Perfect every time roasted bone-in, skin-on chicken breast. Perfectly juicy and tender on the inside with crispy flavorful skin. This recipe is a meal prep staple in my house, as delicious straight out of the oven as it is a few days later. You will never want to cook boneless, skinless chicken breast again!
If you love this and want to learn how to cook other parts of the chicken perfectly, be sure to check out my Crispy Cast Iron Skillet Chicken Thighs and Healthy Oven Crisp Chicken Wings.
I'm kicking off the new year with one of my most relied on, foolproof, tried and true, better than a little black dress, perfect every time roasted chicken breast!
That seemed like too long of a title for a blog post so I went with “perfect every time roasted split chicken breast” because it is…
PERFECT
EVERY
SINGLE
TIME!
I have made this recipe no less than 1000 times. It was a staple in my personal chef days, and a staple now. This recipe is EIGHT BILLION times better than any boneless skinless chicken breast recipe.
Juicy tender chicken with crispy salty skin. This chicken is irresistible straight out of the oven, but just as good a few days later in sandwiches, bowls, chicken salads, or soups.
Okay…Let's Get Cooking!
INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE
Detailed measurements and ingredients can be found within the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Chicken Breast – Bone-in, skin-on. You can purchase either “split” chicken breast or whole chicken breast but it must contain bone and skin for this recipe
- Olive Oil – Or you could use avocado oil.
- Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder – I like to keep the dried seasoning simple
- (optional) Fresh Thyme – You can add fresh thyme if you have it but it isn't necessary.
TOOLS YOU WILL USE
- Roasting pan, or sheet pan
- Knife
- Cutting board
SPLIT CHICKEN BREAST FAQ
A split chicken breast is a chicken breast with bone-in and skin-on, it is a whole chicken breast that has been “split” or cut in half.
1. Preheat oven and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper
2. Coat chicken breast all over with olive oil (I use my hands)
3. Season generously with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
4. Roast in the oven until the skin is crispy and delicious and the meat is tender (and 165°)
5. Allow chicken to rest for at least 5 minutes before you cut into it. This helps all of the juices redistribute so you are left with juicy tender meat. If you cut into the chicken too soon all of the juices will pool out and your chicken will be dry.
A “split” chicken breast is a whole chicken breast that has been “split” or cut in half. You can use a whole chicken breast for this recipe but this recipe will not work with boneless skinless chicken breast.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH ROASTED SPLIT CHICKEN BREAST?
Veggies of course!! Here are some of my favorite vegetable side dishes:
Roasted Green Beans with Mushrooms
HOW TO STORE LEFTOVERS
Slice any leftover chicken and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
The best way to reheat chicken is in a little bit of broth on the stovetop. This chicken is also great right out of the refrigerator in salads and sandwiches or sliced into a soup.
NUTRITION NERD CORNER 🤓 ISN'T CHICKEN SKIN BAD FOR ME?
Hear Ye! Hear Ye! This Nutritionist Approves of Chicken Skin!
Out of date nutrition advice will tell you to remove all skin from chicken because it has too much fat.
Oh, the horror! Fat!!
And yet, we are supplementing with collagen and espousing the benefits of bone broth (for collagen and glycine), and guess what chicken skin contains? Yup, collagen, and glycine.
Chicken skin contains about 35% collagen. You can think of collagen as the glue that holds your body together. It is a fibrous protein found throughout the body. Supplementing with collagen, or intentionally adding collagen-rich sources of food to your diet can be supportive for improved health of hair, skin, nails, and helps to maintain a healthy gut barrier, among other improved health benefits.
As a society, we have become accustomed to eating only animal muscle meat, but eating the whole animal (or at least parts beyond just muscle) ensures a better balance of amino acids.
Basically, don't be afraid to eat the skin. Cook protein that contains bones, and always assure you are eating high-quality organic protein.
Read my article on my favorite sources for organic, grass-fed, pasture-raised animal protein.
DIETARY MODIFICATIONS FOR THIS RECIPE
This recipe is naturally paleo, gluten-free, low-fodmap, Whole30, and Keto friendly.
I can’t wait for you to try this recipe for perfect every time roasted split chicken breast! When you make it, snap a photo and tag me on Instagram @abrapappa or use the hashtag #abraskitchen so I can feature your photo!
If you’ve tried this recipe, don’t forget to rate and leave a comment below. I love to hear from people who’ve made my recipes!
Roasted Split Chicken Breast
Ingredients
- 4 split (2 whole) chicken breasts
- 2 tbsp olive oil or avocado oil
- 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425° Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper (for easier clean up)
- Coat the chicken breasts in olive oil and season generously with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- Place chicken on baking sheet and roast in oven for 40 minutes or until internal temperature reads 165°
- Remove from oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes before slicing
Video
Notes
- Do not use boneless skinless chicken breast for this recipe, it will not work.
