Lemon Garlic Chicken is an easy oven baked chicken dinner you can put together in 20 minutes or less. A quick weeknight dinner that’s so easy to make and full of flavor. It’s a winner for everyone. Marinate it first in buttermilk for the most tender and juicy chicken breasts.
Fabulous Chicken Dinner in Less Than 10 Minutes
One of my friends mentioned how she struggles to find time to cook with work and kids, and I immediately thought of this recipe for lemon garlic chicken breasts. It comes together in no time and as long as you marinate the chicken in buttermilk, you won’t have to worry about dry chicken.
Make extra and use the leftovers to top a salad for lunch. This is a great dinner recipe when you’re in a hurry or are just tired of rotisserie chicken. If you like potatoes with your chicken, try these baked lemon chicken thighs.
To prove to my friend that she could make this on a busy weeknight, I started the stopwatch and then got out the ingredients and put this together in slightly less than 19 minutes of prep time. However part of that time was spent peeling and mincing the garlic. So I tried again and used minced garlic in a jar and it was still delicious and something anyone could put together in less than 10 minutes, 9 to be exact, with a total time of 40 minutes.
While this dish is quick and easy, it also tastes fabulous. Baking it slowly in a bath of garlic, lemon and white wine gives the flavors enough time to soak into the chicken. I like serving this over rice so you can drizzle the garlic sauce over the rice – YUM!
Just a Few Ingredients For this Lemon Garlic Chicken Recipe
- Bone-In Chicken Breasts: You want chicken breasts with skin tolock in the juices. You can also use chicken thighs for this recipe. You may have to adjust the cooking time depending on the size of the chicken breasts or whether you are using thighs. For Breasts cook until 150º for thighs 165º per the USDA. I would not suggest using boneless skinless chicken breasts as they will be dry, try a stovetop method like chicken with tomatoes and mozzarella instead.
- Buttermilk: This is to marinate the chicken. You can add it the night before or even 30 minutes will help tenderize the chicken.
- Garlic Cloves: Grab several because you’ll need 3 tablespoons of minced garlic to get all the garlicky flavor. Fresh garlic has the most flavor but if you’re in a hurry use minced garlic in a jar.
- Lemons: Two lemons give this lots of flavor, you’ll use the zest and juice from one and then cut the other into lemon slices to add more lemon flavor as it roasts.
- White Wine: you could use chicken broth but the wine will add more flavor and it cooks for long enough that you don’t have to worry about there being much alcohol.
- Spices: I like fresh thyme and dried oregano, but you could use Italian seasoning, some red pepper flakes to give it a little heat and parsley to garnish.
- Pantry Staples : extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper.
Super Simple Steps for Baked Chicken Breasts
Step 1:
Sauté garlic in olive oil and combine it with wine, lemon juice and zest and seasoning and pour into a baking dish. You can easily double or triple this recipe.
Step 2:
Place chicken that you have marinated in buttermilk on top of the lemon mixture and place lemon wedges throughout.
Step 3:
Bake until a meat thermometer registers 150º, slice the meat off the bone and serve.
Your house will smell divine from the garlic and lemon, and the chicken itself is so tender and not what you would expect for a weeknight meal. I’ve tried to make this without the skin and while still good, I could not get it golden brown without getting it too dry. The skin holds in the moisture while baking. So don’t try this on skinless chicken breasts.
How long should you cook bone-in chicken breasts
Chicken breasts can vary in size, so it’s best to use a meat thermometer and cook them until they are at least 150º. (There are lots of meat thermometers out there but my favorite is by Thermoworks. I’ve had it for years and it’s an instant read thermometer that I’ve found to be accurate and reliable.) They will continue to cook once removed from the oven.
If you find yourself cooking with chicken a lot and want to know for sure that your chicken is cooked thoroughly, head to my informational page on ways to make sure your chicken is cooked all the way but still remains juicy and delicious.
Tips for tender juicy Chicken Breasts
Here are few TIPS to help you get perfectly tender and juicy chicken breasts every time
- Marinate in buttermilk for at least 30 minutes or overnight. In the alternative, brine the chicken breasts in a bowl of warm water with a handful of salt dissolved in it. If brining, it only needs to stay in the brine for 15 minutes and no longer than 6 hours. Either way, rinse off and you are ready to go.
Pro tip: If you’re out of buttermilk, you can make your own with just two ingredients. Here are three different methods for how to make your own buttermilk.
- Sprinkle with olive oil or butter which will seal in the moisture and allow the seasoning to stick to the chicken.
- Bake in a hot oven, at least 400º and test with a meat thermometer.
- Most importantly, let rest for 5-10 minutes after removing from the oven to lock in the juices and complete cooking. Just tent with foil.
The only type of chicken I can find with skin is bone in chicken breasts. They are huge and will feed two people. To serve, just cut the chicken off the bone and serve it sliced after it has rested for 5-10 minutes.
How to Store Lemon Chicken
Just let any extra chicken cool and then store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer. If you have a vacuum sealer, it’s great to have this in the freezer for furture meals.
More QUICK and EASY Dinner Recipes
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Tender and Juicy Lemon Garlic Chicken Breasts
Ingredients
- 2 bone in chicken breasts with skin
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons minced garlic
- ⅓ cup White wine
- 1 tablespoon lemon Zest 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
- salt and pepper
- 1 lemon
Instructions
- Place chicken in a ziplock bag and pour buttermilk over it. Seal and refrigerate overnight or for at least 30 minutes. Rinse and pat dry.
- Preheat oven to 400º.
- Warm the olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat, add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute, don’t let it brown. Turn off the heat and add wine, lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt and pour into baking dish.
- Pat the chicken breasts dry and place them skin side up over the sauce. Rub the chicken with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cut the remaining lemon into wedges and place among the pieces.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a meat thermometer registers 150º and the skin is lightly browned. Remove from oven and cover with foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Serve with the pan juices.
Barbara’s Tips + Notes
- For the juiciest chicken marinate in buttermilk for at least 30 minutes, overnight is even better.
- This recipe works best with chicken that has skin on it.
- Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes to lock in the juices.
Nutrition
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