Should you cover chicken breasts before bake them?

* Dry heat cooking: Baking is a dry heat cooking method, and covering the chicken traps moisture. This can lead to the chicken steaming instead of browning and getting crispy.

* Uneven cooking: Covering chicken can also prevent heat from circulating evenly, resulting in unevenly cooked chicken.

* Soggy skin: Covering chicken can make the skin soggy and less appealing.

However, there are a few exceptions where covering might be beneficial:

* Smaller chicken breasts: For smaller chicken breasts, covering them for the first part of the baking time can help them cook more evenly.

* Preventing over-browning: If your oven tends to run hot, covering the chicken for part of the baking time can prevent it from browning too quickly.

General Recommendations:

* Uncover for most of the baking time: Bake chicken breasts uncovered for the majority of the baking time to ensure browning and crispy skin.

* Cover for the last few minutes: If you want to keep the chicken moist, you can cover it for the last 5-10 minutes of baking.

Tips for crispy chicken skin:

* Pat chicken dry: Before baking, thoroughly pat the chicken dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture.

* High temperature: Bake chicken breasts at a higher temperature (400°F or higher) for crispier skin.

* Avoid overcrowding: Don't overcrowd the baking sheet. Give the chicken breasts space to brown evenly.

By following these recommendations, you can ensure your chicken breasts bake perfectly, with crispy skin and juicy meat.