Garlic Butter Baked Chicken (Printable)

Juicy chicken breasts baked in garlic butter with herbs for a quick and flavorful weeknight dinner.

# What You Need:

→ Chicken

01 - 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1.5 lbs)

→ Garlic Butter Sauce

02 - 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
03 - 4 garlic cloves, minced
04 - 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped (plus extra for garnish)
05 - 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped (or ½ teaspoon dried thyme)
06 - ½ teaspoon paprika
07 - ½ teaspoon kosher salt
08 - ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

→ Optional Garnish

09 - Fresh lemon wedges
10 - Additional chopped parsley

# How-To:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a baking dish large enough to hold the chicken breasts in a single layer.
02 - Pat chicken breasts dry with paper towels and place them in the prepared baking dish.
03 - In a mixing bowl, whisk together melted butter, minced garlic, parsley, thyme, paprika, salt, and pepper until well combined.
04 - Pour the garlic butter mixture evenly over the chicken breasts, turning to coat both sides thoroughly.
05 - Bake uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F and juices run clear.
06 - For a golden, slightly crisp top, broil for an additional 2 to 3 minutes, watching carefully to prevent burning.
07 - Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Garnish with fresh parsley and lemon wedges before serving.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It takes maybe ten minutes of actual effort and the oven does all the heavy lifting while you pour a glass of wine and decompress.
  • The garlic butter pools into a sauce at the bottom of the dish that you will want to drag crusty bread through until the pan is shamefully clean.
02 -
  • Do not skip the resting step or you will watch all those beautiful juices bleed out onto your cutting board and the chicken will taste drier than it deserves.
  • If your chicken breasts are very thick, place them between plastic wrap and pound them to even thickness with a heavy skillet or mallet before baking so they cook uniformly.
03 -
  • Let the chicken soak in the garlic butter mixture in the fridge for thirty minutes before baking and you will be rewarded with flavor that penetrates all the way through instead of just sitting on the surface.
  • Spoon the pooled butter from the bottom of the dish back over the chicken halfway through baking to keep it incredibly moist.

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