Back to basics, with a taste that’s anything but basic: Broiled Chicken Breasts make a fast, easy main dish.
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts have many plusses: lean, flavorful meat that you can buy prepackaged – just dump onto your cutting board to chop or into your prepared pan or oven dish to cook whole.
However, especially with baking them in an oven, one of their biggest minuses is that they dry out very easily during cooking. Underdelivering on taste and texture and leaving you stuck in Bland-ville. One of the easiest ways to avoid this baking pitfall is to broil the chicken breasts.
Any standard oven has a broiler: if it’s an electric oven, it’s likely on the inner “ceiling” of the oven. Just move your top oven rack close to the heating element to broil. For gas ovens, it’s often in a bottom drawer and you simply place the chicken to broil on a metal pan once the broiler is preheated. What I do is leave the door to the oven or broiler ajar just a bit so you can keep an eye on anything starting to smoke, with the high heat.
Broiling chicken breast in your oven avoids the common pitfalls of boneless, skinless chicken – with the high heat and fast cook time, the taste and texture is similar to grilled chicken breast. Whether it’s not grilling weather, or you don’t own a grill, broiling is the way to go for quick, flavorful chicken breast.
The marinade used is nothing fancy but gives the chicken breast a zesty kick without too much heat. Simple ingredients deliver hearty flavor, and with no butter or unhealthy ingredients, this is a healthy main course.
Ingredients
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Pinch of salt and black pepper
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp fresh rosemary chopped
Preparation Steps
Step 1: Set your oven to broil and preheat it on high. Line a baking tray with foil or baking paper.
Step 2: Slice the chicken breasts in half lengthwise, rub each piece with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt, pepper, cayenne, garlic powder, dried oregano, minced garlic, and chopped rosemary. Let marinate for at least 15 minutes.
Step 3: Broil the seasoned chicken breasts for about 4-5 minutes per side, until browned and cooked.
Step 4: Remove the tray from the oven, transfer the broiled chicken breast to a plate, and let rest for 5 minutes. Even chicken deserves a break! Serve with your favorite sides and enjoy!
Top Tips For a Perfect Broiled Chicken Breast
- Slicing the chicken breasts in half is super important – the thinner chicken breast cooks evenly and quickly. I always use a serrated knife to cut the chicken breast horizontally.
- Don’t skimp on marinade time. The marinade time takes longer than the cooking time, but it’s essential to let the seasonings soak in! Use that 15 minutes to wipe down your counters or prepare a side dish to go with the chicken.
- Keep the broiler or oven door ajar just slightly once you put the chicken in to cook. With such high temps, it’s a safety measure in case anything starts smoking.
- Rest the chicken for at least five minutes so that the texture firms up and is just right when ready to serve. Like the marinade time, this resting time is part of the process for juicy, delicious chicken breast.
FAQs
If your oven comes with a broiler pan, use that. Still place parchment or foil on the top part (although for even easier clean up, wrap the bottom part – the catch tray – in foil as well). If you don’t have a broiler pan, just use a metal baking sheet that has sides like the one in the pics. Don’t forget the parchment or foil to avoid the mess.
The chicken should be about 6 inches from the heat source, whether your broiler is in the top of your electric oven or in a drawer at the bottom of your gas oven.
Yes, just cut the measurement to 1 teaspoon instead of 1 tablespoon; the flavor won’t be quite as strong, but depends how you like it, so just adjust.
Serving Suggestions
Broiled Chicken Breasts are delicious on their own, with a simple side vegetable or starch: steamed greens, mashed potatoes, or even a lemon rice or garlicky couscous, if you are feeling fancy. They also make phenomenal toppers for salads like Baked Bree’s Kansas Chopped Salad with Peppercorn Ranch or BLT Pasta Salad.
This recipe is easy to double, but don’t overload your broiler. If you double or triple it, broil your chicken in batches – no more than 6 pieces at a time is the safest bet.
How to Store
These chicken breasts can be made ahead through the marinating process – put in a resealable bag with the marinade and refrigerate for up to 8 hours. Let the chicken come to room temperature before broiling. Alternately, you can completely cook the chicken breasts and simply cool, place in a freezer bag or airtight container and freeze for up to 2 months. For extra convenience, slice before freezing and you have salad or pasta toppers ready to go in your freezer: just thaw and reheat!
Broiled Chicken Breast
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Pinch of salt and black pepper
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp fresh rosemary chopped
Instructions
- Set your oven to broil and preheat it on high. Line a baking tray with foil or baking paper.
- Slice the chicken breasts in half lengthwise, rub each piece with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt, pepper, cayenne, garlic powder, dried oregano, minced garlic, and chopped rosemary. Let marinate for at least 15 minutes.
- Broil the seasoned chicken breasts for about 4-5 minutes per side, until browned and cooked.
- Remove the tray from the oven, transfer the broiled chicken breast to a plate, and let rest for 5 minutes. Even chicken deserves a break! Serve with your favorite sides and enjoy!
Nutrition
