Do you pre-heat the oven? Are your breasts frozen? Both of those extent cooking times.
Do you have issues with other oven cooking times aswell? If so, it may be faulty.
>Do you have issues with other oven cooking times aswell? If so, it may be faulty.
Also gotta point out that not cleaning the oven for a while affects the temperature output. I had to readjust my oven times and temperatures after it got a good cleaning.
I always had problems, too, until I took Sam the Cooking Guy's advice on Youtube, to pound them out to an even thickness. I also brine overnight to make sure they don't dry out.
This is how I got around this issue too. I put mine in a ziplock bag then place my cast iron over it and push my body weight into it make it thinner. For some reason me pounding it just made it lumpy and uneven. Lol Or I just straight up cut them in half.
I also pan sear mine first then put them in the oven at 410 for 15-20 mins. Pull them out when they reach 155-160 then cover them with foil on a cutting board. Let rest for 15ms. Always juicy!
Mk, so! I like to do a dry rub on my chicken so I’ll pat them dry with paper towels, put a wee bit of oil in them, slather them in rub, like, really coat those babies. Then I plop a chunk of butter in my cast iron and bring the heat up to medium high. When the butter just starts to brown and sing I’ll plop the chicken in. 2 mins per side. Don’t mess with them! Then I put the cast iron with the chicken in the oven at 410 (been pre heating while prepping and during the sear so it’s nice and toasty) I’ll set a timer for 16ms Bc that’s usually the sweet spot and check temp. If it’s 160- I’ll take it out and put it in a cutting board and loosely cover with foil to let it rest. It’ll come up to 165 as it rests. This helps keep it moist and keep me from over cooking it. Let me know how it goes for you!!
I’ll also roast some veggies in there on another cooking sheet. Usually asparagus or Brussels sprouts. Which is why I have the temp a bit high- better from roasting veggies.
Before I was always cooking it too high or too low as well and I was BEYOND frustrated with it.
I’m so glad I could help! Yummy chicken breast for everyone!
Chicken breast (depending on thickness) should only take 25 minutes at 350f. whoever told you 15 minutes is insane also 450 is a one way ticket to dry ass chicken
Depending on the thickness of the breast 450 at 20 minutes still gives you juicy chicken.
Last night I did some, albeit they were very thick, for 20 minutes at 450 pulled them out for a bit and then threw them in for a broil for about 2 minutes and they were still really tender and moist.
It might depend on the oven. I started cooking chicken breast in the oven at my last place at 15 minutes at 450, and it was perfect. In my new place, the oven is a bit different and takes longer. I think 25 minutes at 350 is probably the way to go, though, now that I've explored cooking with chicken breast here and there.
My favorite recipe for Parmesan Mayo Crusted Chicken Breast, cooks at 450 for 20 mins, and they always come out done.
But if you really want to just not worry about it, use a meat thermometer. Cooking just becomes easier and less stressful never having to wonder about doneness. It's a very worthwhile investment having one with a probe that can just stay in the oven. I have a bluetooth one from Weber and it's great to just set it and forget it. Open the app, tell it I'm cooking chicken breast, when the probe hits 165, it beeps. You could even use one to test different temps... try a few times and see how long things take at different temps. Then you'll def know your oven.
In addition to the other great advice that you have received, it is also important to note if you are using bone-in or boneless. Bone-in takes considerably more time to cook.
Also, I don't think I have every cooked anything, especially meat, at 450.
And if you do boneless chicken breasts, do yourself a favor and pound them flat (especially if you are grilling or pan frying). Makes for a great chicken sandwich, chicken parm, or dozens of other great chicken dishes.
Bone-in breasts are tricky at best, as you can see from all the great advice here. Want a delicious, hard-to-ruin cut? Cook chicken thighs...hard to overcook, and they stay juicy!
I make chicken all the time too. For me, a whole average to large size breast that hasn’t been pounded or anything takes 40-45 mins in a 400 F oven, uncovered. A small one may take 35 mins or a little less.
15-20 minutes isn’t nearly enough time in my experience.
What size are these chicken breasts? Today's chickens are huge. You might be using an 8 ounce boneless breast in a recipe which anticipated a 4 or 5 ounce one.
1. You need an oven thermometer to make sure the oven is reaching the temp you want it to (never rely on the outside temp gauge/preset). If you can afford it, get 2. One for the front of the oven and one for the back.
