soaking up the pan sauce. So your idea for buttered broad noodles sounds wonderful. I often add a green salad for veggies, but broccoli, asparagus, zucchini, peas, or anything else that you enjoy would work too!
Ok, here’s the deal… Its Saturday morning, too early for an appetite, and reading this recipe has me drooling… I cant wait, I gotta go wipe my chin, get my shoes, run to the grocer, get back, & whip up this recipe NOW… Gotta go… NOW…
Oh, I’m so excited for you to enjoy them! 🙂
This recipe is really great! I didn’t marinade the chicken in the sauce beforehand but would do that if I had time next time. Overall a hit with the family!
Thank you, Elizabeth! We’re so glad it was a success!
It’s great with mashed potatoes and peas! 🙂
Yum! Thank you!
Making this for dinner with fresh basil ???? from my garden, and fresh broccoli also from my garden. Serving steamed red potatoes. Hoping everyone loves it????
Wonderful, Brenda! I bet it will be delicious! Lucky you that you’ve got so much fresh produce already! Enjoy. 🙂
This is a pretty easy and delicious recipe. I served it with baked potato and my kids loved it.
Thank you for sharing, Blair!
Thank you, Diana!
I’m having troubles with my oven right now, do you think this would cook well in a slow cooker?
Yes! I think it would work well in the slow cooker. I usually find that 4-6 hours on LOW is perfect for large boneless chicken breasts. If the meat is smaller, it might only need 3-4 hours so that it doesn’t dry out. 🙂
Thank you Blair! This recipe is easy and delicious. Definitely a keeper!!
Thanks, Diana! I’m so glad that you liked it! 🙂
This is an absolutely delicious dish! Looking for something different, I googled ‘chicken breasts and fresh basil’ and this was the first recipe. Just what I wanted – a quick and easy dish. The leftovers will go over linguine tomorrow night. Thank you for sharing this!
Wonderful! Thank you, Barbara!
This was seriously amazing. Full disclosure, I ommited the honey, because I was out of it. Instead I added a half teaspoon of sugar..which was probably pointless lol. Also, I only used about 2/3 of the mustard, because I was unsure of it. Next time, I will use the full amount.
Having said all that, this was one of the top 5 things I have ever cooked. I served it over fettucine and shaved parmesan on top. I only wish I had made extra sauce. (I had a pesto alfredo for the noodles, but swapped it for what sauce I could scrape from the pan…it was seriously that good!)
Yay! I’m so glad that you liked it, Amanda! Thanks for letting me know! 🙂
This recipe was delicious! So much flavor! New favorite!
Awesome! Thanks, Emily!
Like an earlier commenter, I found this recipe when I did a web search for ‘chicken and basil,’ since I have an abundance of the latter in my garden. I made the recipe exactly as written and the entire family loved it. I will definitely make it again and I am also going to try using the marinade on salmon to see how that works. What a great dish! Thank you for sharing this.
I’m so glad that you found my site, Brian! Thanks for your note and for your kind words!
I’m so excited. My newbie gave me some fresh basil out of her garden. I was going to have chicken tonight anyway. I looked up chicken and basil recipes and voila. It sounds and smells wonderful. Serving with noodles and a veggie.
Just got home from vacation and the easy appealed to me. The house smells divine.
Thank you!
Wonderful! I’m glad that you could find an easy and fresh option on your first night back from vacation. Thanks, Kathy!
Hello!
This sounds delicious! I have been wanting to look for a way to use more of our basil plant! Is there something i can substitute the white wine or chicken broth for? I don’t have either at home right now and trying to use up things before we leave for a trip!
Hi, Claire! That’s tough, because 1/2 cup is enough that you’ll probably not want to sub with something like water (no flavor), lemon juice, or vinegar (too tangy and strong). Do you have chicken bouillon? Or any other type of broth (like vegetable or beef)? You need a liquid, but not something that’s too strong in flavor, or it will overpower the rest of the dish.
I’m making this tonight with wilted garlic spinach and wild rice. The mixture tastes great and I have it marinating for 3 hrs.
Perfect! Enjoy, Keri!
Oh my goodness! This was so delicious! I made one minor change as I didnt have dijon mustard, I used a gourmet honey mustard I had on hand. Just omitted the honey. And I served the chicken with Rotini noodles coated in the sauce and crisp salad on the side. Family Loved it ❤
Wonderful! Thanks, Pennie! 🙂
I don’t have any mustard except the yellow stuff. Could I use mustard powder. Or anything else?
Hi, Becky! If you like the flavor of the yellow mustard, you could use that. I wouldn’t use the mustard powder, because the mustard helps to emulsify/thicken the sauce (which wouldn’t be the case with the powder).
I am trying this tonight. Have you ever cooked it with potatoes in it or vegetables?
