I stole this recipe for The Very Best Baked Chicken from Thesuburbansoapbox.com. This delicious chicken recipe gets its flavor from a dry rub. A dry rub spice mixture is made of paprika, thyme, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, onion powder, salt, pepper, chili powder and brown sugar. Then the chicken is rubbed with the spices and marinated for 30 minutes. A pat of butter is placed on top of each chicken piece before baking. The spices blend together is make this baked chicken recipe extra tasty!

Did you know? Spices are the pungent or aromatic seasonings obtained from the bark, buds, fruit, roots, seeds or stems of various pants and trees. They were prized long before recorded history. A spice could be used for crowning emperors, making medicines and perfumes, religious ceremonies and as burial accoutrements for the wealthy.¹ (see more trivia in the Trivia tab)

In a medium bowl, add together ¼ cup brown sugar, 3 tbsp paprika, 1 tsp cayenne pepper, ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper. Also add in 1 tbsp each chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder and thyme.

Then whisk the spices and brown sugar together.

Place 4 chicken breasts (whole or cut in halves) in a large zip top bag and pour the seasoning over the chicken, shake the chicken to coat. Transfer the chicken to the refrigerator and marinate 30 minutes or up to 24 hours. Then preheat oven to 425 F. Remove chicken from bag and arrange on a baking sheet lined with foil.

Next, place 1 tbsp of butter on top of each chicken breast.

Bake the chicken in the oven 20-30 minutes or until thermometer shows 165 F. If using 5 oz pieces bake 14-16 minutes.

Remove chicken from oven. Then cover with foil. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before serving.

If you liked The Very Best Baked Chicken you can try other baked chicken recipes like Honey Pecan Crusted Chicken, Pretzel Chicken Dippers (which you can make as whole chicken pieces instead of nuggets) or Herb Chicken with Honey Butter.

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The Very Best Baked Chicken

This delicious chicken recipe gets its flavor from a dry rub. A dry rub spice mixture is made of paprika, thyme, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, onion powder, salt, pepper, chili powder and brown sugar. The chicken is rubbed with the spices and marinated for 30 minutes. A pat of butter is placed on top of each chicken piece before baking.

Course Entree

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Resting Time 10 minutes

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 3 tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp onion powder
• 1 tbsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper optional
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• ½ tsp ground black pepper
• 4 whole chicken breasts boneless, skinless
• ¼ cup butter

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper.
2. Place the chicken in a large zip top bag and pour the seasoning over the chicken, shake the chicken to coat.
3. Transfer the chicken to the refrigerator and marinate 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.
4. Preheat oven to 425 F.
5. Remove chicken from bag and arrange on a baking sheet lined with foil. Place 1 tbsp of butter on top of each chicken breast.
6. Bake chicken in the oven 20-30 minutes or until thermometer shows 165 F.
7. Remove chicken from oven. Cover with foil. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe Notes

If using 5 oz pieces bake 14-16 minutes, 8 oz pieces bake 16-20 minutes or 10-12 oz pieces bake 20-30 minutes.