- You can add any dried spices you like; paprika, chili powder, or curry powder are all great choices!
- 40 minutes seems to be the sweet spot for me, in the 100's of times I have made this recipe the chicken is perfect at 40 minutes. If your split or whole chicken breasts are super small you may want to check for doneness at the 30 minute mark.
Nutrition
MORE CHICKEN RECIPES YOU WILL LOVE
Whole Roast Garlic Chicken with Cauliflower
Pumpkin Parmesan Chicken and Mushrooms
Sticky Apricot Chicken Thighs – Instant Pot
Cauliflower Rice Detox Bowl with Za'atar Spiced Chicken Breast
Andi of Longmeadow Farm says
I never comment on blogs, ever. But I wanted to applaud you and this technique, which really helps the beginner cook.
As written, the recipe is concise and easily readable and understandable.
As an experienced cook, I am always looking for a great, basic, recipe that hits all the marks.
This is one of them.
Abra Pappa, MS, CNS, LDN says
Andi! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave this comment. I am so so glad you found the recipe both helpful and successful.
Have a great day! Abra
Linda says
Seasonings were spot on. I made 2 chicken breasts. Glad I checked at 35 minutes. A little dry. Will check at 30 min next time. Skin was crispy.
Abra Pappa, MS, CNS, LDN says
Hi Linda! Yes, the size of the chicken breast will matter. For larger 40-45 minutes is spot on So glad you loved them!
Shana Bonacci says
I learned something new about the chicken skin having collagen in the skin that’s good to know I’ve always threw the skin away will keep skin on thanks for the info making this in a little while
Kristi says
Delicious! So moist! I have never made split breasts before. They were on sale today and I was planning on making Paprikash but misread sale ad as regular breasts. Thank god I found your recipe. Followed almost exactly except for I had seasoned and put some dabs of butter on bottom of pan before I found this recipe. Otherwise, followed with Avacodo oil and cooking times. I had three breasts totaling about 4 lbs. Each one was a little different in girth. I started checking at 30 minutes with thermometer. One was done at 35, another at 40 and the last at about 45 minutes. I was a bit anal with the time as this was first time I had made split breasts. Thank you also for information about the skin. Normally I would have trimmed it off. I was SO GLAD I didn’t! Absolute perfection. Thank you.
Abra Pappa, MS, CNS, LDN says
Yay! So glad to hear and thanks for posting your cooking times. We can never guarantee exactly how big a chicken breast will be so times may vary.
Tricia says
I don’t normally care for chicken breasts, but doing a bone in split breast your way came out fabulous! I have to slightly alter the seasoning as I can’t have any added salt, but your method is perfect! Thank you so much!
Abra Pappa, MS, CNS, LDN says
Yay Tricia! So happy to hear it, and yes it is easy enough to remove salt and use another seasoning.
Mimi says
I am looking forward to trying this without the salt…I am on a low sodium diet for kidney stone prevention. I’m wondering if the 900+ grams of sodium are from the salt alone, or something else, too? Thank you!
Abra Pappa, MS, CNS, LDN says
Hi Mimi,
You can absolutely leave the salt out. 1 tsp of sea salt contains roughly 2300mg of sodium so the 900mg that is shown in the recipe is purely from the salt.
Patricia Gifford says
Delicious
Rayna says
I never understood why people bothered with boneless skinless chicken when split breasts are so wonderful! Sometimes I inject breasts with a brand name injection and are never ever dry! Thanks for sharing the great info of benefits & recipes.
Abra Pappa, MS, CNS, LDN says
Totally agree Rayna!! So glad you loved the recipe!
Claudia says
Third time I’m making this for my family.
It’s everything you describe and so easy!
Abra Pappa, MS, CNS, LDN says
Yay!! This is exactly why I shared this recipe, it is such a go-to in my life. I’m so glad it’s working out well for you too. Thanks for taking the time to come back over here and share Claudia. Have a wonderful day 🙂
Keith says
This is definitely a game changer! And split breasts are the cheapest of all the breast offered! Win/win!
I’ve done this now four or five times and am finding 50 minutes for two pieces weighing 3 pounds total to be good.
Abra Pappa, MS, CNS, LDN says
Woohoo!! That’s fantastic. Staple recipe in my house too!
Carol Nagle says
Excellent recipe! The chicken was so moist and tender, it was hard to believe it was breast meat!
Abra Pappa, MS, CNS, LDN says
Right?? I’m so glad it worked out well for you. I can never go back to boneless skinless after this recipe!
Patricia Hornbeck says
What temp is the oven to cook the split chicken breasts. ????
Abra Pappa, MS, CNS, LDN says
Oven temperature is listed in the recipe card.
Dana says
So tasty! Especially the skin. I remember the days when I was scared to eat it. I was seriously missing out!