Baked Lemon Chicken

5 from 8 votes
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Baked Lemon Chicken is a fresh and delicious springtime recipe. You will love the sweet and tangy lemon sauce over perfectly baked chicken!

Three lemon chicken breasts topped with lemon slices
Featured with this recipe
  1. Ingredients in Baked Lemon Chicken
  2. Step By Step Instructions
  3. Sides to Serve with Baked Lemon Chicken
  4. Frequently Asked Questions
  5. More Lemon Recipes
  6. How to Make Baked Lemon Chicken
  7. Baked Lemon Chicken 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 want to use them all up before they go bad, so I decided to try out this Baked Lemon Chicken recipe. I love the sweet and tangy sauce over the tender and moist chicken. And even more, I am happy to get some wonderful Vitamin C from those lemons!

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

Step By Step Instructions

This recipe has a few more steps than a traditional baked chicken, but I promise the results are worth it!

  • First you’re going to zest and juice two lemons and slice the third lemon. Set the slices aside for later.
  • Then make the sauce: mix chicken broth, lemon juice, lemon zest, honey, garlic, Italian herb seasoning, and salt and pepper in a small bowl.
  • Brown the chicken in melted butter, 2-3 minutes on each side. Then place the chicken in a buttered baking dish and pour the sauce over the chicken.
Seasoned chicken in a baking pan


  • Scoop up some of the sauce with a spoon and pour over chicken breasts.
Spooning sauce over seasoned poultry in a baking pan
  • Place a lemon slice on top of each chicken breast.
Seasoned chicken in a baking pan
  • Bake the chicken at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes. You want the internal temperature of the chicken to be at least 165 degrees. Every 10 minutes, take the chicken out of the oven and spoon more sauce over the top.
Baked Lemon Chicken on a plate

Sides to Serve with Baked Lemon Chicken

I am seriously obsessed with lemon, so I would choose to serve this chicken with Fresh and Easy Lemon Spaghetti. However, if you want a little more variety, it would also be really yummy with a potato dish, like Parmesan Baked Potato Halves, or Creamed Peas and Potatoes. 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

How long should you bake your chicken at 400?

Bake the chicken for 25-30 minutes at 400 degrees. You want the internal temperature of the chicken to be at least 165 degrees.

When baking chicken, should I put lemon juice on first or afterwards?

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.

Is it better to bake chicken uncovered or covered?

It is usually best to bake chicken uncovered so that the excess moisture can cook out.

Read more:35+ Best Chicken Breast Recipes

More Lemon Recipes

How to Make Baked Lemon Chicken

Baked Lemon Chicken

5 from 8 votes
Baked Lemon Chicken is a fresh and delicious springtime recipe. You will love the sweet and tangy lemon sauce over perfectly baked chicken!
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Dinner
Cuisine American
Servings 4

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Zest 2 of the lemons to get approximately 2 teaspoons of lemon zest.  Then juice the same 2 lemons to get approximately 4 tablespoons 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 degrees 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

  • Serve this baked lemon chicken with mashed or roasted potatoes and green salad for a delicious and complete dinner.
  • Mix it up with pasta and your favorite vegetable like broccoli or asparagus!
  • Use chicken thighs for even more flavor.  

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1gCalories: 249kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 25gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 95mgSodium: 861mgPotassium: 546mgFiber: 3gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 314IUVitamin C: 46mgCalcium: 40mgIron: 1mg

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About the author

Kelsey Crist

Kelsey lives in Washington with her husband, Alex, and two cats, Diana and Nova. Her happy place is in the kitchen listening to an audiobook and trying new recipes. When she's not in the kitchen you can find her hiking, shopping at Trader Joe's, or playing Animal Crossing. Her favorite food is pasta and Alex loves when she makes Homemade Oreos.

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