There was a time when I thought chicken breasts were dull and boring, but I changed my way of looking at them. Instead of thinking of chicken breasts as the main component of a recipe, now I view chicken breasts as the vehicle for flavor in a dish.
This BBQ cheddar baked chicken is a filling dish in which chicken breast is used as the base that carries the tangy BBQ sauce, cheddar cheese, zesty red onions, and cilantro right to your taste buds.
I am a huge fan of chicken breasts used in such a way that way.
If you are also a fan of it, let’s make it with Apronese and enjoy
Tips for Baking Chicken Breast
The key to successfully baking chicken breast is to have a little know-how about the process. The following pointers will help you avoid overcooking or overdried chicken breasts:
- In order to properly cook your chicken breasts, you need to adjust the cooking time according to their size. Larger or thicker chicken breasts will require longer cooking times (20-25 minutes), while thinner or smaller chicken breasts will require a shorter cooking time (15-18 minutes).
- If you want to make your chicken breasts more even in thickness, then use a mallet or rolling pin to gently pound the thick end of your breasts with a mallet or rolling pin so that they will cook faster and more evenly.
- To achieve the best results, you should use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the chicken breasts. They should be cooked till they reach 165 degrees Fahrenheit internally. Moreover, the longer you cook the chicken breasts beyond that point, the more likely it will become dry and tough.
- If you would like to ensure that the chicken breast stays juicy after it is cooked, allow it to rest for 5-10 minutes after it has been baked to take advantage of the steam pressure within the meat. When the chicken breast is cut after baking, you will be able to see the juices that have remained in the meat rather than escaping and resulting in dry and tough meat.
Can I Use Bone-In Chicken?
If you use chicken breasts or thighs with bone-in, skin-on, you will have to cook them for a much longer period of time and you may be forced to burn the BBQ sauce because the longer cook times will cause the chicken to become overcooked.
What Kind of BBQ Sauce is Best?
In my opinion, Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce is a good choice for cheap yet delicious BBQ sauces, although I highly recommend you use the BBQ sauce that you prefer the most.
It is important to keep in mind that although just about any flavor of BBQ sauce would work for this dish, I would lean towards something on the savory or smoky side rather than something sweet.
Bbq Cheddar Baked Chicken: What to Serve with It
My BBQ Cheddar Baked Chicken goes very well with mashed potatoes, sweet potato cornbread, parmesan roasted potatoes, summer sweet corn salad, spicy sweet potato fries, or Green Chile Mac and Cheese.
However, I also think it would go well with Cowboy Caviar, Mashed Potatoes, Sweet Potato Cornbread, Parmesan Roasted Potatoes, Sweet Potato Corn Salad, or Sweet Potato Fries.
BBQ Cheddar Baked Chicken
Forget boring or bland baked chicken breasts, this BBQ Cheddar Baked Chicken is going to be the star of your dinner plate.
Author: Beth
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1.3 pounds total) ($7.58)
- 1 tsp smoked paprika ($0.10)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.02)
- 1/4 cup BBQ sauce ($0.13)
- 1 cup shredded cheddar ($0.85)
- 1/4 cup diced red onion ($0.05)
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro ($0.09)
Instructions
- It is recommended that you preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and pound the chicken breasts out first to an even thickness using a mallet or rolling pin so that things come out more evenly. Slice the chicken breasts into four pieces so that they are evenly sized.
- Adding the smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to the mixture and mixing well before adding the chicken to the pan will ensure that the chicken is evenly coated with the seasoning mix.
- Using the baking dish, place each piece of seasoned chicken on top of a tablespoon of BBQ sauce, letting it spread from edge to edge to cover each piece evenly. Once the chicken is covered, you can remove it from the oven.
- There should be about 18 minutes of baking time in the preheated oven at a temperature of 400 degrees Fahrenheit (less for smaller or thinner pieces).
- The chicken should be 165°F inside if you remove it from the oven and top it with shredded cheddar cheese. Put the chicken back in the oven after five minutes and continue to bake for another five minutes, until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches that level.
- I would recommend letting the chicken rest for 5 minutes after it has been baked, and then just before serving I would recommend topping it with diced red onion and chopped cilantro.
Nutritional
Serving: 1 serving ・ Calories: 320 kcal ・ Carbohydrates: 9 g ・ Protein: 39 g ・ Fat: 13 g ・ Sodium: 677 mg ・ Fiber: 1 g
The nutritional values shown here are only estimates. Please see our nutrition disclaimer .
Equipment
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How to Make BBQ Cheddar Baked Chicken – Step by Step Photos
Approximately 1.3 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken breasts are needed for this recipe, so you should use two bones and skins for each breast.
To ensure that your chicken breasts cook evenly and faster, you can gently pound them with a mallet or rolling pin to a more even thickness.
This can help you cook the chicken breasts faster and more evenly. In order to keep everything clean as you pound them, cover them with plastic.
In the sauce dish, combine 1 tbsp smoked paprika, 1/2 tbsp garlic powder, 1/6 tbsp salt, and 1/6 tbsp freshly cracked black pepper.
Make sure all sides of the chicken pieces have all the seasoning, and then sprinkle all of the seasoning over the chicken.
Place the chicken into the sauce dish, seasoning all sides with the seasoning and let it simmer.
For a thinner or smaller piece of chicken, you can spread a small amount of BBQ sauce on the surface of each piece of chicken, then transfer it to a preheated oven preheated to 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 18 minutes (a few minutes less for smaller or thinner pieces of chicken).
During the baking process of the chicken, prepare the toppings. Shred or finely dice about 1 cup cheddar cheese, roughly chop about 1/4 cup red onion, and finely dice about 1/4 cup cilantro.
The chicken should be baked for about 18 minutes before being topped with about a cup of shredded cheese.
The amount of cheese that you use in your chicken recipe should be 1 1/4 cups per piece. Once you have cooked the chicken for another 5 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F, you can remove it from the oven.
In the end, you need to let the chicken rest for about five minutes before you top it with the chopped red onion and cilantro.
Then put it on a plate and enjoy your food, tell Apronese it’s really good. Well, let us know how you feel about this dish in the comments.
