How Long Do You Bake Chicken Breast at 400 Degrees?

Baked chicken breasts are the perfect meal to have because they are naturally loaded with protein. Simply season with oil and fresh herbs and bake them in the oven till they’re ready to make a fantastic meal. If you’re looking for juicy chicken breasts, you will have to bake chicken breasts at higher temperatures, like 400 degrees, taking care not to overcook them. Let’s take a look at how long you should bake your chicken breast at higher temperatures.

Table of Contents

• Baked Chicken Breast Ingredients
• How Long to Bake Chicken Breast at 400 Degrees?
  • How Long to Bake Chicken Breast at 400 F in Foil?
  • How Long to Bake Chicken Breast at 400 F Uncovered?
  • How Long to Bake Chicken Breast at 400 F in an Air Fryer?
  • How Long to Bake Chicken Breast at 400 F From Frozen?
• How to Cook Chicken Breasts at 400°F
  • Ingredients
  • Steps to Make it
• Is it Better to Bake Chicken Breasts at 350?
• How to Store Baked Chicken Breasts?
• How to Brine the Chicken Breasts
• What to Serve with Baked Chicken Breasts
• The Bottom Line
• FAQs

Baked Chicken Breast Ingredients

Before we figure out how long to bake chicken breasts, first take a look at the ingredients needed to make these skinless chicken breasts. You’ve got to remember that chicken breasts are naturally lean meat, and if cooked the wrong way, you can end up with dry and rubbery meat, so you’ll need to take care if you’re looking for the juicy baked chicken outcome. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Poultry – boneless skinless chicken breasts are used in this recipe. The size of your chicken breasts is entirely up to you and how many people you intend to feed. You can use fresh or frozen meat, taking care to thaw the meat before using it.
• Butter or Olive Oil – since chicken breasts are lean meat, the butter will provide the appropriate tenderness to your meat.
• Seasoning – you can use your choice of seasoning blend or a combination of garlic powder, Italian seasoning, cayenne pepper, paprika, salt, and black pepper for your seasonings, or switch it up a little with some rosemary, dried thyme, dried basil, and red chili powder if you wish.
• Salt and Water – to make the chicken breasts tender and juicy, you’ll need to soak them in a brine for 30 minutes. You’ll need lukewarm water and kosher salt.
• Meat Thermometer – this is a handy tool to have in any kitchen and is the best way to tell whether your meat is done or not without the risk of overcooking meat.

How Long to Bake Chicken Breast at 400 Degrees?

You should aim to bake chicken breasts for 20 to 30 minutes at 400 degrees. This baking time is appropriate for the boneless and skinless chicken breast of around one-inch thickness. The baking time will fluctuate depending on the thickness of the breasts, the performance of your oven, and whether the chicken breasts were covered with foil or not during the baking process.

How Long to Bake Chicken Breast at 400 F in Foil?

Season the boneless chicken breast with salt, pepper, and your choice of herbs, and wrap the meat in aluminum foil; while baking, they will absorb the flavors of the seasonings, and the foil will help the chicken breasts remain moist and juicy. Bake the chicken at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes.

How Long to Bake Chicken Breast at 400 F Uncovered?

Normally, baking chicken breasts uncovered at 400 degrees will take about 25 minutes. Baking chicken breasts uncovered is a bit of a risk, as the meat can dry out entirely and taste completely unappetizing. If you really want to bake your chicken uncovered, then here’s what you can do to bring forth a flavorful outcome:

• Rub the chicken breast with olive oil or melted butter. Alternatively, you can prepare a marinade and let the chicken breasts soak for 2 to 3 hours, allowing them to absorb the flavors.
• Pour 1 cup of your choice of liquid into the baking pan, i.e. melted butter, lemon juice, or vinegar. Place the chicken breasts in the oven to cook through.
• Check the internal temperature of the chicken breasts for 5 minutes before you intend to remove them from the oven. The temperature should reach between 160 to 170 degrees when it’s done baking.

