(upbeat music)
- Hey hey, Taylor from The Girl on Bloor
and I am back showing you how
to make the best baked chicken breast
with three different marinades and three diff spice rubs.
It'll take your boring old chicken dinner to the next level.
If you've ever meal prepped before
you know how crucial chicken is to most dishes.
It's the most versatile protein
and probably the protein I eat the most of.
It's easy to make ahead of time,
and you can even freeze it to enjoy it later.
In today's video, I'm showing you how
to make six different ways to jazz up your chicken
so that you'll never eat a boring meal ever again.
Now first things first, you need your chicken.
In this video I'm just showing you how
to cook boneless skinless chicken breasts since
that is the leanest type of chicken and the kind
that works in as many different recipes as possible.
I don't do bone-in skin on, but I might put it
on the list for the future.
I recently uploaded a chicken things tutorial
on my YouTube channel in case you are looking
to get some more variety in your diet, so be sure
to head on over and check that out,
I've link to it below this video.
Now, chicken breasts definitely vary in size
and that can be one of the trickiest parts of this recipe.
I know it's not something everyone has
on hand at home but if you can,
I recommend weighing your chicken breast individually,
using a scale, just so you can get a proper idea
of how long you need to cook your chicken.
On my blog, I've included specific directions
for 6 ounce, 8 ounce, and 10 ounce breasts
so that you know exactly how long to bake for.
Once you've got your chicken, let it come
to room temperature for about 10 minutes
in order to ensure even cooking.
Then you can preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
This is the perfect temperature
for getting an even cook on your chicken.
I find that if you go any higher,
you risk overcooking the outside and undercooking the center
but I know there are many different chicken breasts recipes
out there and everyone has a different opinion
on cook times and oven temperature.
This is what I find personally works for me.
So preheat that oven then get
to work making whatever seasoning blend you end
up choosing from the six options I give you on my blog.
I'll quickly go over them here,
so you know what yummy options lie ahead of you.
First up is light Greek marinade,
which contains olive oil, lemon juice,
garlic, oregano and salt and pepper.
Second is my Asian inspired marinade,
made with soy sauce, sesame oil,
brown sugar, garlic and ginger and the third
and final marinade option is a honey mustard marinade,
containing honey, Dijon mustard,
olive oil and salt and pepper.
Whichever marinade you choose,
you'll mix the ingredients together
in a small bowl and then pour
over your chicken and marinate for
at least 15 minutes and up to overnight.
Obviously, the longer you let all the flavors mingle,
the more flavor your chicken will have.
You can also freeze your chicken right
in the marinade in freezer bags,
that's another great option for those
of you looking to make a bunch
of marinades all at once and try them all.
Now, the spice rubs, the first one is more
of a classic spice rub, made with paprika, garlic powder,
chili powder, onion powder and salt and pepper.
Next up we have an Italian spice rub, made up
of dried parsley, thyme, oregano, basil,
onion powder and salt and pepper.
And then finally, I share an Indian inspired spice blend,
made up of cumin, turmeric, curry powder,
garlic powder, ginger and salt and pepper.
Notice how salt and pepper make an appearance
in nearly every spice blend and marinade.
It's crucial to getting as much flavor
out of the chicken as possible.
The only marinade I don't add salt
and pepper to is the Asian inspired marinade,
'cause the soy sauce is very salty
and will give you that necessary seasoning.
For the spice blends, you'll mix up
your seasoning of choice in a small bowl,
then coat your chicken in olive oil
to help the blend stick, and also provide your chicken
with some fat to cook in the oven.
Coat your chicken in olive oil
and seasoning blend of your choice,
then you are ready to bake right away.
No need to wait like you need to do with the marinades.
Now, if you're hoping to make more than one seasoning,
whether it's a marinade or a spice blend,
one great idea is to use aluminum foil
to create dividers on your sheet pan.
One thing to keep in mind is
if you're using the foil divider method,
you will need to cut your seasoning,
particularly the spice blends, in half, so you don't have
as much seasoning on your chicken when cooking it.
You can totally cook one breast per seasoning
and then create little divider lines in the foil,
so that the seasonings don't mix,
but you still get some good variety
in the chicken you're eating.
I know, I'm just a little genius meal-prepper now, aren't I?
Once you've got everything seasoned the way you like
and you've created your foil dividers,
if using, then you are ready to bake.
Just pop the chicken into the oven
for anywhere from 18 to 28 minutes.
I know that's a huge range I provided,
but remember when I said that I'm providing you
with a guide depending on the weight of each breast,
so again, measure your breasts to make sure
that you're cooking them for the right amount of time.
Smaller, six ounce breasts will only take closer
to the 18 minute mark and 10 ounce breasts will take closer
to the longer 28 minute mark.
If in doubt, you can use a meat thermometer
to check and make sure that the center
of the chicken registers at 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
You may notice your chicken reads closer to 160
for the cook times I gave you, so just be aware
that the chicken will continue cooking a little bit inside
once you remove it from the oven
and you will end up seeing an increase in the temperature.
Plus, I find it's better to remove sooner than necessary,
because you can always pop it back
into the oven for a few minutes.
It's tough to salvage overcooked dry chicken.
Now, just like steak, you want to check,
to let the chicken rest for about five
to 10 minutes before serving.
Again, it's to ensure the chicken is fully cooked inside
and you're also helping the chicken to retain
as much moisture as possible, so it's nice
and juicy when you do go to slice into it.
Now that you have your chicken, what should you do with it?
Well, there are a ton of options.
You can serve this baked chicken
with a couple of different side dishes
to turn it into a full dinner.
A great idea is to saute some veggies on the stove
while your chicken is baking in the oven.
I love taking sweet potato and broccoli
and sauteing in a skillet with some garlic
and salt and pepper for 15 to 20 minutes.
You can also serve alongside
sheet pan roasted root vegetables, sweet potato fries,
baked potatoes or even use the chicken itself
in other recipes, such as a mason jar salad or pasta dish.
The possibilities really are endless.
Leftover chicken will last in the fridge
for three to five days and you can reheat
in the microwave for one to two minutes,
making sure to sprinkle some water over top first.
Sprinkling some water overtop really does help
to eliminate that leftover chicken taste
and using this baked chicken in new recipes,
such as stir-fries, nachos, quesadillas, pastas, et cetera,
will also help to get rid of that funky taste.
Little pro tip for those of you out there who hate leftovers
I know you're not going to use up your chicken in that time
you can go ahead and freeze it too.
Freeze the chicken sliced up
in a freezer-safe container for up to three months.
You can then defrost in the fridge overnight
and reheat in the microwave as usual,
sprinkling some water over top.
I love having cooked chicken in the freezer
for things like pot pies, tacos, pastas
and other recipes where it would take you long time
to cook the chicken fresh, you gain a major headstart
when you already have the cooked chicken on hand.
If you're looking for more ideas to use up chicken
and want to meal-prep with it more,
then head out over to the blog.
I've linked to my chicken recipe archives
along with this baked chicken recipe,
so you can make the full recipe at home.
If you enjoy this video, be sure to subscribe
to my channel and I can't wait to see you
in the next video, for some more meal prep deliciousness.
(upbeat music)