One of my favorite things in the world is getting requests from you guys for recipes. (Like, favorite — it seriously makes me so happy when I can hear what kind of recipes you want to be making!)
Without a doubt, one of the biggest recipe request successes we’ve had here at Gimme Some oven was my 5-step method for perfectly baked chicken breasts that I shared a few years ago, which tons of you had asked about and has now become one of the top-viewed recipes of all time here on the blog. (Amazing!!) But ever since then, we’ve had more and more people ask how to make a lemony version of the recipe. So today, that request is my delicious command again.
I made you some baked lemon chicken breasts!
And I think you’re going to love them.
They’re incredibly easy to make, and only call for a few simple ingredients. They’re perfectly juicy and tender, not at all rubbery or dry. They’re perfect when served on their own, or mixed into any number of other recipes or repurposed as leftovers. And more than anything, they are full of the best, delicious, fresh lemony flavor.
Mmmm, let’s make some. ♥
As I mentioned in my earlier tutorial, it seems as though chicken breasts are definitely one of the most popular cuts of chicken that people prefer to buy. But when it comes to baking, they can definitely be a little difficult at times to work with. (Raise your hand if you’ve had a choke down a dry and rubbery chicken breast before — oof.)
But hakuna matata.
All you need is my simple 5-step method to remembering how to cook perfectly baked chicken breasts: B.R.R.R.R.
- Brine
- Brush
- Rub
- Roast
- Rest
You can read more about that in detail here. But it’s all included in the recipe below. Just brine the chicken in warm salt water for at least 15 minutes before baking, then brush on some melted butter, rub on some seasonings (or salt and pepper, in this case), roast the chicken on high heat, and then let it rest so that all of those yummy juices can collect before slicing.
Perfect chicken every time! Yeah!!
For this recipe, I went with a simple lemon garlic butter sauce, seasoned with salt and pepper and a few sprigs of fresh thyme. If you’re someone who cooks with white wine, I also highly recommend adding in a splash of something dry.
Then feel free to add in a few extra lemon slices to the mix to look pretty when it all bakes up. (Although disclaimer — I don’t recommend eating these or laying them directly on top of the chicken breasts, since they get a little bitter the longer they cook.)
And after 15 minutes or so of baking — being sure to take the pan out every 5 minutes to re-baste the chicken with that yummy lemony butter sauce — this gorgeous chicken should be ready to go! I use a this cooking thermometer (purchased on Amazon for about $15) to ensure that the chicken is fully cooked (160-170 degrees F). Then you know it’s totally ready to go!
Again, feel free to serve it plain along with your favorite sides. Or get creative, and add it to a big green salad, or pasta, or panini, or whatever else floats your boat. (Pro tip: I also definitely recommend making extra for leftovers, which you can dice or shred and add to just about anything, or freeze for later!)
However you serve it, I feel like you really can’t go wrong with some classic lemon chicken. :)
So grab some fresh lemons, and give it a try soon!
Baked Lemon Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, that have been pounded to even thickness and brined in saltwater (*see easy instructions below)
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 3 tablespoons melted butter
- 2 tablespoons freshly-squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly-cracked black pepper
- optional garnishes: fresh lemon slices, extra fresh thyme sprigs
Instructions
- *To brine your chicken breasts, simply fill a large bowl with 1 quart of warm water and 1/4 cup kosher salt. Stir to combine until most of the salt is absorbed. Add the chicken breasts and let them sit in the mixture to brine for 15 minutes. Or you can also also cover the bowl and refrigerate for up to 6 hours. Remove the chicken breasts from the brine, rinse them with cold water, then pat them dry with some paper towels.
- Heat oven to 450°F.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the garlic, melted butter, lemon juice, and thyme until combined. Set aside.
- Pour the melted butter mixture into a large baking dish, and place the chicken breasts on top of it in an even layer. Use a pastry brush to brush the butter mixture all over the chicken breasts until they are completely coated on both sides. Then sprinkle each chicken breast evenly with a generous pinch of salt and pepper.
- Then feel free to add in a few extra lemon slices to the mix to look pretty when it all bakes up. (Although disclaimer — I don’t recommend eating these or laying them directly on top of the chicken breasts, since they get a little bitter the longer they cook.)
- Bake for 5 minutes. Then remove the pan from the oven and brush the chicken again thoroughly with the butter mixture. Bake again for 5 minutes, remove and brush. Bake again for 5-8* minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink. (So the chicken will bake for 15-18 minutes total. If you use a cooking thermometer to measure the temperature thickest part of the breast, it should be between 160-170°F. The FDA recommends 170°F.)
