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? Hmmmm… I know that last sentence sounds a bit risky for a food blog, but you all get what I’m saying, right?  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!  Hey, maybe I should start a series on the blog called, “Marin Mama’s Simple Every Day Tips!”  Hmmm…. I think I will noodle on that idea!  Feel free to chime in if you think a series like this would be helpful to you all!

So 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 toppers, 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 concert one or two of you as well!

So, here we go, let’s roast up some chicken…

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
• sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place the chicken breasts skin side up on a rimmed baking sheet.

Rub them with some olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.Put the chicken breasts into the pre-heated 350-degree.

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.  

Seriously, that’s all there is to it!  I told you it was easy!

Food Blogger Disclosure: The above photos that you see of the finished chicken breasts have been put under the broiler for a few minutes to brown and crisp up the skin (so they look better for photo purposes).  

Your chicken breasts may not look as crispy as these when they come out of the oven.  If you want to serve these up as an entrée, you can put the cooked breasts under the broiler for a few minutes till the skin gets to the crispness you like.  Eli loves to eat the skin off of the chicken, so I usually put the breasts under the broiler for him.  

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, or try my friend Carolyn’s tip below.

Carolyn’s tip: While the chicken breasts are still pretty warm, (you really want them warm to hot for this next step to work) remove the skin from chicken and then using a knife, slice the chicken breast off of the bone.

Get out your kitchen aid mixer, throw the chicken breasts into the bowl and put your paddle attachment on.

Turn the mixer on to speed 4, and in approximately 20 seconds you will have shredded chicken. Super cool right? I didn’t believe it either till I saw it with my own eyes. See, now you can believe it as well because there’s proof in the below photo.

You can use the shredded chicken right away for a recipe, or store it in an airtight container 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, salad toppers, 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.

Farro and chicken salad with dates and cranberries.

Simple weeknight chicken soup.

Chicken enchiladas with tomatillo salsa.

Curried chicken salad.

Chicken enchiladas with pumpkin sauce.

Top some shredded chicken on my kid friend caesar salad, and voila you’ve turned a side salad into a meal.

I also love it topped on my lacinato kale salad along with some sliced avocado!

I’ve also been known to toss some shredded chicken into quinoa wrap with black beans, avocado and feta.

My kids also love it tossed in one of our favorite pastas, broccoli lemon pasta.

As you can see, you can pretty much use shredded chicken in a variety of recipes!

I hope this post was helpful to you all!  Cheers!

xoxo, Marin mama