This baked lemon chicken is easy to make with chicken breasts coated in a flavorful lemon butter sauce and baked to tender perfection in 30 minutes.
Easy Baked Lemon Chicken
This baked lemon chicken recipe gets a 5 star review from every member in my family. It’s a tried and true dinner idea that is always included in our monthly rotation along with my lemon baked fish.
The baked chicken is made with a lemon butter sauce that is light and so flavorful. I love to add in asparagus before baking to save time and have less dishes. Plus the lemon sauce cooks into the vegetables adding the perfect flavor.
Why I Love This Recipe
- One pan meal. Both the chicken and veggies cook together in the same skillet, making this recipe an easy one pot meal with hardly any cleanup!
- Easy to make: For busy weeknights, easy 30-minute meals like this one are timesavers!
- Healthy. Oven baked lemon chicken is low carb, high protein and made with whole food ingredients. It’s a quick and delicious healthy dinner idea.
How to Make Baked Lemon Chicken
Pound the chicken to about 1/2″ thickness. If using thicker breasts, cut in half to create 2 thinner pieces. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
Melt butter in a large cast iron skillet (or oven-safe pan) over medium-heat. Once melted, add the meat. Cook each side about 2 minutes, or edges have begun to lightly brown.
In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, honey and garlic. Pour sauce over the chicken. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until chicken has reached 165°F. Spoon some of the sauce over the chicken half way through and just before serving.
Cooking Tips
- Boost the flavor. Feel free to add some red pepper flakes or extra lemon pepper to give it a little kick. And for even more lemon flavor, add a lemon slice on top of each breast before baking and an additional Tablespoon of lemon juice to the sauce.
- Tenderize or slice the chicken. You want the chicken to be about 1/2″ thick. This ensures it will cook quicker and more evenly. I use a meat tenderizer to pound my chicken until the desired thickness is reached. You can also slice the breasts in half if they are on the thicker side.
- One pan meal. I love to add extra veggies to make this dish a complete meal. Simply add in veggies like asparagus or green beans right before roasting.
- Spoon the sauce. About halfway through baking, I love to spoon the sauce from the bottom of the pan over the chicken and veggies. This really helps to bring out the flavors. Then right before serving, spoon more sauce on top again.
More easy dinner ideas include chicken madeira, chicken francese and lemon butter baked salmon.
More Lemon Recipes
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Baked Lemon Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt , more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon lemon pepper , more to taste
- 2 Tablespoons salted butter
- 3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice , 1 lemon
- ½ Tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
Optional: Asparagus or green beans, fresh lemon slices and parsley for serving
Instructions
- Tenderize chicken. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Pound the chicken to about 1/2" thickness. If using thicker breasts, cut in half to create 2 thinner pieces. Season both sides with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper.
- Melt 2 Tablespoons butter in a large cast iron skillet (or oven-safe pan) over medium-heat. Once melted, add the meat. Cook each side about 2 minutes, or edges have begun to lightly brown.
- Bake. In a small bowl, whisk together 3 Tablespoons lemon juice, 1/2 Tablespoon honey and 2 teaspoons minced garlic. Then pour the sauce over the chicken. Add green beans or asparagus if desired. Then bake for 15-20 minutes, or until chicken has reached 165°F. Spoon some of the sauce over the chicken half way through and just before serving.
- Garnish with lemon and parsley if desired. Serve while hot.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Categorized as: 30 Minute Meals, 30 Minute Meals, American, Chicken, Dinner, Gluten-Free, Low Carb, Nut-Free, One Pot, One Pot, Stovetop
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
This recipe is amazing! I love the combination of chicken and lemon. It makes for a light “summery” meal that is good with sides and also served on top of a salad. I tried it with turkey breast tenderloins as well and it was great too.
Yum! This was the perfect dinner.
A perfect meal to make after a busy day. Quick and easy yet so tasty! Can’t wait to make again!
This is definitely a new favorite — the whole family loved it!
I made this chicken for dinner last night and it was incredible! It will definitely be added to our regular rotation!