13 Ultra-Easy Baked Chicken Recipes That Work Great for Meal Prep

updated Aug 4, 2022
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Baked chicken is practically ready-made for meal prep. Baking is a forgiving method, so it’s easier to keep the chicken moist while cooking everything evenly. It’s also great for making a lot in bulk — the only limit is the size of your oven. Plus it pairs very well with a variety of roasted vegetables or cooked grains — other foods you can make in bulk.

Baked chicken is easy to portion out into individual containers for the week, and can be quickly warmed back up in a microwave or in an oven on low heat, but it’s also pretty delicious cold, if your lunch setup doesn’t make heating food easy.

But there’s far more to baked chicken than mildly seasoned skinless breasts. If you’re looking to switch up your weekly regimen, try one (or several) of these 13 baked chicken recipes. They’re all about ease — even the breaded versions have minimal ingredients and take little time to get into the oven, so they’re not difficult to scale up. Simply increase the amount to cover the number of servings you need for the week.

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How To Bake Crispy, Juicy Chicken in the Oven
This basic how-to guide will show you the steps for breading a chicken for oven baking. Then you can riff on the basic technique for making favorites like chicken Parmesan (below) or tenders.
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Baked Parmesan-Crusted Chicken
An upgrade to the previous recipe, Parmesan cheese acts as both a seasoning and an adhesive for getting these baked chicken cutlets crisp.
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Baked Ranch Chicken
Imagine crispy breaded chicken cutlets with all of the flavor of ranch dipping sauce. Now stop dreaming, because these chicken breasts are precisely that.
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Spinach-Artichoke Baked Chicken
Boneless chicken breasts are topped with a creamy, cheesy spread inspired by spinach-artichoke for the ultimate family-friendly comfort food.
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30-Minute Spatchcock Chicken and Vegetables
Spatchcocking is a technique for splitting a chicken down the back bone so it can lay flat while baking or roasting and cook faster in the process. You just need a sharp pair of kitchen shears for spatchcocking and a little bravado. After that, the cooked chicken can be separated into breasts, thighs, drumsticks, and wings — making several meals.
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3-Ingredient Oven-Baked Cajun Chicken Breasts
If boneless breasts are your thing, here's a really good recipe for adding lots of flavor with simple seasonings that also work to keep the chicken juicy.
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Sweet and Spicy Baked Chicken Nuggets
Baked nuggets are ingenious. By cutting the chicken into bite-sized pieces you can cook them quicker and more evenly, and the bites can be used a variety of ways throughout the week. Plus you can cook a ton of chicken relatively quickly without the effort (or unhealthiness) of deep-frying.
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Baked Chicken and Veggies
Sheet pan recipes are a meal prepper's ideal. Again, this uses the quick-cooking trick of cutting up chicken, which also lets you roast vegetables at the same time. Complete the meals with a little brown rice or another grain.
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Sheet Pan Chicken Souvlaki
The lemon and herbs in this delicious dish will have you looking forward to meals all week long. Thighs are wonderful for baking because the low, slow heat gets their skin golden and makes the meat extra tender. And the peppers and potatoes are a delicious, hearty side.
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Chicken and Wild Rice Bake
This chicken bake with wild rice, mushrooms, and onions is actually perfect for dinner prep. The ingredients can be easily portioned out ahead of time and refrigerated — or frozen, if you won't be eating it this week. When you get home, simply mix it all together and let it bake, largely unattended.
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Baked Chicken with Pan Gravy
This classic baked chicken from Carla Hall gets a ton of seasoning before cooking, which not only flavors the meat but also makes for an incredible pan gravy — which you can then spoon over each portion as you pack it up, ensuring everything stays extra juicy.
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3-Ingredient Baked Caesar Chicken
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are smothered in your favorite creamy Caesar dressing and baked until golden, then showered with snowy Parmesan before heading under the broiler to get nice and bubbly.
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