It is very important to know how long to bake chicken breast at 400ºF, not only because you don’t want to serve dry chicken but also to not risk serving it undercooked. As you may know, eating undercooked chicken is a danger to human health.
In this article we’ll teach you an amazing recipe for chicken breast and help you with the most common mistakes when it comes to cook this kind of meat.
Also, we’ll leave a little trick we like to use at home to make sure the chicken is always juicy.
How long to bake chicken breast at 400 degrees?
The baking time of any meat will vary according to it size and the temperature you’re using. But backing chicken is harder than you think, as it can be easily ruined if it stays too long on the oven or not time enough.
However, if you need to know how long to bake chicken breast at 400ºF it should take between 20 to 25 minutes.
But the baking time may vary according to the size, weigh and thickness of the chicken breast.
A medium size chicken breast weighs about 5 to 6 ounces. So, if the breast it’s thinner it should only take about 15 to 20 minutes.
What temperature should chicken breast be baked at?
The temperature that you heat your oven at is one of the most important part to make sure your chicken breast doesn’t dry out.
So, the 400ºF is the best temperature to bake your boneless chicken breast. As the high temperature helps to seal all those juices from the meat and the flavor.
How do I bake chicken breast without drying it out?
As we said earlier, we use a little trick at home to make sure our chicken breast never dry out when baking.
All you need to do is just rub a little olive oil before baking, as it helps to add some moisture to the chicken and to make sure our seasonings stick thoroughly to the breast.
Sometimes the chicken breasts aren’t even, which can cause some parts of it to be drier than other. You can prevent this by pounding the chicken to an even thickness using a meat mallet or a rolling pin.
Also, one great way to help prevent de dryness is by using a tent of foil or parchment paper in the roasting pan before placing the chicken breast in the oven.
How do I know when my chicken breasts are done?
An easy way to make sure your chicken breasts are cooked all the way through is to just poke the meat.
If any juices are still red or have a pinkish color, it may need to be cooked a little longer. If when poked or cut the juices are clear, it means the chicken is fully cooked.
And if you have an instant read thermometer you can also check the internal temperature as it should reach the 165ºF to make sure that is fully cooked inside.
Recipe to bake chicken breast at 400ºF
Ingredients
- 2 Boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 1/5 tbsp Paprika
- 1/4 tbsp Seasoned salt
- 1/4 tbsp Chili powder
- 1/4 tbsp Garlic powder
- 1/4 tbsp Onion poder
- 1/4 tbsp Ground black pepper
Instructions
- Pre heat the oven at 400ºF.
- Place a sheet of aluminium foil or parchment paper on the roasting pan.
- If the breasts have uneven thickness, just use a meat mallet or a rolling pin to pound until even.
- Use paper towels to pat dry the chicken breasts and place them on the roasting pan.
- Drizzle the chicken breasts with olive oil, to help them from drying out.
- In a small bowl, mix all the dry ingredients and season the chicken with the mixture on both sides.
Let it bake 20 to 25 minutes.
- To make sure they’re fully cooked use an instant read thermometer and check if the internal temperature as reached the 165ºF.
- Remove the roasting pan from the oven and let the chicken breasts rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing.
Video
What temperature should I bake chicken breast?
You can bake your chicken breast at 350ºF or 400º, it will only depend on your taste preference.
If you want to bake your chicken breast at 350ºF it will take about 20 to 30 minutes. If you want to bake at 400ºF it will take about 20 to 25 minutes, but the meat will be juicier.
How long to bake bone-in chicken breast?
You can use the same temperature of baking the boneless chicken breast to the bone-in. The only difference is the time.
If you want to bake bone-in chicken breast just add 8 to 10 minutes more to the previous said time.
So, if you want to bake at 400ºF, instead of 20 to 25 minutes, just leave it on for about 25 to 35 minutes. When in doubt, just check the internal temperature, as it should always reach the 165ºF to be safe to eat but still be juicy.
How long to bake chicken thighs?
The chicken thighs and bone-in breast take about the same time to bake properly. So, baking at 400ºF should take abou 25 to 30 minutes to be fully cooked.
If baking boneless chicken thighs it should only take about 15 to 20 minutes.
How long to bake a whole chicken?
A whole chicken will take more time to bake, as it has bones and thicker parts. It will wary according to the size of the chicken and if it’s stuffed or unstuffed.
So, an unstuffed 4 pound chicken at 350ºF will take about 80 to 90 minutes. But if it’s a 7 pound chicken it could take up to 2 hours and 20 minutes. When ind doubt, just add 20 more minutes per each pound more.
But if the chicken is stuffed, just and an extra 15 to 30 minutes to the total baking time according to the previous guidance.
For an examples, if you want to bake a stuffed whole 4 pound chicken at 350ºF it should take about 1 hour and 30 minutes to 1 hour and 45 minutes.
Hope you enjoyed this article on how long to bake chicken breast at 400, which is about 20 to 25 minutes. Just make sure it reaches an internal temperature of 165ºF, as it is the safest temperature to be consumed.
So, do you already know how long it takes to bake chicken breast at 400 degrees? I hope you enjoy my great recipe! Please, share your opinion in the comments below!
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