Bone-in chicken breast recipes give you juicy, savory, tender chicken because the bone and skin protect the meat while it cooks. I rounded up 25 favorites from fellow food creators and sorted them by method; air fryer, oven, slow cooker, Instant Pot, stovetop, and grill.
Before you pick one, read my quick how-to below so your split breasts come out right no matter which recipe you choose. If you have a mix of cuts in the freezer, my chicken quarter recipes and easy crockpot chicken breast recipes are great places to look next.
Depending on the chicken recipe, sometimes boneless skinless chicken breasts can be dry and tough. You also will want to try my collection of chicken quarter recipes and this authentic Jamaican jerk chicken. Chicken can be made in so many delicious flavors!
How to Cook Bone-In Chicken Breast So It Stays Juicy
Step 1: Pat dry and salt early. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season with kosher salt at least 1 hour ahead, or overnight uncovered in the fridge. The salt seasons the meat all the way through and dries the skin so it crisps.
Step 2: Do not rinse raw chicken. Rinsing splashes bacteria around your sink; the oven takes care of it. Wash your hands, cutting board, and knife with hot soapy water after handling.
Step 3: Roast hot and uncovered. I roast split breasts skin side up at 400F to 425F on a rimmed sheet pan. Covering traps steam, and you end up with pale, rubbery skin.
Step 4: Plan for 35 to 45 minutes. A large 14-ounce breast takes longer than a 10-ounce one, so let the thermometer decide instead of the clock.
Step 5: Temp it the right way. Insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the breast without touching the bone. The bone throws off the reading. Chicken is safe to eat at 165F.
Step 6: Rest 5 to 10 minutes. Resting lets the juices settle back into the meat, so they stay in the chicken instead of running all over your cutting board.
Air Fryer Bone-In Chicken Breast
Air fryer bone-in chicken breast recipes are perfect when you want crispy skin and juicy meat with minimal effort. These recipes use simple seasonings and pantry staples so even a beginner cook can make flavorful chicken in under 30 minutes.
1. Air Fryer BBQ Chicken
Easily use your air fryer to make this tasty BBQ bone-in chicken breast! It comes out quick, crispy, juicy, and flavorful straight out the air fryer basket. All you need to season and flavor is kosher salt, pepper, and your favorite BBQ sauce.
2. Air Fryer With All Purpose Seasoning
This simple air fried chicken, seasoned with all purpose spices, is definitely a winning meal. It's ready in less than 30 minutes and perfectly paired with your favorite side dish. You can utilize this recipe for a healthy family dinner, meal prep, and even dinner parties.
3. AIP Air Fryer Breast
Chicken in the air fryer comes out marvelous and juicy and full of flavor every single time. Plus this one is AIP, paleo and Whole30 compliant. You will love the fresh flavors of lemon, garlic, thyme, olive oil, and sea salt.
Oven Baked Split Chicken Breast Recipe
Oven-baked bone-in chicken breast recipes are ideal when you want hands-off cooking with big flavor. These split chicken breast dinners roast up with crispy skin, juicy meat, and plenty of pan juices you can spoon over rice, potatoes, or vegetables.
Add some spice with a jerk seasoning or keep it classic with a lemon herb marinade. With so many options, you'll never get bored of this delicious and healthy protein source.
4. Garlic Soy Roasted With Mushrooms
This roasted garlic soy mushrooms recipe is quick, delicious, and the perfect way to make chicken. So gather up 4 lbs bone-in split breasts, baby bella mushrooms, butter, soy sauce, garlic, oregano, and crushed red peppers and get to cookin'.
5. Lemon Herb Chicken Rice Pilaf
This lemon herb poultry with rice pilaf is crispy on the outside and tender, juicy and flavorful on the inside. This game-changing recipe is easy and fantastic for entertaining or just a nutritious ,easy dinner.
6. Baked Bone In Chicken And Potatoes
Oven baked chicken and potatoes is one dinner the whole family will love. Bone in chicken recipes do take a bit longer to cook but it's well worth it. Serve it with steamed vegetables, a salad, or even soup!
7. Corn Meal Crusted Chicken
The cornmeal crust of this baked chicken is so delicious because it's mixed with fresh Rosemary. It will cook to a golden brown perfection yet still remain juicy and tender inside.
8. Bone In Chicken Ditalini Soup
Just because you're making soup doesn't mean you shouldn't utilize juicy bone-in chicken breast! This healthy low sodium broth is packed with tasty carrots and celery too. Other ingredients needed include: onions, canola oil, parsley, salt, pepper, and ditalini pasta.
9. Oven BBQ Chicken
This BBQ sauce recipe is made from scratch with mouthwatering flavors! It's the perfect addition to crispy tender poultry baked to perfection. Serve up with a side of mashed potatoes and some biscuits. This is one of my FAVORITE bone-in breast recipes with sauce.
10. Oven Roasted Bone-In Chicken Breast & Potatoes
It's time to bust out your favorite sheet pan, chicken, potatoes, and Chimichurri! Chimichurri is an Argentinian sauce that's popular in South America. It's an uncooked sauce/ marinade composed of fresh herbs, olive oil, garlic, and vinegar. Don't forget to use aluminum foil or parchment paper on your rimmed baking sheet for easier clean up.
11. Brined Herb Bone In Chicken Breasts
The only thing tastier than a classic bone in chicken breast recipe is one that's also brined! The easy brine is what makes this poultry so amazing. All you need is garlic, rosemary, thyme, lemon, salt, pepper, warm, water and sugar.
