Simple & Homely

Lifestyles of the poor and unfamous

How to cook a chicken breast in the oven

Oven beaked chicken breast on a plate with a jacket potato

In this article, we’re foregoing the air fryer and cooking a chicken breast in the oven. 

To save money on electricity, we did this chicken breast cooking test at the same time as our oven-cooked jacket potato. As such, the oven was set to 180C. 

So, how long do you need to cook a chicken breast at 180C in an oven? We give it a go.

Method

Seasoned chicken in an oven dish in front a collection of spices

According to BBC Good Food, a chicken breast cooked at 200C will take between 16-22 minutes, depending on thickness. 

To account for our lower cooking temperature, I made sure to flatten my chicken breast slightly. 

I also added some hot chilli powder, dried basil, onion powder, and garlic salt, as well as a healthy bit of seasoning, to give my chicken some flavour. Once covered with seasoning, I added a light coat of oil and made sure the entire breast was covered to ensure it cooked evenly.

Oven cooked chicken breast timings

Due to the flattened breast and lower oven temperature, I decided to go for the lowest end of the recommended cooking time range. The logic being, you can always put it back in the oven for an extra minute or two, whereas you can’t un-dry an overcooked chicken.

Time on the clock: 16 minutes. 

At 10 minutes, it looked well on its way. Checking the inside, the chicken was still raw in the centre. 

Time’s up! As you can see from the picture below, 16 minutes was not long enough to cook a chicken breast in the oven. 

A chicken breast after 16 minutes in the oven at 180C

Back in the oven it went for another eight minutes.

After the extra time, the chicken was just about done, with the juices running clear. In the time it took to butter and cheese my oven-baked jacket potato, the chicken had rested in the hot oven dish long enough that it was 100% done. Clear juices, soft meat, and not an ounce of dry.

  • At a temperature of 180C, it’ll take you 24 minutes to cook a chicken breast in the oven.
  • At 200C, you’ll need to cook your flattened chicken breast for 18-22 minutes, depending on the thickness.
The chicken breast sliced after being cooked for 24 minutes. It looks juicy

Things to note when cooking a chicken breast in the oven

  • You can add whatever spices and seasonings you want to your chicken. If you’re roasting it for Sunday dinner, you can add a bit of thyme. Making a chicken pasta bake? Add some garlic, onion, and herbs. Making fajitas? You get the point.
  • Chicken breasts can also be cooked in the oven without oil, which is handy to know if you’re trying to cut down on your fats and calories. 
  • If you’re ingredient prepping, then you can cook a whole pack of chicken breasts en-batch. Cook some whole, some cubed, some sliced and place in the freezer once cooled. You can then defrost and chuck into dinners to make weekday meals quick and simple. At this point, you can also spice your poultry, but just be aware, you’re then locked into what you can use the chicken for.

Read next