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This baked lemon chicken recipe features juicy and tender chicken breasts marinated in a fresh lemon garlic marinade. It’s quick and easy to prepare, bursting with amazing flavors, and a family favorite. It makes for a great meal on a busy weeknight!
For more delicious and similar chicken recipes, try our fabulous one-pan wonder of lemon garlic chicken thighs, this Mediterranean chicken recipe, or our simple yet perfect easy baked chicken breasts.
It’s always a race back home when I have baked lemon chicken on the menu! This easy, delicious dinner is a family favorite—kind of like my crack chicken recipe. It’s not fancy, but pulling that perfectly cooked chicken out of the oven is like a little victory every time. We toss a few simple ingredients together—lemon, garlic, and some spices—and in goes the chicken to get all golden brown and delicious. It’s just about good food and a fed household, you know?
Why You’ll Love This Lemon Chicken Recipe
Family Favorite Chicken Dinner – The combination of tender, juicy chicken with a lemony marinade is appealing to both adults and children, making it a reliable hit for family meals.
The Best Marinade – The garlic lemon marinade infuses the chicken with bright flavors. This combination of fresh lemon juice and garlic not only adds to the taste but also tenderizes the chicken, so each bite is juicy and flavorful.
Nutritious and Delicious – Using fresh ingredients and spices means this lemon chicken is tasty and good for you! It’s an excellent way to enjoy a flavorful meal without heavy creams or sauces.
Easy – The preparation process makes this an ideal chicken recipe for busy weeknights. It’s simple enough for beginners but tastes like a restaurant-quality meal.
Recipe Ingredients
Put this ingredient list in your pocket and head to the grocery store to prepare this easy lemon chicken recipe tonight. You are going to love the juicy and tender chicken pieces, along with the citrus flavors and savory spices.
- Olive Oil – Avocado oil will also work for a similar mild taste.
- Fresh Lemon Juice – Adds that bright, tangy flavor to the marinade.
- Garlic, Minced – I almost always use fresh garlic cloves, but you could also use 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder here.
- Salt & Black Pepper – To flavor the marinade.
- Dried Thyme & Dried Oregano – Dried herbs contribute a subtle herby flavor to the chicken. Substitute with Italian seasoning. You could also include fresh herbs.
- Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts – For juicier meat, you could try it with boneless, skinless chicken thighs.
- Large Lemon, thinly sliced – Provides a zesty garnish and additional citrus flavor as the chicken bakes.
- For the Spice Rub – You’ll need paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder.
How to Make Baked Lemon Chicken
Ready to master one of my tastiest chicken breast recipes? Great! Follow these steps to make this easy recipe.
- Make the Marinade: Whisk olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, thyme, oregano, and black pepper in a small bowl. Set aside 3 tablespoons in a covered cup and refrigerate.
- Marinate the Chicken: Place chicken breasts in a large resealable bag with the remaining marinade, coat well, and marinate for 30 minutes or refrigerate up to 8 hours.
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350˚F and grease a 9×13 baking dish and line the bottom with lemon slices.
- Remove Chicken from Fridge: Let the marinated chicken sit at room temperature as the oven heats.
- Make the Spice Rub: Mix paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder in a small bowl.
- Prep the Chicken: Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels after removing them from the bag.
- Assemble: Place the chicken over the lemon slices, season with the spice rub, and drizzle with reserved marinade.
- Cook: Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 35 to 40 minutes.
- Serve: Take the dish out of the oven, uncover, and let the chicken rest for several minutes before serving.
Recipe Tips & Variations
- Broil: You can remove the foil-cover a few minutes before the chicken is cooked through and set the chicken under the broiler to get a bit of browning on top.
- Marinate: In order for your chicken to stay juicy and soak up the flavor of the marinade, let it marinate for at least 30 minutes before cooking.
- Use an Instant-Read Thermometer: The best way to check if the chicken is done is to measure its internal temperature with a meat thermometer. Once it registers at 165˚F, it’s perfect!
- Let it Rest: After baking, allow your chicken to rest for a few minutes before slicing. This helps the juices redistribute, so you end up with meat that is moist and flavorful.
- Spicy Kick: For a bit of heat, garnish it with a teaspoon of red pepper flakes or add a dash of cayenne pepper in the spice rub.
- Mediterranean Twist: Incorporate olives, capers, and a sprinkle of feta cheese for a Mediterranean-inspired version of this dish.
