Oven-Baked Breaded Chicken Breasts

Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Total: 40 mins
Servings: 4 to 6 servings
Yield: 4 to 6 pieces

If you've got hungry kids who'd happily live on chicken nuggets or schnitzel, these breaded and baked kosher chicken breasts will be your new go-to recipe. They're an economical and tastier alternative to frozen fried chicken, hot dogs, or processed sandwich meat. Using only 5 ingredients and a quick prep, you'll have dinner on the table in 40 minutes.

Need some kid-friendly veggie sides they'll gobble up as happily as the chicken? Try green beans with pecans and date syrup, a crunchy, colorful rainbow slaw, or butternut kugel.

Oven-Baked Breaded Chicken Breasts
The Spruce

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 to 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 4 to 6 chicken breasts or cutlets

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour, optional

  • 2 large eggs

  • 1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs, or matzo meal for Passover

  • 3 to 4 teaspoons canola oil

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 375 F/190 C. Generously grease a rimmed, flat baking sheet with canola oil.

    Oven-Baked Breaded Chicken Breast ingredients
    The Spruce 
  2. Set out three shallow pie dishes or deep plates—one with flour, one with beaten egg, one with seasoned breadcrumbs.

    Bowls for dredging chicken
    The Spruce
  3. Make sure your boneless, skinless chicken breasts are thin by either slicing them in half or pounding them flatter. Dip the chicken first into flour, shaking off any excess.

    Dredging chicken breasts in egg, flour and breadcrumbs
    The Spruce
  4. Then dip it into the beaten egg, shaking off any excess.

    Dredging chicken breast in egg
    The Spruce
  5. Finally, dip it into the seasoned breadcrumbs or matzo meal.

    Breading chicken breasts
    The Spruce
  6. Lay the breaded chicken on the greased baking sheet. Drizzle each piece of chicken with a little oil. 

    Baking breaded chicken breasts
    The Spruce
  7. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes on each side, or until the chicken is white in the middle, the juices run clear, and an instant-read thermometer reads at least 165 F (bake time will vary depending on the thickness of the chicken). Serve and enjoy!

    Baked breaded chicken breasts
    The Spruce

Tips

  • Use well-seasoned bread crumbs for the tastiest chicken.
  • Not sure how much chicken to buy? Young kids will usually eat between 1 ounce and 4 ounces of chicken, and adults will prefer between 4 ounces and 8 ounces, depending on appetite. Two pounds of uncooked chicken will yield 4 to 6 cooked servings.
  • If you're feeding young kids, separate the small, thin chicken tenders from the breast and bread and bake these separately. They cook more quickly than the large breasts, so it's a good idea to put them on a separate baking sheet. Little ones often find the smaller pieces more manageable and prefer the higher coating-to-chicken ratio. 

Make It Ahead

The chicken pieces may be breaded and frozen to cook later. Follow the instructions for breading the chicken, but don't drizzle with oil. Arrange the chicken pieces on a parchment or foil-lined baking sheet. Put baking the sheet in the freezer and freeze until the chicken is solid. Transfer the chicken to zip-close freezer bags and freeze for up to 3 months.

When it's time to bake, place the chicken pieces on the oiled baking sheet, drizzle each piece with a few drops of canola oil, and bake in the preheated oven for about 30 to 35 minutes, or until they reach 165 F.

Recipe Variations

  • In the breading process, it is not essential to coat the chicken with the flour before coating it with the egg. The flour is optional.
  • You can add flavor by mixing the egg with a few drops of soy sauce. Or, try mixing the egg with some ketchup or mustard.
  • You can use just the egg white, rather than a whole egg. You can even use water instead of an egg to moisten the chicken before coating it with breadcrumbs.
  • Make your own seasoned bread crumbs by adding some paprika, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and parsley—or any other favorite spice blends—to regular breadcrumbs.
  • For Passover, omit the flour and substitute matzo meal for the breadcrumbs.

How To Store

Place cooled leftover chicken in a covered container and refrigerate it for up to 3 to 4 days.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
377 Calories
11g Fat
14g Carbs
52g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories 377
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 11g 14%
Saturated Fat 3g 13%
Cholesterol 191mg 64%
Sodium 403mg 18%
Total Carbohydrate 14g 5%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 52g
Vitamin C 1mg 3%
Calcium 68mg 5%
Iron 3mg 16%
Potassium 456mg 10%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)