Baked Chicken Breast stays juicy with savory glaze or seasoning—an easy anchor for dinner with simple sides.
Juicy Baked Chicken with Lemon-Dijon Glaze and Roast Veggies
A quick, protein‑forward weeknight method—pound, marinate, roast—that guarantees tender chicken and a tray of flavorful potatoes and carrots to round out the meal.
There’s nothing worse than a dry baked breast, so this recipe starts with a simple kitchen trick: pound the boneless chicken to an even 3/4–1-inch thickness so it cooks evenly. The marinade—garlic, extra‑virgin olive oil, Dijon mustard, fresh lemon juice and smoked paprika—packs savory, bright, and slightly smoky notes that cling to the meat and keep it juicy under the heat of a hot oven.
Instead of saving all the flavor for the chicken, toss the baby potatoes, carrots and red onion with half the marinade so they roast caramelized and savory alongside the breasts. Roasting everything at 400°F lets the vegetables brown and the glaze concentrate, and the chicken finishes tender with a lightly charred edge where the mustard and paprika get toasty.
Small timing tips: pat the breasts dry before pounding, use one teaspoon kosher salt and a little black pepper in the marinade, and let the cooked chicken rest a few minutes so the juices redistribute. If you like, deglaze the pan with a splash of the low‑sodium chicken broth to make a quick pan sauce from those roasted juices.
This is a great meal‑prep anchor—double the batch, portion with a grain or a green, and the leftovers hold up well in the fridge for lunches. It’s straightforward, fast, and versatile: swap the vegetables, add herbs at the end, or slice the chicken for salads, bowls, or sandwiches during the week.
Ingredients
How to Make Baked Chicken Breast
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Trim any excess fat from the chicken breasts and pat them dry with paper towels.
- Place chicken breasts between two sheets of plastic wrap and gently pound to an even 3/4–1 inch thickness for even baking.
- Make the marinade by mincing the garlic and whisking it with olive oil, Dijon, lemon juice, smoked paprika, 1 tsp kosher salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper in a bowl.
- Cut potatoes in half (or quarter if large), peel and cut carrots into 1-inch pieces, and cut the red onion into wedges; toss the vegetables with half the marinade so they are lightly coated.
- Spread the vegetables in a single layer in a 9x13-inch (or similar) oven-safe baking dish, drizzle the chicken broth around (not over) the vegetables to add moisture.
- Brush the remaining marinade over both sides of each chicken breast and arrange them on top of the vegetables in the dish.
- Bake uncovered for 25–30 minutes until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken reads 160–165°F (71–74°C) and vegetables are tender; if chicken browns too quickly, tent loosely with foil.
- Remove from oven and let the chicken rest 5–7 minutes (it will rise to 165°F while resting). Garnish with chopped parsley, slice to serve family-style, and spoon pan juices over the chicken and vegetables.
Recipe Card
Baked Chicken Breast
Baked Chicken Breast stays juicy with savory glaze or seasoning—an easy anchor for dinner with simple sides.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Servings
- 4
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Trim any excess fat from the chicken breasts and pat them dry with paper towels.
- Place chicken breasts between two sheets of plastic wrap and gently pound to an even 3/4–1 inch thickness for even baking.
- Make the marinade by mincing the garlic and whisking it with olive oil, Dijon, lemon juice, smoked paprika, 1 tsp kosher salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper in a bowl.
- Cut potatoes in half (or quarter if large), peel and cut carrots into 1-inch pieces, and cut the red onion into wedges; toss the vegetables with half the marinade so they are lightly coated.
- Spread the vegetables in a single layer in a 9x13-inch (or similar) oven-safe baking dish, drizzle the chicken broth around (not over) the vegetables to add moisture.
- Brush the remaining marinade over both sides of each chicken breast and arrange them on top of the vegetables in the dish.
- Bake uncovered for 25–30 minutes until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken reads 160–165°F (71–74°C) and vegetables are tender; if chicken browns too quickly, tent loosely with foil.
- Remove from oven and let the chicken rest 5–7 minutes (it will rise to 165°F while resting). Garnish with chopped parsley, slice to serve family-style, and spoon pan juices over the chicken and vegetables.
Nutrition
- Carbohydrates
- 30
- Saturated Fat
- 3.2
- Sodium
- 1030
- Fiber
- 5
- Unsaturated Fat
- 12
- Protein
- 74
- Fat
- 15
- Cholesterol
- 170
- Trans Fat
- 0
- Calories
- 573
- Sugar
- 5.5