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Baked Lemon Chicken is a fresh and flavorful recipe. You will love the sweet, tangy lemon sauce over the perfectly tender chicken!
Featured with this recipe
We are deep in the heart of citrus season and I am loving it! Neighbors have been dropping off boxes of oranges, lemons, grapefruits, and limes. I put the lemons to work to create this tender and moist chicken.
Are there any “Everybody Loves Raymond” fans out there? There is an ongoing joke throughout the series about Raymond’s wife, Deborah, and her lemon chicken recipe. They never show what it looks like on the show, but I always thought the combination of chicken and lemon sounded delicious. This baked lemon chicken recipe proves me right!
Ingredients in Baked Lemon Chicken
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Butter
- Chicken broth
- Lemon
- Honey
- Garlic
- Italian seasoning – includes thyme, basil, oregano, and rosemary
- Salt and pepper
Recipe Tips and Recommendations
This baked lemon chicken recipe has a few more steps than a traditional baked chicken, but I promise the results are worth it!
- When baking any chicken breast recipe, I like to make sure the chicken breasts are relatively uniform in size and thickness. To accomplish this, I layer the chicken breasts between two sheets of plastic wrap. Using a rolling pin, I then pound the breasts until all pieces of chicken are equally thick.
- Resist the urge not to zest. The lemon zest adds so much flavor to this chicken. If you are worried about the texture of the zest on the chicken, rest assured it cooks down and is not at all noticeable. This is one of those steps that is well worth the extra few minutes.
- The lemon slice on top of each chicken breast is purely for aesthetics. I think it makes the dish look pretty when serving, but it’s not necessary.
- Extra virgin olive oil can be used in place of butter in this recipe. This article on realsimple.com has helped me overcome the fear of searing meat with a good quality olive oil, which has a high smoke point. The olive oil will taste great with this recipe, and most people find this is a healthier option than butter.
- For a boost of flavor, use fresh herbs of your choice in place of the Italian seasoning.
Sides to Serve with Baked Lemon Chicken
I am seriously obsessed with lemon, so I would choose to serve this chicken with our Fresh and Easy Lemon Spaghetti. However, something as simple as rice and a salad complements this chicken. If you want a little more variety, a potato dish, like Parmesan Baked Potato Halves, or Creamed Peas and Potatoes also works great. If you want to add some veggies to your plate you could serve this up with Oven Roasted Vegetables or Roasted Potatoes and Brussel Sprouts with Bacon.
Frequently Asked Questions
Bake the chicken for 25-30 minutes at 400 degrees. You want the internal temperature of the chicken to be at least 165 degrees. Use a meat thermometer to ensure the chicken is thoroughly cooked, but not overcooked.
Before! Create a sauce including chicken broth, lemon juice, lemon zest, honey, garlic, Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper, and pour over the chicken. While the chicken bakes, continue to spoon the sauce over the chicken every 10 minutes.
Bake the chicken uncovered so that the excess moisture can evaporate. This also helps maintain the golden brown color from searing the sides of the chicken.
Read more: 35+ Best Chicken Breast Recipes
More Lemon Recipes
How to Make Baked Lemon Chicken
Baked Lemon Chicken
Equipment
- 1 9×13 baking dish
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 3 tablespoons butter
- ⅓ cup chicken broth
- 3 lemons
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoons garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Zest 2 of the lemons to get approximately 2 tablespoons of lemon zest. Then juice the same 2 lemons to get approximately ¼ cup of lemon juice.
- Cut ends off of the 3rd lemon, then slice to get 4 full lemon slices to garnish the chicken breasts, as pictured.
- Mix chicken broth, lemon juice, lemon zest, honey, garlic, Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper in a small bowl.
- In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add chicken to the skillet and brown each side (about 2-3 minutes per side).
- Place chicken in a buttered 9×13 casserole dish. Pour lemon sauce evenly over chicken. Place a lemon slice on top of each chicken breast.
- Bake at 400℉ for 25-30 minutes. Every 10 minutes, remove the chicken from the oven and spoon sauce over chicken. Internal temperature of the chicken should reach 165 degrees.
Notes
- Olive oil can be used in place of the butter in this recipe.
- Serve this baked lemon chicken with mashed or roasted potatoes and green salad for a delicious and complete dinner.
- If you have leftovers, mix sliced lemon chicken with pasta and your favorite vegetable like broccoli or asparagus.
This was amazing!
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Yum – this was an easy and delicious way to make chicken!
I love the flavors in this baked lemon chicken!! YUM!
This looks so yummy and delicious! It’s easy and a great dinner idea! Thanks!