Want a main dish that looks fancy but is super easy to put together? Baked Lemon Chicken is a perfect choice.
Lemon and chicken go together beautifully – the chicken absorbs all the sunny flavor of the lemon, and in turn the lemon’s strength is complemented by the warm, juicy chicken breast. It is a bit like chocolate in your chili unexpected but interesting! In fact, so many cuisines around the world make use of the lemon chicken combo: chicken piccata in Italian cooking, roasted chicken in Greek cooking, or traditional Chinese lemon chicken over rice to name a few.
Baked Lemon Chicken is a keeper of a recipe because it’s easy to prepare, hard to mess up, and a healthy, delicious choice for dinner. There’s very little chopping in the prep, and for additional easy, just buy chicken breasts that are already boneless and skinless. No guesswork involved in any of the steps of this recipe: just assemble and bake! Health-wise, it’s a wonderful, tasty main dish and full of protein and vitamin C. Additionally, it is a gluten-free main dish and adapts well to Keto diet plans as well. Bonus: your kitchen smells amazing while it is baking in your oven!
What is a Coriander?
You may not be familiar with the spice coriander, but you’ve certainly eaten it in its fresh form, cilantro! Sometimes the fresh herb is called cilantro and sometimes it’s called coriander. When it is dried and ground, the spice is always called coriander. The ground spice coriander does not necessarily impart a Mexican or Latin flavor to dishes; in its ground form, it brings a warm, woodsy flavor and blends well with herbs like thyme, oregano, or actual parsley.
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts deboned and de-skinned
- ΒΌ cup butter melted
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- Salt and pepper
- 4 lemon wheels
How to Make Baked Lemon Chicken
Step 1: Preheat to 350 F and mix melted butter, garlic, lemon juice, thyme, coriander, and seasoning.
Step 2: Add the chicken and toss to coat.
Step 3: Place the coated chicken into a casserole dish in a single layer.
Step 4: Place the lemon wheels into the dish and bake for 20 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 165F when poked into the center of the chicken breast. Use a spoon to catch the butter sauce and spoon it over the chicken to soak in.
FAQs
No, because you want the chicken to brown up a bit, sealing in the flavors.
It actually helps tenderize the meat, with the acidity in the lemon juice. Plus, the juice infuses the rather mild-tasting chicken.
If you really want more lemon flavor, you can add a teaspoon or two of grated lemon zest to the seasonings that you mix with the butter. Just be careful not to grate deep into the lemon peel.
The butter mixed with the seasonings is what helps the chicken to actually brown, not just steam. If you want to replace half of the butter with olive oil, you can, but the chicken will not brown as much.
Serving Suggestions
To plate, place a chicken breast on the serving plate and spoon a generous portion of the lemony sauce over the chicken. Serve it up with a side of grilled or roasted asparagus and a side of rice, and you have an elegant, delicious and healthy meal. For a variation, you could slice the chicken breast and stir into hot pasta, topped with parmesan cheese.
How to Store Baked Lemon Chicken
For leftovers, just place cooled chicken and sauce into an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3-5 days or freeze for up to 3 months. To make ahead, you can assemble everything up until the baking time, cover, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Let the chicken sit on the counter while you preheat the oven. Freezing ahead is not recommended.
Baked Lemon Chicken | Gimme Some Oven
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts deboned and de-skinned
- ΒΌ cup Butter melted
- 2 cloves Garlic crushed
- 2 Tbsp Lemon juice
- 1 tsp fresh Thyme Leaves
- 1 tsp ground Coriander
- Salt and pepper
- 4 Lemon wheels
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a bowl mix the melted butter with the crushed garlic, lemon juice, thyme leaves, ground coriander, and salt and pepper.
- Add the chicken into the bowl with the butter and toss.
- Place the coated chicken into a casserole dish in a single layer.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 165F when poked into the center of the chicken breast. Use a spoon to catch the butter sauce and spoon it over the chicken to soak in.
Nutrition