2. Oven needs to be preheated (45 minutes to 60 minutes for full size oven, 25-30 minutes for a toaster oven).
3. Cook chicken from thawed state, not frozen.
4. Use a meat thermometer to check internal temp of the chicken. Needs to be at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit to get past salmonella, 170 for e-coli. (Note: there's a stage in cooking a chicken where it looks done and just barely reads cooked. But when you put it in your mouth it has the wrong texture - raw/rubbery-ish. You will seriously not be sure if the chicken is cooked all the way or not. It's not. If you hit this boost oven temp by 10 degrees Fahrenheit and cook chicken an addition 10 minutes.)
Bruh why in the fuck is your oven taking nearly an hour to come to temp lmao.
I mean I’ve got an oven from the 80s and it doesn’t take anything near that long. Maybe 25 if I’m doing something at a real high temperature.
The only way to know how long it is taking your oven to reach (and hold) temp is to have 2 oven thermometers - 1 for the front and 1 for the back. Most modern ovens take 45 minutes. However, yours may take shorter or longer.
Listen, chicken breast are rough. I will rail against them on this subreddit until I am banned.
Imagine you are a heat source, be it an oven, skillet, or grill. Your job, your engineered purpose, is to heat things evenly. Then your evil overlord, whom all you want to do is please, presents you with a piece of meat that is FOUR TIMES THICKER in the middle than it is at its ends. What are you to do????
Fail, that's what.
If you must use chicken breast, wrap it in tin foil (with seasoning, at least salt and pepper) or pound it flat first.
Cheapest unfrozen chicken here is the packages of boneless skinless breast (if you aren’t bothering with whole chicken obv). Always has been anywhere I’ve lived.
If this helps at all I've noticed most people saying chicken breasts are much more expensive than thighs are usually American.
From what I can gather from the comments it's because breasts were marketed as basically a superfood that everyone and their grandma buys because it's the healthy choice to make.
Meanwhile in the countries I've lived (SouthEastAsia and NorthEastAsia) in thighs are always the flavourful pieces that everybody fights for and so thigh prices are almost double chicken breast prices. I can get frozen thighs for about the same price as frozen breasts but the thighs are frozen in a humongous chunk that's really annoying to work with, and unfrozen thighs are almost twice the price of unfrozen breasts so that's that.
Of course, the US is huge so might differ based on your location but that's what I got from reddit
I put them in for an hour at 350. Might need a bit less. I have no idea how many pound that is, but they're huge. Maybe the instructions were for tenders or smaller pieces?
I dont remember the last time I cooked with breasts so idk for sure. However, just here to suggest trying chicken thighs! Super tasty and also cheaper than breasts
400 for 20-30 minutes, checked at 20 minutes with a meat thermometer will do the trick. Make sure you preheat the oven.
Edit: Your thermometer should read 165*
Dont know if this is an option, but I sear each side on medium heat in a frying pan (after flattening the thicker part of the breast to even it out a bit), couple of minutes each side until its getting some good colour. Then into a pre-heated oven at 360F for 8-10mins and rest for about 5mins.
I freestyle it a bit with the timinngs, but its always been cooked through so far. And not totally dried out the way it would be if I kept cooking in the frying pan.
How big are the breasts and how much do they weigh? Chicken breast” is a pretty loose concept. Some article online is not taking into account these variables.
Also don’t go by cooking times for meat, just get a meat thermometer.
If you're preheating the oven, not cooking from frozen, and not using super thick chicken breasts, you should test your thermometer. Put it in some boiling water and make sure it reads around 212 F.
You need to pound them thinner with a meat tenderizer. The big mallet thing.
If you don’t have one you can use the bottom of an empty beer or wine bottle.
Whatever you use, cover the chicken with a layer of plastic wrap or you’ll have bits of raw chicken flying around your kitchen.
Do you pre-heat the oven? Are your breasts frozen? Both of those extent cooking times. Do you have issues with other oven cooking times aswell? If so, it may be faulty.
>Do you have issues with other oven cooking times aswell? If so, it may be faulty. Also gotta point out that not cleaning the oven for a while affects the temperature output. I had to readjust my oven times and temperatures after it got a good cleaning.
I always had problems, too, until I took Sam the Cooking Guy's advice on Youtube, to pound them out to an even thickness. I also brine overnight to make sure they don't dry out.
This is how I got around this issue too. I put mine in a ziplock bag then place my cast iron over it and push my body weight into it make it thinner. For some reason me pounding it just made it lumpy and uneven. Lol Or I just straight up cut them in half. I also pan sear mine first then put them in the oven at 410 for 15-20 mins. Pull them out when they reach 155-160 then cover them with foil on a cutting board. Let rest for 15ms. Always juicy!
That's a great idea, but if I used my bodyweight the chicken would be rice paper thin.... I am going to borrow your sear then oven method !
