Name: Easy 20-Minute Baked Smoky Chicken Breast
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 teaspoon smoked paprika; 1 teaspoon cumin; 1 teaspoon sea salt; 1 teaspoon brown sugar; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; 1 teaspoon chili powder; 1 teaspoon cocoa powder; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 4 large skinless, boneless chicken breasts; Lime wedges

Easy 20-Minute Baked Smoky Chicken Breast

Baked Smoky Chicken Breast! Tender, juicy chicken breasts made with a homemade smoky, savory, and sweet spice rub. It’s the ultimate weeknight dinner recipe. In case you’re new here, hi, my name is Jamie and I love smoky, salty, sweet stuff. Do you? If yes, you’re in the right…

Ready 30 minutes

Serves 4 servings

Prep 10 minutes

Cook 20 minutes

Jump to the recipe

In case you’re new here, hi, my name is Jamie and I love smoky, salty, sweet stuff. Do you? If yes, you’re in the right place!

I made these deliciously juicy, tender smoky chicken breasts using a thrown together spice rub which was honestly SO GOOD.

If you’ve gotten bored with your meal prep or with chicken in general, this recipe is for you!

Coming from a Cuban household, chicken breasts were always a no-go (unless it was fried or pan-seared with lots of oil) because it’s so dry and boring.

I, however, was always a fan.

Some people I know would tell me “HOW do you like chicken? It doesn’t taste like anything!” And to that I say – it’s because you don’t know how to season your chicken. Plain and simple.

How To Make Smoky Spice Rub for Chicken Breast

This simple-to-make spice rub for chicken consists of:

smoked paprika
cumin
sea salt
brown sugar
garlic powder
chili powder
cocoa powder

I know right!? YUM!

What does it taste like? It’s smoky, savory with a touch of sweet. Add a squeeze of lime of top and hello, it’s the perfect way to elevate a boring, bland chicken breast. It’s the ultimate weeknight dinner! Pair it with avocado cucumber salad or tostones and rice.

Tender, juicy chicken breasts made with a homemade smoky, savory and sweet spice rub. It's the ultimate weeknight dinner recipe!

In the recipe below, I share two ways to make chicken breasts. Choose your own adventure!

Recommended For This Recipe

Deep Fry Pan

This large, hard anodized, nonstick pan makes frying easy and makes cleanup a breeze. Highly recommend!

How To Cook Chicken Breast In The Oven

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake chicken breasts for 15-20 minutes or until fully cooked. You can use a thermometer to read the internal temperature; it has to be at least 165 degrees.

How to Cook Chicken Breast On the Stove

This method of cooking chicken is on the stove. It results in tender, juicy chicken breasts. It’s my fave method!

In a skillet with a lid, heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the chicken breasts to the skillet and cook for 1 minute on each side.
Turn the heat down to low, cover the skillet and cook chicken breasts for another 10 minutes, undisturbed.
After 10 minutes, remove from heat. KEEP THE LID ON for another 10 minutes. Allow the chicken breasts to continue to cook with the residual heat.
After the full 20 minutes, remove the lid and transfer the cooked chicken breasts to a plate.