Tender & Juicy Baked Chicken Breast

If you love baked chicken breasts then I've got a flavour packed recipe for you! Chicken breasts are spiced in a delicious Mexican style seasoning and then oven baked til juicy and tender. With 5 minutes prep time and less than 20 minutes cooking time these Mexican chicken breasts are fantastic on salads, in wraps or sandwiches or served with vegetables for an easy, healthy, nutritious lunch or dinner! This is a pushy recipe Dear Reader.

I know that so many of you loved the stuffed chicken breast recipe and today I've got another really simple chicken breast recipe for you! I promise that the chicken will remain juicy and tender and it is one of the easiest, tastiest ways to cook chicken with just spices and a bit of olive oil.

Tips For Making Baked Chicken Breast

1 - I like to brine chicken breasts before cooking them because this small step ensures tender and juicy chicken that doesn't dry out. You can brine chicken for as little as 15 minutes to 1 hour.

2 - The best way to cook chicken breast in the oven is at a high temperature of 220C/440F for 18 minutes. Make sure that the chicken has been taken out of the fridge 30 minutes before you cook it and this will cook a 280g/7oz chicken breast perfectly. I usually brine it during this 30 minute period.

3 - I like using a Mexican style spice rub made up of ground cumin, salt, garlic, smoked paprika and Tajin (chilli and lime seasoning). Tajin can be found at the supermarket. Honestly this simple mix packs in SO much flavour!

Other chicken Breast recipes:

• Stuffed Chicken Breasts With Spinach
• Healthy Tuscan Chicken
• Chicken Paillard
• Chicken Sorrentino
• THE Costco Chicken Bake COPYCAT recipe!

Dear Reader, there has been a major change in our household lately. Sorry that sounded dramatic didn't it? I have been making more chicken breast recipes lately because Mr NQN has decided to eat a bit more healthily. That means a lot of skinless chicken breasts and salads. Mr NQN now doesn't eat beef or lamb any more so that means a lot of fish, chicken and lean pork for him. And as for the really good stuff like cheese? He won't touch the stuff!

Honestly Dear Reader, I did not take the news very well. There was an anguished sort of cry from me and I may have muttered, "What about the cheeeeese?" because we have quite a cheese collection in the fridge. But he does come from quite an extreme family food-wise so I guess this is him being a real Elliott. So Dear Reader, if you too love chicken breasts, please get ready for an onslaught of recipes for chicken breast. This Mexican spiced chicken is one of my favourites, made time and time again mainly because he loves the tangy, spicy Mexican seasoning. There's no need to get a spice mix packet, you can do it on your own with this recipe and it is so easy!

So tell me Dear Reader, do you ever change your diet or the way that you eat? Is there anything you don't or won't eat?

Baked Chicken Breast

An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott

Preparation time: 5 minutes plus 15-60 minutes brining time

Cooking time: 18 minutes

• 4x 280g/7oz skinless chicken breasts
• 1.5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1.5 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1.5 teaspoons Tajin seasoning
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Step 1 - Optional but recommended: brine chicken breasts by dissolving 100g/3.5ozs fine salt in 2 cups/500ml of boiling hot water. Top up with 2 cups/500ml filtered tap water and soak chicken breasts in this for 15 minutes - 1 hour.

Step 2 - Preheat oven to 220C/440F fan forced and line a baking dish with parchment. Mix the smoked paprika, cumin, Tajin, garlic powder, salt and pepper together. Rinse the chicken breasts and place on parchment upside down. Brush the underside of the chicken with oil and sprinkle with seasoning rubbing it into the oil and the meat. Then flip over the chicken and brush the tops of the breasts and sprinkle with the rest of the seasoning. Bake in the oven for 16-18 minutes. Cover with foil and rest for 10 minutes, then serve.