How To Roast Chicken Breasts

How to roast chicken breasts.

So here’s an simple question for you all.  How many of you buy a rotisserie chicken for a recipe that calls for shredded chicken, but end up just using the breast meat, and then tossing the legs and thighs? On one hand buying a rotisserie chicken is easy and pretty cost effective, but not when you’re tossing the legs and thighs because you’re not a fan of dark meat.  So, if you just buy rotisserie chicken for the white meat, then let me show you an easier, less expensive and less wasteful way to roast up chicken breasts for a recipe that calls for shredded or diced chicken. It’s a simple everyday tip, but one that you will use weekly, if you’re anything like me!

I use shredded chicken all the time, and not just for recipes that require it. Shredded chicken is incredibly versatile, so it doesn’t hurt to keep some on hand for those times when you’re in a pinch and you need a quick meal. I keep it handy in the fridge for sandwiches, salad, soups and quesadillas throughout the week. It’s so handy to have shredded chicken ready to go for those last-minute “what do I make for dinner or lunch” meals.  You can toss shredded chicken into anything from pastas to soups and tacos, therefore making a simple and quick weeknight dinner!

I tend to roast up some chicken breasts on the weekend, as my weekly meal prep for the week, or at night while I’m hanging with the kiddos, or folding laundry. It just requires 30-45 minutes of your time (not active time, as the chicken is just roasting away in the oven)! I’ve converted many of my friends to this easy method, so I thought today that I would share it with all of you and maybe convert one or two of you as well!

Let’s roast up some chicken.

How to roast chicken breasts.

How to Roast Chicken Breasts

  • 2 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts – I use 2 breasts for most of the recipes on my blog that call for shredded chicken, but you can roast up more if you’re feeding a larger crowd, or just want more chicken handy.
  • Olive oil
  • Fine Celtic sea salt
  • Freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place the chicken breasts skin side up on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Rub both sides of the breasts with some olive oil, and liberally sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. I add quite a bit of salt and pepper to the chicken breasts, as it really gives them flavor. 

Put the chicken breasts into the pre-heated 375-degree oven.

Roast the chicken breasts for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and reaches an internal temperature of 165-degrees. I always use my meat thermometer here and take the chicken out when it reaches an internal temperature of 165º.

The breasts I get locally are always huge, so they usually take between 45-60 minutes, but I would check them at 35 minutes to see where they’re at.  

When the chicken is cool enough to handle, discard the skin, remove the meat from the bones and shred the chicken meat. I always use my hands to shred the chicken, but you can use two forks to shred it.

You can use the shredded chicken right away for a recipe, or store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Like I said earlier, shredded chicken is incredibly versatile, so it doesn’t hurt to keep some on hand for those times when you’re in a pinch and you need a quick meal. Keep it handy in the fridge for sandwiches, salads, soups, pastas, tacos and quesadillas throughout the week.

Ok, now that we’ve roasted up some chicken, I figured I would link you to a few recipes from my blog that used shredded or cubed chicken!  That would be helpful, right?

Cold pesto pasta with chicken and sun-dried tomatoes.

Cold pesto pasta with chicken and sundried tomatoes

Farro and chicken salad with dates and cranberries.

Farro and chicken salad with dates and cranberries.

Simple weeknight chicken soup.

chicken soup in a bowl with a popover on the side

Chicken enchiladas with tomatillo salsa.

two chicken enchiladas with green sauce on a plate

Curried chicken salad.

Curried chicken salad sandwich

Chicken enchilada bake.   

Chicken enchilada bake. Top some shredded chicken on my kid friend caesar salad, and voila you’ve turned a side salad into a meal.Chicken caesar salad with popoversAs you can see, you can pretty much use shredded chicken in a variety of recipes! I hope this post was helpful to you all!

With love Jackie

How To Roast Chicken Breasts

Recipe by Jackie
4.5 from 2 votes

    Ingredients

    • 2 bone-in skin-on chicken breasts - I use 2 breasts for most of the recipes on my blog that call for shredded chicken, but you can roast up more if you're feeding a larger crowd, or just want more chicken handy.

    • Olive oil

    • Celtic sea salt

    • Freshly ground pepper

    Directions

    • Preheat oven to 375 degrees

    • Place the chicken breasts skin side up on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. 

    • Rub both sides of the breasts with some olive oil, and liberally sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. I add quite a bit of salt and pepper to the chicken breasts, as it really gives them flavor. 

    • Put the chicken breasts into the pre-heated 375-degree oven.

    • Roast the chicken breasts for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and reaches an internal temperature of 165-degrees.I always use my meat thermometer here and take the chicken out when it reaches an internal temperature of 165º.

    • When the chicken is cool enough to handle, discard the skin, remove the meat from the bones and shred the chicken meat. I always use my hands to shred the chicken, but you can use two forks to shred it.

    • You can use the shredded chicken right away for a recipe, or store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

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      4 thoughts on “How To Roast Chicken Breasts”

      1. I love the paddle trick, too. Wonder if it would work as effectively on beef and pork. Sure seems like it would. Thank you!

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