Direction
1-Brine the chicken. For a long brine, mix room temperature water with the salt. Submerge the chicken breasts for 4-8 hours and store in the refrigerator. For a quick brine instead, mix warm water with the salt and submerge the breasts for 15-30 minutes, unrefrigerated.
2-Preheat your oven to 450°F and remove the chicken from the water. Pat it completely dry with a couple of paper towels and place the chicken in an oven safe baking dish.
3-Brush the chicken with the melted butter on both sides and coat with the spices.
4-Bake the chicken for 15-20 minutes, depending on the size of your pieces, until a thermometer stuck in the center reaches 170°F. The government recommends 170°F in order to kill off any salmonella bacteria but I find that really moist chicken occurs between 160-170°F. If your chicken was brined in the refrigerator for a long time they may take closer to 35-45 minutes as they are starting out much colder. If you take them out and they are not yet ready return them to the oven until the thermometer registers 170°F.
5-Remove the chicken from the oven and allow it to rest. This is a must for moist chicken. Cut into it now and all the juices will escape! Let the chicken sit for 5 minutes for small cuts, 10 minutes for large ones. Serve after the resting period.
Here’s a great chicken breast recipe to try out tonight!
Source: Tiphero.com