It’s better to set your oven temperature to 400 degrees when baking chicken breasts, as they will achieve a wonderful golden color that you can’t get at lower temperatures.

How Long to Bake Chicken Breast at 400 F in an Air Fryer?

To cook your chicken breasts in an air fryer at 400 degrees, uncovered should take around 20 minutes, and 16 to 20 minutes uncovered. You should follow the same rules when baking your chicken breasts in an air fryer as you would in a convection oven. Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees for around 3 minutes. Soak them in a marinade prior to cooking them uncovered.

Finally, spray the basket and breasts of the air fryer with some cooking oil so that they don’t stick. To ensure the chicken breasts cook evenly, do not overload the air fryer basket, and cook in batches if needed.

How Long to Bake Chicken Breast at 400 F From Frozen?

Frozen chicken breasts baked at 400 degrees in an air fryer should take around 15 to 25 minutes and about 40 to 50 minutes in the oven. If your chicken breasts are not seasoned, it’s better to thaw them before you intend to bake with them so that you have enough time to slather them in your choice of seasonings before finishing with a baked chicken breast. To thaw your chicken breasts, place the frozen breast meat in the fridge, and they should defrost in 12 hours. Or, if you’re running short of time, thaw the chicken in warm water.

How to Cook Chicken Breasts at 400°F

Ingredients

• 6 boneless chicken breasts
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• Melted butter or vegetable oil for greasing

Steps to Make it

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F
• Rub the chicken breasts with olive oil, Italian seasoning, kosher salt, paprika, and ground black pepper.
• Ensure that the raw chicken is well coated
• Lightly grease a baking pan with melted butter or vegetable oil
• Bake the chicken breasts for 25 to 30 minutes or till the internal temperature reads 165 degrees
• Let the baked chicken rest for 5 minutes
• Serve the chicken breasts with some steamed broccoli or green beans

Is it Better to Bake Chicken Breasts at 350?

Cooking chicken breast at a high temperature will bring forth more color and depth to your meat. It’s better to cook your chicken breasts at 400 degrees than 350, but nothing beyond that. The increase in temperature can risk the chicken breast from drying out entirely and losing that tender moistness.

How to Store Baked Chicken Breasts?

Store the cooked chicken breasts in the fridge for 3 to 4 days in a container. You can also freeze the leftover chicken in freezer bags, then reheat them in a microwave on high for 2 minutes. You can also reheat the frozen chicken breasts in a skillet on a stovetop.

How to Brine the Chicken Breasts

This step will result in the most tender chicken breasts. Brining chicken is fairly simple and very rewarding indeed. To brine the chicken breasts, take a look at the steps below:

• Take 3 to 4 chicken breasts and place them in a large bowl
• In another bowl, pour 4 cups of lukewarm water
• Add 1/4 cup salt and stir
• Pour this mixture over the chicken breasts and set them aside for 15 to 30 minutes.
• Once you’re ready, pour out the brine, then take each piece of chicken and rinse them under cold water. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, and watch how your chicken breasts transform into the juiciest cuts of meat you’ve ever tasted.

What to Serve with Baked Chicken Breasts

When it comes to choosing the perfect side dish for your baked chicken breasts, you can get as creative as you like. Since you’ll be baking your chicken at 400 degrees, you might want to pop something else in the oven with your chicken, like potatoes, for instance. Or perhaps you’d like to try these air fryer green beans recipes for air fryer baked chicken breasts.

The Bottom Line

Baking chicken breasts at 400 degrees is the perfect oven temperature because this ensures that your chicken breasts are cooking evenly with enough exposure to high temperatures whilst still retaining that moist juiciness. Baking chicken breasts covered or uncovered may alter the cooking time a little. Anything above or below 400 degrees can either dry out the meat entirely or leave you with undercooked pink meat.

FAQs