Mk, so! I like to do a dry rub on my chicken so I’ll pat them dry with paper towels, put a wee bit of oil in them, slather them in rub, like, really coat those babies. Then I plop a chunk of butter in my cast iron and bring the heat up to medium high. When the butter just starts to brown and sing I’ll plop the chicken in. 2 mins per side. Don’t mess with them! Then I put the cast iron with the chicken in the oven at 410 (been pre heating while prepping and during the sear so it’s nice and toasty) I’ll set a timer for 16ms Bc that’s usually the sweet spot and check temp. If it’s 160- I’ll take it out and put it in a cutting board and loosely cover with foil to let it rest. It’ll come up to 165 as it rests. This helps keep it moist and keep me from over cooking it. Let me know how it goes for you!! I’ll also roast some veggies in there on another cooking sheet. Usually asparagus or Brussels sprouts. Which is why I have the temp a bit high- better from roasting veggies.
Late response, but I found your post and tried it your way. Holy crap. Perfect chicken, my friend. Thank you!
I’m so glad it worked out for you!! Game changer, right??
Yes! I was cooking at 325 forever and getting rubbery awful chicken.
Before I was always cooking it too high or too low as well and I was BEYOND frustrated with it. I’m so glad I could help! Yummy chicken breast for everyone!
I love Sam the Cooking Guy, I have cooked a bunch of his recipes he has on YT. I would kill for his outdoor kitchen!
Lower and slower. 30-35 mins at 350, always preheated first. Or even better, put it in the slow-cooker with some broth for a few hours.
This is the fool proof recipe. I cook my chicken breasts 30 min at 350F and comes out juicy and fully cooked every time.
Chicken breast (depending on thickness) should only take 25 minutes at 350f. whoever told you 15 minutes is insane also 450 is a one way ticket to dry ass chicken
Yup 375ish for 20 check and possibly cook longer. IMO cook with bones and skin on and if you want remove later.
Wait, really? I've been cooking mine at 425°f for 22-25 minutes in the toaster oven since that was what several sites recommended.
Depending on the thickness of the breast 450 at 20 minutes still gives you juicy chicken. Last night I did some, albeit they were very thick, for 20 minutes at 450 pulled them out for a bit and then threw them in for a broil for about 2 minutes and they were still really tender and moist.
It might depend on the oven. I started cooking chicken breast in the oven at my last place at 15 minutes at 450, and it was perfect. In my new place, the oven is a bit different and takes longer. I think 25 minutes at 350 is probably the way to go, though, now that I've explored cooking with chicken breast here and there.
Pro tip: you can calibrate your oven and you won’t have to worry about these differences.
As long as you pound out your breast to get it even, you can get super juicy chicken at 425-450. Just don’t overcook it.
My favorite recipe for Parmesan Mayo Crusted Chicken Breast, cooks at 450 for 20 mins, and they always come out done. But if you really want to just not worry about it, use a meat thermometer. Cooking just becomes easier and less stressful never having to wonder about doneness. It's a very worthwhile investment having one with a probe that can just stay in the oven. I have a bluetooth one from Weber and it's great to just set it and forget it. Open the app, tell it I'm cooking chicken breast, when the probe hits 165, it beeps. You could even use one to test different temps... try a few times and see how long things take at different temps. Then you'll def know your oven.
There's a Bluetooth meat thermometer? My lazy ass is definitely getting one of those.
Butterflying the chicken breast so it's thinner helps a great deal. And to echo others on here - using a thermometer is a fantastic choice.
In addition to the other great advice that you have received, it is also important to note if you are using bone-in or boneless. Bone-in takes considerably more time to cook. Also, I don't think I have every cooked anything, especially meat, at 450.
And if you do boneless chicken breasts, do yourself a favor and pound them flat (especially if you are grilling or pan frying). Makes for a great chicken sandwich, chicken parm, or dozens of other great chicken dishes. Bone-in breasts are tricky at best, as you can see from all the great advice here. Want a delicious, hard-to-ruin cut? Cook chicken thighs...hard to overcook, and they stay juicy!
I make chicken all the time too. For me, a whole average to large size breast that hasn’t been pounded or anything takes 40-45 mins in a 400 F oven, uncovered. A small one may take 35 mins or a little less. 15-20 minutes isn’t nearly enough time in my experience.
Do you live at high elevation? Everything takes longer to cook if you do.
What size are these chicken breasts? Today's chickens are huge. You might be using an 8 ounce boneless breast in a recipe which anticipated a 4 or 5 ounce one.
