We love this oven baked version of chicken breasts! Seasoned, left to sit for a few minutes while you make the sauce, pour the sauce over the chicken and bake, pure bliss!
How to make tender chicken breasts
Before we get to how to make them tender let's start by saying it's best to buy them the same size so they cook evenly. Not always possible so pound the thicker parts down using a meat mallet or a rolling pin.
- pat them dry using kitchen tissue paper
- they must be at room temperature before cooking
- baked at the right temperature for the right amount of time
What to use for taste?
Probably the best advice is to use the very best seasoning and spices
Spicy Oven Baked Chicken Breast
This has got to be one of my favorite ways to prepare chicken breasts and making it again made me wonder how I still haven't posted it on my blog! Chicken, sauce and bake. Could it get any easier or any more delicious and you can customize your favorite seasonings.
We all know how convenient chicken is to cook especially when, although you want it ready yesterday you also don't want to compromise on the flavor! That's where the importance of seasoning comes in. A generous amount of seasoning and if that doesn't take your fancy, pour in a dash of cream or coconut milk to tone down the spiciness. In this way, you have the flavor just slightly toned down.
13 Spice 'for all your chicken dishes'
Seasoning in food makes all the difference so use your favorite chicken seasoning. Here is our seasoning that we use on all our chicken dishes from roast to braai, grilling, one pan casseroles, stews, sheet pan meals etc.
13 spice "for all your chicken dishes" from Smell and Taste.
As seen on our Smell and Taste Instagram, this 13 Spice has repeatedly proven to be the top selling product and rightly so, the reviews speak for themselves. Please customize your own favorite spices if you don't have our 13 spice but if you do, thank you for shopping with us and happy cooking everyone!
More 13 Spice Chicken Recipes
Getting The Chicken Tender
Getting the chicken to be tender is the absolute minimum when making chicken of any kind, no one likes rubbery chicken. There is just one requirement in this recipe;
The chicken breasts must be room temperature.
Why? So that they all cook evenly, its as simple as that otherwise they cook in some places and the thicker parts or center doesn't get the same luxury of even cooking.
The best suggestion is to not overbake them so if you have a kitchen thermometer, use it because it makes all the difference. If you don't then follow the recipe card below and just when you think they're ready, they're ready. Trust your gut and don't be tempted to leave them a 'little longer' because that's when they overcook! If you've followed the recipe card below they will not be overcooked instead you will have tender flavored and delicious chicken breasts.
Here's A Tip/Suggestion
Always cut into the thickest part of the chicken to check for doneness, if the juices run clear its done! Then go out and buy a kitchen thermometer. Remember that expensive does not always equal quality. I have a cheap version that's seen many a roast in it's short life span.
How Long To Cook The Chicken
The average timing is about 15 to 18 minutes in the oven depending on how small or big the chicken breasts are. Also it would depend on if the chicken breasts are skin on or off for you to adjust the time.
Let's Make Some Chicken
Here is what you will need to make this chicken recipe;
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts Preferably buy these fresh but if you have frozen ones waiting to be used then make sure that they are properly thawed before using them. Very important!
Meat seasoning This is another fabulous very versatile spice for every single meat dish that you will ever cook from our online store. You can use the basics here of salt and pepper.
Olive oil (Yes vegetable oil has a higher smoking point but we're using olive oil here). If you prefer butter, go for it.
Onion finely diced one small onion or half of a large one. You want the onion as small as you want to see it when it's cooked and on your plate. We do cook the onion for a good 5 minutes or more until light golden brown.
Garlic The number of garlic cloves depends on how much garlic you want in the recipe and if your spice contains garlic or not already.
Stock Chicken stock used here but you can substitute with vegetable stock if you don't have any or even plain water.
13 Spice "for all you chicken dishes" as explained above.
How To Make A Quick Slurry
Knowing how to make a slurry is a huge help in the kitchen! It's a reliable way to thicken your soups, stews, sauces and casseroles up.