- *Or, if you want the chicken to be a little bit browned and crispier on top, you can turn the broiler on high for the final 3-5 minutes and broil the chicken until it is cooked through and extra browned on top. Keep a close eye on the chicken so that it does not overcook and/or burn.
- Once the chicken is cooked, remove the pan from the oven and brush the chicken thoroughly with the butter mixture once more. Loosely cover the pan with aluminum foil, and let the chicken rest for at least 5-10 minutes. Serve immediately, garnished with extra lemon slices and thyme sprigs if desired.
- Or, refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!This post contains affiliate links.
I made this for dinner tonight, but instead of chicken breasts I used turkey breasts. It came out moist and flavorful. You could taste the herbs and lemon but not over powering. For s side dish, I made egg noodles with lemon butter sauce. My husband enjoyed the meal. I like to try new things. I will definitely make this again.
Thanks for sharing with us, Michele — we’re glad you and your husband enjoyed the recipe and we think your sides sound yummy! :)
Didn’t turn out at all. Chicken wasn’t done in 18 minutes and the chicken wasn’t bad or frozen!
Won’t make this again:(
We’re sorry to hear that Lorie, but that’s really strange! It sounds like maybe the chicken breasts were thicker than usual, or perhaps the oven temp was off? How much longer did it take to bake?
Hello Ali ! I’m searching for chicken recipe and landed to your site. Thanks for sharing this Lemon chicken recipe with us. It looks delish. Can I use Olive oil instead of butter and in what quantity. Waiting to hearback :-)
You’re so welcome, we hope you enjoy! And yes, you could use olive oil instead of butter (still use 3 TBS).
Tried making this tonight. Seems like 15 minutes is really short for chicken in the oven. After 18 minutes (last 3 minutes with the broiler) the chicken is only at 120F. Baked it at 450F but doesn’t seem to be done at 18 minutes
Oh strange — was the chicken frozen when you started cooking it? Either way, I’m glad you checked the oven temp to make sure — different ovens definitely cook it differently. (We’ve tested this one multiple times in my oven, and it seems to cook it according to the recipe directions.)
Mine was still raw after the time specified in the oven.
Oh no, we’re sorry to here that, Tere! Perhaps the chicken breasts were really large? If so, next time we would suggest pounding them with a mallet so they don’t take so much extra time to cook!
I happily trotted off to make this and discovered my lemon juice to be expired. I substituted grapefruit! I used a bit less because it’s much sweeter. I also didn’t have kosher salt, so used less of that. WOW. So moist and delicious. Amazing recipe, have saved it to use again. Thank you!!
We’re so glad you loved it, Shelly, and that you were able to make do with the grapefruit! :)
My looks nothing like the picture. Hope it takes good. Maybe you should take a new pic.
We hope you enjoyed it, Janelle!
Has anyone tried this with more chicken…say enough for 16 people. I’d love to make this for a dinner but was worried about the prolonged cooking time I think would be required at that high temperature. If anyone used it for a large dinner party please reply. Thanks! ps…and post the adjustments if you had any. Thanks!
Would this still be good without the thyme? Also is there a healthier alternative to butter? I wanna try this for my meal prepping
Hi April! Yes, we think this would still be good without the thyme, and you could use olive oil instead of butter if you prefer. We hope you enjoy!
Wonderful recipe and tasty!
But how do I get the color yours did? My chicken came out white!
Thanks Jon — we’re so glad you enjoyed it! As for the color, hmmmm, we wonder if the chicken just didn’t get much of a crust on it (that’s what got ours golden-brown). So for next time, you can spray the chicken with some cooking spray (or brush with oil or butter) before baking, which will help. Or if you really want the crust and it’s not happening, you could cook the chicken until it’s nearly done, and then pop it under the broiler for a minute or two. That’ll definitely help it get a nice crust. We hope this helps for next time!
Tasted like an expensive hotdog. I added the wine. Maybe too much Tyme? I don’t know but the girl I made it for left 3/4ths of it on the plate. Not the intended response.
Hmmmm, this definitely shouldn’t taste anything like a hot dog (expensive or not). We’re not sure what could have gone wrong (maybe the chicken was bad?) but we’ve never had any issues before and this continues to be one of the recipes we get the most positive comments on. We’re sorry it didn’t turn out well for you guys!