The downfall of most baked chicken breast recipes is the long time in the oven that dries out the lean meat before it can fully cook through. We’ve solved that problem with a couple of secret weapons. The first is white wine added to the baking dish, which creates steam. (While we think it’s worth using wine, you could substitute stock or even water.) The second is a piece of parchment paper placed directly on top of the chicken to lock in the moisture during baking. The result is the best boneless, skinless chicken breasts that are plump and juicy, with a minimum of hands-on time. A bunch of parsley and lemon slices infuse the dish with fresh flavor and the seasoning is neutral enough that the chicken can be used for a variety of different meals. Serve it alongside vegetables and grains, shredded into soup, spiced up for tacos or chopped on top of salad. Feel free to switch up the herbs and citrus if you have leftovers in the fridge to use up.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 50 min |
| Active: | 10 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 50 min |
| Active: | 10 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 small bunch parsley
- 1 lemon, sliced 1/4 inch thick
- 1 cup dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc
- Four 6-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Place the parsley in the center of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and top with the lemon slices. Pour the wine around the parsley. Brush the tops of the chicken with the olive oil and season with the paprika, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Arrange the chicken breasts on top of the lemon slices. Cut an 8-by-10-inch piece of parchment and place it on top of the chicken.
- Bake until the chicken registers 165 degrees F on a digital thermometer, 40 to 45 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving. The chicken can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 294 |
| Total Fat | 8 g |
| Saturated Fat | 1 g |
| Carbohydrates | 4 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 1 g |
| Protein | 39 g |
| Cholesterol | 124 mg |
| Sodium | 617 mg |
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 294 |
| Total Fat | 8 g |
| Saturated Fat | 1 g |
| Carbohydrates | 4 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 1 g |
| Protein | 39 g |
| Cholesterol | 124 mg |
| Sodium | 617 mg |
Reviews
I had really counted on this recipe to work, but sadly it tasted terrible! I am at a used chicken broth I didn’t have wine, but it was just very bland no real good taste to it at all I shredded the leftovers to make barbecue sandwiches. So thumbs down on this one.
Read thru reviews before trying this, and I think some people missed the point. The parsley and lemon are only meant to impart flavor. This cooking method rendered VERY tender chicken breasts. Because chicken is a blank slate, you can use any number of herbs and seasonings here. I used larger breasts, so cooking time did come in around 30″. Definitely keeping this recipe in my rotation!!
I would rate minus any stars. Instructions say to cook 45 minutes way too long! Not good flavor.
I made this last night, and after reading some of the comments, I added some garlic and onion powder and pounded the chicken breast to further tenderize, all to no avail, nothing helped……It just wasn’t good, at all……I’ve never had any problems with any of your recipes over the years….but, this will never see the light of day again…..
I got drawn in by the “Best Baked Chicken Breasts” title, and the inflated star rating. By the way 18 divided by 7 isn’t 3 1/2 stars. (Now 19/8…., or 2.4 stars)
White wine, parsley, lemon and paprika do not belong together on such a flavor-absorbing food like chicken breast. This recipe just doesn’t work. Not yum. Go with ifiddler on their recipe. 🙂
Not as tasty as it looks.
Need more than paprika! I used garlic, paprika, garam masala, salt, tumeric and olive oil.
I made this for my friends and I. I was not impressed. The fresh parsley gets a weird texture and there isn’t much flavor.
Yes I made this for dinner last night. I must say the chicken was very moist. The flavor was lousy. I don’t believe Paprika and the parsley and the wine worked. Had to throw entire dinner away, sadly. I would use half the amount of the white wine and use chick broth and no paprika
I thought this chicken breast recipe was great as did my husband. I used chicken broth instead of white wine. The leftover sauce was so delicious I used it along with some of the leftover chicken to make a soup by simply adding carrots, celery, more chicken broth and a small amount of basmati rice. The soup was a big hit!