Maizena This can be substituted with flour or corn flour used as thickening agent. Something else you can use here is a roux explained in this Lasagna Rigatoni Pasta Bake and this How To Make Béchamel Sauce. It's a great thickener.
Milk We need just 1 tablespoon of milk or water. This is to add to the maizena to make a 'slurry' which then goes into the sauce while on the stove. You can watch the video but I prefer to take a spoonful of sauce out the pan and into the slurry then back into the pan. This way, there's no chance of any lumps and ruining the sauce and it thickens it up in seconds!
Cream A dash of cream, like 2 tablespoons will do here. I took what was left of mine in the tub and it may have been just under a quarter cup or less.
How To Use These Spicy Creamy Chicken Breasts
Here are a few suggestions on how to use these chicken breasts. Add them in to substitute one or another ingredient or simply add into these recipes;
- Pasta With Kale
- Oven Baked Chicken and Crunchy Rice Casserole
- Spiced Harira Moroccan Soup (Vegetable)
- Chicken Sandwich Recipe (shred/slice the chicken)
Tips and Suggestions
There's always one or two things to be shared to make sure that your chicken breast meal is a success.
- Room temperature chicken breasts
- Use kitchen paper to pat them dry before cooking
- Pound the chicken breasts to even thickness
- Use plastic wrap (I go twice round over the chicken) to prevent it from tearing when you use the mallet for pounding. You can also use a rolling pin to do this.
- If you don't have cling/plastic wrap, place them into a zip lock bag and pound them in there. If all else fails, well, pound on the skin but be careful they don't tear.
The correct way to pound chicken fillets is to pound outward as the mallet comes down and makes contact with the chicken breast. So pound and automatically hit outward. It's not easy but you get used to it and not every shot will be accurate its okay.
Serving Suggestions
The best way is to serve them is - as is but feel free to shred, slice or cut them, but for heavens sake don't leave that sauce behind! It has all the taste and flavor! Here are a few side dishes to serve with this spicy creamy oven baked chicken breast recipe;
- Mashed Potato and Peas
- Basmati Rice Recipe
- Raw Carrot Salad
- Easy No Knead Bread Recipe
- Oven Roasted Butternut
- Crispy Baked Hasselback Potatoes
- Air Fryer Potatoes
WATCH THE VIDEO
Oven Baked Chicken Breasts
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts pound for even thickness
- 1 teaspoon meat salt or salt and pepper
- 2 tbsps olive oil + more to drizzle
- 1 small onion finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced or finely chopped
- 2 tsps. 13 spice chicken Smell and Taste See notes below
- 2 tbsps. butter unsalted
- ¾ cup chicken stock
- ¼ cup cream
- 2 tsps maizena or flour
- 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 190C
- Cover the chicken breast with cling wrap to avoid them tearing while you pound them to even thickness. Use a meat mallet to pound the chicken breasts, focus on the thicker parts to get the fillet even.
- Season the chicken Place the chicken breasts in an oven proof dish and season with the meat salt or the basic salt & pepper. Olive oil Drizzle a little olive oil, use your fingers to gently rub it into the spices. Set the chicken breasts aside.
- Onions Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan and cook the onion till soft and light golden brown, 5 minutes.
- Garlic Add the garlic, cook for a few seconds while mixing it into the onions.
- Chicken spice Add the 13 spice chicken, mix it into the onions and garlic for a few seconds and while mixing add the butter and keep going making until the butter has melted into the rest of the ingredients.
- Stock Pour in the chicken stock, give it a stir.
- Slurry Make a quick slurry while by adding the maizena with the milk into a paste. Take a tablespoon of the sauce from the stove and add it into the slurry, mix and pour it into the sauce. Keep stirring to avoid lumps and it will immediately start thickening the sauce.
- Cream Add the cream, mix and pour the sauce over the chicken breasts.
- Bake Bake for 30 minutes. The recommended time is roughly 15 to 20 minutes so you are free to do that however 30 minutes here works because of the sauce.!
- Rest Remove from the oven and rest for 5 minutes.
- Serve Serve and enjoy
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