21 Best Healthy Baked Chicken Recipes for Weight Loss
There are certainly a lot of different ways you can cook chicken. There's grilling, pan-frying, slow-cooking, and so much more. But none can beat the simplicity of baking chicken right in the oven, which is why we decided to round up our favorite baked chicken recipes that you can easily make at home. Instead of standing in the kitchen cooking for hours, let the oven do all the work for you!
From chicken parmesan to oven-fried chicken, here are our favorite baked chicken recipes you can try making this week. Plus, don't miss 20 Old-Fashioned Chicken Recipes To Make Tonight.
Tandoori Chicken
Marinated in yogurt and spices overnight, the chicken legs roast up to the tasty tandoori flavor you're used to. And you don't need to invest in a tandoor oven to mimic the traditional result. Just pop this chicken in the oven and get ready for a tasty meal.
Get our recipe for Tandoori Chicken.
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Chicken Parm with Spinach
We coat the bird in Japanese-style bread crumbs (which crisp up better than the standard variety) and then bake it until golden brown, a move that saves you the hassle (and the unwanted fat) of frying at home.
Get our recipe for Chicken Parm with Spinach.
Mediterranean-inspired Baked Chicken with Tomatoes and Capers
This baked chicken recipe will have you roasting the meat with tomatoes and capers, then olive oil bastes the chicken in a savory broth; this will keep the meat moist and ultimately provide it with both a chunky, textured topping and an intensely satisfying sauce to pour all over the top.
Get our recipe for Mediterranean-inspired Baked Chicken with Tomatoes and Capers.
Oven-Fried Chicken
First, the chicken is brined in buttermilk and hot sauce, then it's coated in bread crumbs that have been tossed in a gentle amount of oil. The result? The juiciest, crispiest oven-fried chicken ever.
Get our recipe for Oven-Fried Chicken.
Roast Chicken with Root Vegetables
This roast chicken recipe produces an incomparably moist bird, simple enough to make on a weeknight.
Get our recipe for Roast Chicken with Root Vegetables.
Stuffed Chicken
The cheesy restaurant chicken dish (one likely to involve bacon and ranch dressing as well) will ruin any shot you have at a good day of eating. Apply those same appealing flavors at home to crispy stuffed chicken breast, though, and you'll escape unscathed.
Get our recipe for Stuffed Chicken.
Pesto Chicken
This is one of the easiest baked chicken recipes you can possibly make! You can chop the salad while the chicken bakes, and the whole recipe only requires one cooking pan. And any recipe that calls for less prep and cleanup time is a win in our book.
Get our recipe for Pesto Chicken.
Margarita Chicken
Our version of margarita chicken, a meal that you can have on the table in 20 minutes, contains all the same bells and whistles (Cheese! Salsa! Sizzle!), minus all the added calories and dollars spent on eating at a restaurant.
Get our recipe for Margarita Chicken.
Chicken Cordon Bleu with Honey Mustard
Normally, this chicken cordon bleu recipe is stuffed, breaded, then deep-fried into submission, but our testing found that a high-heat oven provides all the crunch we want without all the calories we don't.
Get our recipe for Chicken Cordon Bleu with Honey Mustard.
Smoky Paprika Roast Chicken with Savory Green Beans
You'll want to admire this bird when it comes out of the oven, with its crispy golden-brown skin flecked with specks of burnt umber from the smoked paprika. This dish delivers a satisfying old-world flavor, reminiscent of a time when fat was used to flavor everything. The green beans are so savory from the butter and cottage bacon, you'll hope you've made enough for a second night of leftovers.
Get our recipe for Smoky Paprika Roast Chicken with Savory Green Beans.
Chicken Kababs with Celeriac Rice
These Whole30 chicken kababs are a simple, quick, and easy meal to prep ahead, and make for an ideal lunch or dinner when you're pressed for time. We recommend serving them over a bed of celeriac "rice" for a truly clean, gluten- and grain-free bowl.
Get our recipe for Chicken Kababs with Celeriac Rice.
Popcorn Chicken with Spicy Chipotle Aioli
This ultra crunchy oven-baked chicken recipe begins and ends with a very special, keto breaded crust. We use almond flour, chopped almonds, and a flaky spelt cereal to create a unique crunchy combo that adheres beautifully to little pieces of chicken. While many traditional crunchy chicken recipes use corn flakes, spelt flakes are lower in carbs and provide a toasted, nutty flavor.
Get our recipe for Popcorn Chicken with Spicy Chipotle Aioli.
5-Ingredient BBQ Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner
You simply place the ingredients on the pan, add whatever sauces and seasonings are needed, and roast in the oven at 400 degrees.
Get our recipe for 5-Ingredient BBQ Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner.
Buffalo Chicken
While a basket of wings from the pub sounds like an ideal meal to have, you don't have to always head out to get crispy buffalo chicken! This buffalo chicken recipe will teach you how to get that same delicious taste by making them right at home.
Get our recipe for Buffalo Chicken.
Oven-Baked Chicken Fingers With Chipotle-Honey Mustard
Our sweet and spicy sauce kicks the taste up a notch, too, so you'll get a satisfying crunch from the panko bread crumbs, plus a mouthful of flavor.
Get our recipe for Oven-Baked Chicken Fingers With Chipotle-Honey Mustard.
Red Chile Chicken Enchiladas
Use up leftover chicken and bake these enchiladas! You can play with the filling as you see fit, but this is truly the road map for true enchilada success.
Get our recipe for Red Chile Chicken Enchiladas.
Chicken Pot Pie
We clear out the artery-clogging fats, cut the calories by more than half, and deliver an easy chicken pot pie recipe you're bound to love.
Get our recipe for Chicken Pot Pie.
Chicken and Black Bean Nachos
This version ensures that every chip is evenly covered with protein-packed chicken and fiber-rich beans, plus enough salsa and lime-spiked sour cream to keep your mouth watering. Don't worry, we've got plenty of shredded Monterey Jack cheese melted on top to keep you satisfied. A nacho is not a nacho without cheese, after all.
Get our recipe for Chicken and Black Bean Nachos.
Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
Looking for an easy family dinner to throw together for a quick meal? Well, this chicken fajitas recipe is it!
Get our recipe for Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas.
Chicken Sausage Lasagna
Yes, chicken sausage does count in our list of baked chicken recipes! This version of the chicken lasagna recipe represents the best of both worlds, blending the cheesy, tomatoey comfort of the American version with the meatiness and relative healthfulness of the Italian take. Perfect for large dinner parties and for freezing. The only thing better than lasagna? Leftover lasagna.
Get our recipe for Chicken Sausage Lasagna.
Barbecue Chicken Pizza
As good as California Pizza Kitchen's BBQ Chicken Pizza may be, we're confident our barbecue chicken pizza recipe is even better. Plus, it's cheaper to make at home and has just a third of the calories.
Get our recipe for Barbecue Chicken Pizza.
As you can see, your oven can help cook up a variety of dishes that the whole family will love. Go beyond basic baked chicken and try the pizza, enchiladas, lasagna, and more.
A previous version of this article was originally published on March 24, 2020.
