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Roasted Garlic Pepper Split Chicken Breasts

This recipe for Roasted Garlic Pepper Split Chicken Breasts is really a “how to” tutorial for making juicy baked chicken in the oven. We’re all trying to stretch our dollars these days, and one of the best ways to do that is to shop the weekly sale items.  My family enjoys chicken as an ingredient in almost any dish that I make, so, when I see split chicken breasts on sale, I really stock my freezer.
Roasted Garlic Pepper Split Chicken Breasts

Roasted Garlic Pepper Split Chicken Breasts

I think at times, people shy away from this item, because they’re not really sure how to prepare them, or they think it’s too time consuming.  This recipe is a simple tutorial on how to prepare moist and flavorful chicken that can be eaten as is, shredded for Mexican dishes, chopped and eaten on a salad, or cut into chunks and used in a casserole.  The possibilities are endless.

Ingredients You’ll Need to Make Roasted Garlic Pepper Split Chicken Breasts

  • 4 lbs split chicken breasts skin intact [approximately]
  • garlic salt
  • fresh cracked black pepper
  • olive oil for drizzling

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375°F.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.  Spray the aluminum foil with cooking spray.  Rinse and pat dry the chicken breasts and place onto the baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil, and season liberally with garlic salt and freshly ground black pepper.

chicken breasts on a pan

Place the chicken into the oven and set the timer for 35-40 minutes depending on the weight of your chicken.  My chicken breasts were just under 4 pounds and they were perfectly done in 38 minutes.  If the weight of your chicken is less than 4 pounds or greater than 4 pounds, you’ll need to adjust your cooking time accordingly.  Also, take into consideration that oven temperatures vary.  I would recommend adjusting in 5 minute increments to be safe.  The recommendation is, to cook chicken to an internal temperature of around 165°F or until the juices run clear.

baked chicken breasts
When the chicken is done, remove it from the oven and place a loose piece of aluminum foil over the chicken breasts to tent them. This is an important step, this allows the escaped juices to reabsorb into the meat making it tender and flavorful.
tent baked chicken with foil

After resting 15 minutes,  move the chicken to a cutting board.  Using a sharp knife, cut along the bone and remove the chicken breast meat in one large piece.  Some of the chicken will be left on the bone, this can very simply be removed by using your clean hands.

Roasted Garlic Pepper Split Chicken Breasts

Repeat this process with all of the chicken breasts.  I like to leave the skin on the chicken, until I’m ready to use it in a casserole, make chicken salad, enchiladas, tacos or whatever else my heart can dream up! By waiting to remove the skin, this helps to keep the moisture and flavor inside of the chicken.  Cover tightly and store in the refrigerator.  Yield:  Approximately 3 pounds of roasted white meat chicken.

For Lemon-Thyme Baked Chicken Breasts

Drizzle with olive oil then sprinkle lightly with garlic salt and lemon pepper.  Tuck fresh lemon slices under the skin along with sprigs of  fresh thyme.  To prevent over browning the fresh thyme, tuck it under the skin.  Bake accordingly. 

chicken breasts with thyme

Cook’s note:
You can find more information about food safety at https://www.foodsafety.gov/.

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Roasted Garlic Pepper Split Chicken Breasts
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5 from 1 vote

Roasted Garlic Pepper Split Chicken Breasts

Prep Time6 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Resting time5 minutes
Total Time51 minutes
Course: Main Course, Poultry
Cuisine: American
Keyword: garlic-pepper-chicken-breasts, roasted-split-chicken-breasts
Servings: 4 servings (may vary)
Calories: 624kcal
Author: Melissa Sperka

Ingredients

  • 4 lbs split chicken breasts skin intact [approximately]
  • garlic salt
  • fresh cracked black pepper
  • olive oil for drizzling

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spray the aluminum foil with cooking spray.
  • Rinse and pat dry the chicken breasts and place onto the baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, and season liberally with garlic salt and freshly ground black pepper.
  • Place the chicken into the oven and set the timer for 35-40 minutes depending on the weight of your chicken. These chicken breasts were just under 4 pounds and they were perfectly done in 38 minutes. If the weight of your chicken is less than 4 pounds or greater than 4 pounds, you'll need to adjust your cooking time accordingly.
  • Adjust in 5 minute increments to be safe. The recommendation is, to cook chicken to an internal temperature of around 165°F or until the juices run clear.
  • Remove from the oven and place a loose piece of aluminum foil over the chicken breasts to tent them. This is an important step, this allows the escaped juices to reabsorb into the meat making it tender and flavorful.
  • After resting 15 minutes, move the chicken to a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, cut along the bone and remove the chicken breast meat in one large piece.
  • Some of the chicken will be left on the bone, this can very simply be removed by using your clean hands.
  • Cover tightly and store in the refrigerator.
  • For a Lemon-Thyme variation: Drizzle with olive oil then sprinkle lightly with garlic salt and lemon pepper.
  • Tuck fresh lemon slices under the skin along with sprigs of fresh thyme. To prevent over browning the fresh thyme, tuck it under the skin
  • Bake accordingly.

Nutrition

Serving: 1lb | Calories: 624kcal | Protein: 76g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 232mg | Sodium: 229mg | Potassium: 798mg | Vitamin A: 301IU | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @melissassk or tag #melissassk!

 

3 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I made mine with a homemade version of the spice called Montreal Chicken seasoning…. it came out so delicious! Thank you for the how to on split chicken breasts. I’ve made them before but they never come out as juicy as I intend. This was a perfect method. Thanks again.

  2. What a delicious and eSy recipe for anyone cooking at home, even first-timers! The only thing I did differently was loosen the skin and run a little oil between the skin and the meat with my finger, and instead of drizzling the outside I rubbed it along the skin as well. Then toward the end I turned my oven to a broil for a few extra minutes. I like a really crispy skin!!! Haha

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