Serving Suggestions
There are so many sides that go well with baked chicken. Everyone loves chicken and potatoes, right?! I like to serve this chicken with my crispy parmesan smashed potatoes or these garlic herb grilled potatoes in foil. Keep your dinner nice and healthy by adding a side of easy oven roasted veggies.
If you’re pressed for time or just want to keep things simple, serve it with my fluffy jasmine rice. You could also cut up your lemon chicken and serve it over a salad or over your favorite noodles with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.
How to Store Leftovers
Store the chicken breasts in an airtight container and keep them in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.
More Baked Chicken Breasts Recipes
- Garlic Brown Sugar Baked Chicken Breasts
- Garlic Butter Chicken
- Juicy Oven Baked Chicken Breasts
- Baked Chicken with Mushrooms
- Sheet Pan Garlic Herb Chicken Breasts
ENJOY!
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Baked Lemon Chicken
Ingredients
For the Chicken Marinade
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 1 to 1½ pounds total
- 1 large lemon, thinly sliced
For the Spice Rub
- 1 teaspoon smoked or sweet paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, thyme, oregano, and black pepper. Remove 3 tablespoons of the marinade and set aside in a small cup; cover and refrigerate.
- Pour the remaining marinade into a large resealable bag; add the chicken breasts to the bag. Seal the bag, turn it to coat, and set aside for 30 minutes, or refrigerate for up to 8 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F and lightly grease a baking dish with cooking spray. Arrange lemon slices on the bottom of the baking dish. Set aside. If you don't like a strong lemon flavor, omit the lemon slices.
- Remove the bag with the marinated chicken breasts from the fridge and let it sit on the kitchen counter for 10 to 15 minutes while the oven preheats.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder.
- Remove the chicken breasts from the bag and lightly pat them dry with paper towels. Discard the marinade that's in the bag.
- Season the chicken breasts with the prepared spice rub and arrange the chicken pieces over the lemon slices inside the baking dish.
- Drizzle the reserved marinade over the chicken.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the chicken's internal temperature reaches 165˚F.
- Optionally, remove the foil several minutes before the chicken is cooked through and set it under the broiler to get a bit of browning on top.
- Remove from the oven; remove the foil and let the chicken rest for 5 to 8 minutes before cutting and serving.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
Sounds delicious what side dishes would you suggest. Thank you.
Looks like a tasty dish.
Thank YOU! I hope you enjoyed it! ๐
I have a bad habit of unfolding chicken thighs when cooking for doneness, is this necessary with the specified cooking or baking time(s).
Hi!
This specific recipe is for chicken breasts, but you can use chicken thighs, too. However, it’s important to note that regardless of the type of chicken you’re cooking โ be it breasts or thighs โ the key to ensuring it’s perfectly done is to check that the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165ยฐF. I highly recommend using a meat thermometer to check this, as it’s the most reliable way to make sure your chicken is both safe to eat and deliciously juicy. There’s no need to cut into the chicken if you use a thermometer. Note that bone-in chicken will always take longer to cook.
Am so looking forward to making this recipe. Love, love, love lemons!!!
That sounds exciting! I hope you enjoy making and tasting the recipe as much as you love lemons! Thank YOU! ๐
This recipe was very good in my opinion, my boyfriend said it was too lemony, but I only did the 1/4 cup of lemon juice in the marinade, and kept the 3 tablespoons of it. I did not put the sliced lemon down as I was reading the comments and other ppl said it was to lemony with the actual lemon slices. My chicken was also sort of dry, I cooked it only for 35mins at 350, next time maybe only 30mins. Thank you so very much for the recipe! I will make it again! 10/10
Super sour. I would have preferred not putting the bed of lemons. All I tasted was lemons
I loved this recipe. Could one add capers to this recipe?
Too much lemon. I liked the idea of cooking the chicken in the oven rather than on the stove. The ingredients were simple and easy to assemble. Cooking the chicken covered in the oven made the chicken moist, however, the lemon over powered the seasonings which had a good combination of flavors. The result was a very tart lemon chicken.
Sounds so good, lemon anything is my go to. I was wondering, it is 106 degrees here, would this work in the crockpot? Or, should I wait until it cools off enough to use my oven. Thanks for all of your great recipes. I look forward to them and your beautiful mouthwatering pictures.
This has so much amazing flavor!
Thank you, Cathy! ๐