One Simple Trick Prevents Your Frozen Chicken Breasts From Becoming Dry In The Oven

It's generally recommended to thaw frozen chicken before cooking to ensure it cooks through evenly. However, we've all been there, standing in front of the fridge pondering what we can scrounge up for dinner since we forgot to take the meat out of the freezer. The good news is, while thawing might be preferred, the USDA confirms that it's perfectly fine and safe to cook meat and poultry from frozen. The downside is, it takes significantly longer to cook frozen meat (about one and a half times longer) than it takes to cook defrosted meat. Luckily, when it comes to baking chicken breasts — which easily dry out in the oven — there is a simple hack for making sure they stay juicy: just add sauce.

Coating the chicken in a flavorful sauce will not only produce a tasty result but will add much-needed moisture to the bird, keeping it tender and juicy as it bakes in the dry heat of the oven. An ideal sauce or marinade to brush on your chicken includes some type of fat to act a moisture barrier for the meat, effectively preventing it from drying out. Popular choices are mayonnaise, olive oil, or butter. Brush the chicken breasts with olive oil and herbs like rosemary and thyme for a flavorful and fragrant, succulent chicken dinner. Or, coat them in mayo, garlic, lemon, and paprika, for savory, slightly tangy, tender chicken. To turn up the tanginess, add the pro-chef approved condiment you need for great baked chicken.

When baking frozen chicken, follow a few tips to ensure you never suffer dry baked chicken again. For one, consider the size of the chicken. Larger pieces will take longer to bake and risk drying out further, therefore, if possible, aim for small to medium-sized chicken breasts. Moreover, make sure to separate any pieces that are stuck together so that the individual chicken breasts will cook thoroughly. 

Secondly, while you have to increase the cooking time for frozen chicken breasts, you can set your oven to the same temperature as you would for thawed chicken. Just make sure to monitor it and check the internal temperature to avoid over- or under-cooking the meat. Alternatively, some suggest cooking frozen chicken at a slightly lower temperature than thawed chicken to compensate for the longer cooking time. Either way, it's best to use a thermometer like the ThermoPro Digital Meat Thermometer or the Escali Oven Safe Meat Thermometer to verify the exact temperature of your chicken. According to USDA guidelines, poultry should be cooked to a minimum of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

Another way to keep your frozen chicken tender is to try the parchment paper trick for perfectly baked chicken every time. This method involves covering the chicken (after it's been brushed with a sauce) with an oiled or buttered sheet of parchment paper. The parchment paper acts as a tent that traps the moisture in the baking dish, resulting in extra juicy chicken.