12. Roasted Rosemary Breast & Gravy
Oven roasted Rosemary chicken with gravy can't be beat! With only 10 minutes of prep time and 45 minutes of cook time it's ready to serve in less than an hour. It's the perfect dish for company too.
13. Roasted Chicken Breast with Crispy Chicken Skin
Never bake dry bland split chicken breast again with bone in, skin on roasted breast meat recipes! Like this one with a high cooking temperature and an elevated rack you can't go wrong. Simply serve it up by slicing it off the bone and fanning out on the plate.
Split Chicken Breasts in the Crock Pot
Slow cooker bone-in chicken breast recipes are all about easy comfort food. Just add your chicken breasts and a few ingredients to the crock pot in the morning and come home to tender, fall-off-the-bone meat that's great over rice, pasta, or with a simple veggie side.
14. Crock Pot Balsamic Chicken
When you have the time to do it, slow cooking your poultry is well worth the wait. This balsamic breast only needs 5 minutes of prep and super easy ingredients. You can just transfer everything in your crock-pot before work and come home to a comforting dinner.
15. Slow Cooker Chicken Casserole
Stuffing is my favorite recipe during the holidays and we should normalize making it more often! Like this crockpot casserole with creamy sauce and stuffing mix! It's super tasty and the kids love it too!
Whole Chicken Breast Bone-In Recipes (Instant Pot)
Instant Pot bone-in chicken breast recipes give you the best of both worlds: fast cook times and juicy results. These pressure cooker meals layer in bold flavors like Marsala wine or curry spices while keeping the chicken moist, tender, and perfect for spooning sauce over mashed potatoes, rice, or noodles.
16. Instant Pot Chicken Marsala
If you are looking to change up your weekly meal rotation, this chicken Marsala is the one to try. It's great for a busy weeknight but also still really flavorful. You certainly won't be disappointed with these classic Italian flavors.
17. Instant Pot Chicken Curry
This chicken curry will instantly become your new favorite family dish. If you've never had curry this bone-in recipe is the one to start with. The flavors will knock your socks off plus this particular recipe is actually really healthy. This is one of the BEST chicken breast with bone recipes I have made recently!
18. Stuffed Balsamic Chicken Breast
When you butterfly and stuff these baked bone-in chicken breasts you end up with a mouthwatering recipe. Packed with cheese, tomatoes and sweet basil and then cooked in a sweet balsamic vinegar.
Stove Top Bone In Chicken Recipes
Stovetop bone-in chicken breast recipes are great when you want everything cooked in one pot. You'll build flavor right in the pan with spices, beans, and vegetables so you end up with a complete meal and succulent chicken without turning on the oven.
19. One Pot Sazon Chicken & Black Beans
Sazon chicken with black beans is the bright vibrant one pot meal you have to cook for the family! Use bone-in skin-on chicken breasts and Sazon, a Hispanic spice mix of coriander, cumin, achiote, garlic powder, oregano, salt & black pepper and once you taste this dish it will become your new go-to seasoning.
20. One Pan Chicken With Vegetables
With vegetables like sweet potatoes, Yukon golds, bell peppers, onions, and Brussels sprouts this one pan meal has everything you need and love. This cooking method infuses the chicken meat and veggies making them absolutely delectable! You might want to make extra portions because this one will get gobbled up quickly!
21. Boiled Bone In Chicken Breast for Shredded Chicken
Boiling some bone-in chicken breast is the perfect way to set yourself up for meal time success! That's because you can incorporate it in so many ways. Shredded chicken, diced, sliced, it's great for dips, soups, chicken salad, tacos, and so much more.
23. Southern Stewed Tender Chicken
If you're looking for your new favorite dinner to make this fall or winter, southern stewed chicken is where it's at. While it's not a 'quick' meal, it's one that's well worth the wait. Low and slow will have this poultry melting right off of the bone!
Grilled Bone-In Chicken Recipes
Grilled bone-in chicken breast recipes are a delicious way to get smoky, crispy skin and juicy meat at the same time. These dishes are great for warm-weather dinners or cookouts and pair perfectly with simple sides like pasta salad, grilled vegetables, or corn on the cob.
24. Grilled Chicken Pesto Pasta
These grilled chicken breasts have a crispy skin, are healthy, flavorful, juicy, tender, and so tasty. Quick to make and serve up with potatoes, vegetables or any side of choice. All you need is 2 chicken breasts, olive oil, spices, farfalle pasta, pesto, tomato, basil, and Parmesan!
25. Cornell Chicken Barbecue
Cornell quarter chicken on the gas grill is one of my favorite way to make poultry recipes because it is so tasty. So gather up your oil, vinegar, eggs, and seasoning and get to your grill!
Frequently asked questions, answers and tips:
Is it better to bake bone-in chicken breast at 350F or 400F?
400F. The higher heat renders the fat under the skin and gets it crispy before the meat dries out. At 350F you are looking at closer to an hour, and the skin stays soft.
Do I cover bone-in chicken breast when baking?
No. Leave it uncovered so the skin crisps. The only time I tent with foil is when the skin is browning faster than the inside is cooking.
Can I use boneless chicken breasts in these recipes?
Yes, but the cook time drops a lot, to roughly 18 to 25 minutes in the oven. Start checking early and still pull them at 165F.
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Chef Tip
Save the leftover bones to make homemade chicken broth.
I am Sarah Mock. Welcome!
Sarah Mock is a classically trained Chef and a graduate of Johnson & Wales University. A culinary blogger for 17 years, Sarah helps the home cook prepare her recipes with professional results.
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