Sometimes the simplest recipes are the best. Take a boneless, skinless chicken breast, cook it to perfection, and top it with homemade garlic herb butter. That's it! Serve this over rice, with a lovely simple salad, or both! Plus, this whole baked chicken recipe can be done in under 30 minutes, which makes it great for those busy weekday evenings when you need dinner done in a flash.
Prep Time: 5 minutesminutes
Cook Time: 20 minutesminutes
0 minutesminutes
Total Time: 25 minutesminutes
Servings:4servings
Ingredients
4boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded to even ¾-inch thickness
1tablespoonolive oil
1tablespoonbutter
½teaspoonsalt
¼teaspooncracked black pepper, or ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
Garlic Herb Butter
½cupbutter, slightly softened
2teaspoonsminced garlic
½teaspoongarlic powder
1teaspoonfinely chopped fresh parsley
1teaspoonfinely chopped fresh cilantro
1teaspoonfresh thyme, or finely chopped fresh basil
Instructions
Preheat oven to 475.
Season with salt and pepper on both sides.
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Drizzle in the olive oil.
Add the chicken and cook for 2-4 minutes on each side until browned (but not cooked through).
Transfer browned chicken to preheated oven (if not using an oven-safe skillet, transfer chicken to a greased baking dish first). Bake chicken for about 15 minutes until cooked through (internal temperature should read 165 degrees).
In a small bowl combine butter, garlic powder, minced garlic, and fresh herbs (see notes for using dried herbs) and mash/mix with a fork until combined.
When chicken is finished cooking, immediately top with a hearty spoonful of the garlic butter mixture. Allow it to melt over the chicken for a minute or two before slicing chicken. Enjoy!
Notes
Fresh herb substitute: don't have fresh herbs? No problem. Swap the fresh herbs for 2 teaspoons dried herbs - Herbs de Provence is a great dried herb blend, or you can use Italian seasoning blend if that's what you have on hand. Leftover garlic herb butter: if you have any leftover garlic herb butter, store in an airtight container in the fridge up to 1 week. I like to make a double batch and use the leftovers on meats, seafood, veggies, or bread throughout the week. A touch of lemon: add some lemon zest to the garlic herb butter mixture for a fresh, zesty burst of lemon!