Hi, Tess! I haven’t, but I bet it would work well. There is plenty of sauce in the dish by the end of the baking time, so it would be more than enough to coat any veggies that you put in the pan as well. If you’re using something like potatoes that requires a longer baking time, I would put it in the dish at the beginning. More delicate veggies (like frozen peas or string beans) won’t need as long, so you can add them closer to the end.
Hope that helps, and enjoy!
Thank you so much for the response. We tried it and it was delicious!! I doubled the sauce so I had extra for veggies and potatoes. Yummy
Yay! That’s great — I’m so glad that it worked well for you! Thanks for taking the time to come back here and let me know. 🙂
I usually never post but this recipe is AMAZING. Highly highly recommend
Thank you, Elyse! I appreciate you taking the time to come back here and leave a note. 🙂
I did this for the first time today. I had to replace the wine for chicken broth though. It was a very tasty meal but a little salty for me, so next time, because I’m definitely doing this one again, with the white wine. Can’t wait to try it again.
Thanks, Deborah!
This was delicious. Thank you! I had larger chicken breasts so I sliced those into cutlets. After salt and pepper, I gave the breasts a light flour dredge and browned in the pan. Then I deglazed the pan with a bit more white wine before adding sauce and baking the chicken for 25 minutes. My family loved this recipe and I’ll definitely make it again.
Sounds amazing, Jana! Thanks for taking the time to leave a note. 🙂
Loved this! I’ve made it twice with fresh Thai basil since that’s what I had and it was delicious both times. I used about 2 lbs of chicken breast tenderloins, marinated about 30 minutes per side, and slightly reduced the baking time. Unlike many baked chicken recipes, this one came out moist and tender. As a sober person, I also appreciate that the recipe works really well with broth instead of wine. Looking forward to leftovers tomorrow!
Thanks, Shannon! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed the recipe. I need to remember to make it again soon — it’s definitely basil season! 🙂
I never write a review, but this was so darn good. I substituted 3 parts apple juice with one part red wine vinegar. I think the taste is far better than white wine. It has the sweetness along with the tang. My husband even commented how good it was, and he doesn’t usually comment….ever! I also used chicken thighs. Breasts are too dry.
Thanks, Carol! I appreciate your note, and I’m so glad that you enjoyed the meal. Your changes sound delicious!
Very good and easy to put together.. I browned my chicken first like someone else suggested, only because I like some color and crust. Other than that, I followed the instructions as written. I think it would be good with Italian parsley instead of or in addition to the basil, if that’s what you have on hand. I do recommend using white wine like it calls for. The alcohol cooks out and it just gives is a much richer flavors. Excellent, will definitely make again.
Thanks, Louise!!
I made this tonight, as I had fresh basil. I literally made it because I saw it on Google. I have to say it was the best chicken I’ve ever made. My daughter had seconds. I cooked it exactly as it said, however I used seasoning salt because it’s what I had. I just texted it to all my fiends and told them to make it.
I’m so glad that you found the recipe, Kimberly. Thanks for your note and for sharing it with your friends, too! 🙂
I want to make this with panko fried cutlets. Could I just make the sauce separate and warm it in a sauce pan then add over the cutlets?
Hi, Paula. That’s a great idea — I think it would probably work fine!
This was sooo delicious! I just planted some basil plants a couple of weeks ago and wanted to look for a recipe that I could use it in. This was so flavorful and easy to make! I used chicken broth instead of wine, but other than that, I followed the recipe exactly.
Great! Thanks, Debbie! There’s nothing better in the summer than fresh basil. So glad that you could enjoy it in this recipe. 🙂
So, I took a few liberties with this recipe.. but, boy, the results were fantastic. I threw these ingredients as listed (subbed maple syrup for honey) into my Instant Pot Mini Duo for 15 minutes at high pressure. I released the pressure manually after 5 minutes. I then removed the chicken to let it rest. Meanwhile, I thickened the remaining sauce with cornstarch and let simmer to reduce a bit in the pot. Then, I strained it through a sieve over a bowl. This captured all of the flavor, yet offered a smooth aesthetic for final presentation. I chopped the basil chicken and served it over linguine with a hearty drizzle of sauce & parmesan. Oh my! This was delicious!
Thank you! I’m glad that you made it work, and I appreciate you sharing your tips for the Instant Pot. 🙂
4+ stars ~ almost 5!!! Delish; easy; elegant. Served with wild rice blend and baby broccoli florets. Hubby is chintzy with 5 star ratings!!! Will definitely make again. Thank you for sharing your recipes. I love how uncomplicated they are even though I’m a “seasoned” cook. I love the variety of your recipes.
Thanks, Victoria! I’m glad that it was a hit, and I appreciate your kind note. 🙂
This is easy and delicious! I followed it perfectly and no need for changes. Thanks for the recipe.
Thank you, Heather!
This recipe is sensational. We omitted the honey and baked 2 large chicken breasts at 400, basting partway through. These flavors shine so beautifully. Thank you for sharing!
So glad that you enjoyed it, Phyllis. I have a lot of basil this year, so I’m glad that you reminded me of this old favorite!