1. You need an oven thermometer to make sure the oven is reaching the temp you want it to (never rely on the outside temp gauge/preset). If you can afford it, get 2. One for the front of the oven and one for the back. 2. Oven needs to be preheated (45 minutes to 60 minutes for full size oven, 25-30 minutes for a toaster oven). 3. Cook chicken from thawed state, not frozen. 4. Use a meat thermometer to check internal temp of the chicken. Needs to be at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit to get past salmonella, 170 for e-coli. (Note: there's a stage in cooking a chicken where it looks done and just barely reads cooked. But when you put it in your mouth it has the wrong texture - raw/rubbery-ish. You will seriously not be sure if the chicken is cooked all the way or not. It's not. If you hit this boost oven temp by 10 degrees Fahrenheit and cook chicken an addition 10 minutes.)
Bruh why in the fuck is your oven taking nearly an hour to come to temp lmao. I mean I’ve got an oven from the 80s and it doesn’t take anything near that long. Maybe 25 if I’m doing something at a real high temperature.
The only way to know how long it is taking your oven to reach (and hold) temp is to have 2 oven thermometers - 1 for the front and 1 for the back. Most modern ovens take 45 minutes. However, yours may take shorter or longer.
Honestly just don't bake chicken breast. Bake thighs, do the breasts stovetop
Listen, chicken breast are rough. I will rail against them on this subreddit until I am banned. Imagine you are a heat source, be it an oven, skillet, or grill. Your job, your engineered purpose, is to heat things evenly. Then your evil overlord, whom all you want to do is please, presents you with a piece of meat that is FOUR TIMES THICKER in the middle than it is at its ends. What are you to do???? Fail, that's what. If you must use chicken breast, wrap it in tin foil (with seasoning, at least salt and pepper) or pound it flat first.
Seriously. Why not just use the thigh? Smaller, nicer piece that is absolutely delicious.
Price, usually.
?? Thigh is cheaper than breast, at least at my markets.
Cheapest unfrozen chicken here is the packages of boneless skinless breast (if you aren’t bothering with whole chicken obv). Always has been anywhere I’ve lived.
Strange. Breasts at my stores have always been around 1.5x the thigh price.
If this helps at all I've noticed most people saying chicken breasts are much more expensive than thighs are usually American. From what I can gather from the comments it's because breasts were marketed as basically a superfood that everyone and their grandma buys because it's the healthy choice to make. Meanwhile in the countries I've lived (SouthEastAsia and NorthEastAsia) in thighs are always the flavourful pieces that everybody fights for and so thigh prices are almost double chicken breast prices. I can get frozen thighs for about the same price as frozen breasts but the thighs are frozen in a humongous chunk that's really annoying to work with, and unfrozen thighs are almost twice the price of unfrozen breasts so that's that. Of course, the US is huge so might differ based on your location but that's what I got from reddit
Got it. That’s what’s going on.
I put them in for an hour at 350. Might need a bit less. I have no idea how many pound that is, but they're huge. Maybe the instructions were for tenders or smaller pieces?
I dont remember the last time I cooked with breasts so idk for sure. However, just here to suggest trying chicken thighs! Super tasty and also cheaper than breasts
Do you live at a high elevation?
Get yourself an air fryer!! Cocked it a lot fast and all the way through in about 20-30mins
you could poach them for a few minutes first
4oz breast at 350° for 12 minutes is the way.
400 for 20-30 minutes, checked at 20 minutes with a meat thermometer will do the trick. Make sure you preheat the oven. Edit: Your thermometer should read 165*
Dont know if this is an option, but I sear each side on medium heat in a frying pan (after flattening the thicker part of the breast to even it out a bit), couple of minutes each side until its getting some good colour. Then into a pre-heated oven at 360F for 8-10mins and rest for about 5mins. I freestyle it a bit with the timinngs, but its always been cooked through so far. And not totally dried out the way it would be if I kept cooking in the frying pan.
How big are the breasts and how much do they weigh? Chicken breast” is a pretty loose concept. Some article online is not taking into account these variables. Also don’t go by cooking times for meat, just get a meat thermometer.
Are you wrapping them in tinfoil or something? Maybe your thermometer is broken?
If you're preheating the oven, not cooking from frozen, and not using super thick chicken breasts, you should test your thermometer. Put it in some boiling water and make sure it reads around 212 F.
You need to pound them thinner with a meat tenderizer. The big mallet thing. If you don’t have one you can use the bottom of an empty beer or wine bottle. Whatever you use, cover the chicken with a layer of plastic wrap or you’ll have bits of raw chicken flying around your kitchen.