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.
This was absolutely wonderful. I have never brined chicken before, but I’m never going back now! My chicken came out with just the perfect amount of seasoning, beautifully tender and juicy. I used a little more lemon juice, as the garlic/butter mixture seemed a little solid to me and I didn’t have any white wine. I added a few sprigs of Rosemary vs sprigs of Thyme as I try to use what I have on hand before it goes bad (I only cook for myself and my boyfriend) The Rosemary added a nice touch and contrasted with the dried thyme I used in the mixture. No extra lemon wedges for us, but followed everything else to the letter and came out GREAT! A definite staple in our meal rotation now. Thanks!!
Thanks for sharing with us, Summer — we’re so glad you loved the recipe! :)
Tried this last night and it was great. I happened to have chicken breasts marinating in “lemon pepper” marinade at home and was looking for a recipe that would work with them. Found this and skipped the brining part. Other than that we skipped the lemon slices and thyme, opted for extra pepper (and I love a dash of McCormick salt free all-purpose seasoning), and served with baked potato and green beans. My bf was pleasantly surprised at how delicious it was, considering I’m a hit or miss cook lol! Saving this recipe, will make again!
Thanks for sharing with us, Denise — we’re glad to hear you and your boyfriend enjoyed this!
Made this for dinner tonight for the eat eating part of my family. They really liked it, but would have liked it to be a little browner. I am worried that browning it would dry it out, so I may save this for chicken salad sandwiches, where I’m sure it would be stellar. Thanks for a good recipe! (by the way, I brined mine for about 1 1/2 hours)
Thanks for sharing, Vivian — we’re glad you and your family enjoyed this!
This was excellent! We served it with rice, and poured the leftover juices over the rice. Wonderful flavor!
We’re happy you enjoyed it! :)
Tried this recipe it was very good. Had to cook a bit longer but still was not long . Great for a dinner after a long day of work
We’re glad you enjoyed it, Denise!
I cooked this for dinner tonight, it was delicious. The only question I have is how many calories is in one piece of chicken. I try to keep tract of the calories I eat everyday.
Thank you for any help you can give.
We’re so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Margie! Unfortunately though, we aren’t sure of the nutrition facts/amount of calories in the chicken. We currently are not publishing nutrition facts on the site, as the nutrition calculators available are not 100% accurate, and we never want to publish anything that might be misleading. However, a lot of our readers love the My Fitness Pal nutrition calculator, so feel free to try that for an estimate. We hope that helps!
What alternative to butter would work? I can’t use dairy. Thanks!
We would recommend olive oil. We hope you enjoy! :)
This is absolutely the best lemon chicken I’ve ever made. The flavors were delightful and perfect! Moist and tender, nice presentation and easy to serve. Don’t know when I’ve enjoyed a chicken dinner more. Thank you so much!
Thank you for your sweet words, Bonnie! We’re so happy you enjoy the recipe!
how much salt does brining in salt water add’ also could one use olive oil instead of butte?r,
Hi Dora, we’re sorry for just now getting to your comment! According to the website we read, “Properly brined meats can soak up about 10 percent of their weight in brine, which is to say that if you have 1 pound (16 ounces) of meat in our brine, it will absorb 1.6 ounces of the solution. So, 1.6 ounces x 6.6 percent (the percentage of salt) = .11 ounces of salt, or 3.25 grams, which is how much salt you add to your pound meat by brining it according to this recipe. Depending on your perspective, of course, this might seem like a lot or not much at all. If just seasoning meat superficially, I might use a little more than half this amount of salt.” And yes, you could definitely use olive oil instead of butter. We hope you enjoy! (And here’s the website we got the sodium info from: ).
I’m SO excited to make this tonight for Shabbat! Here is my question – do you place lemon wheels in the pan to bake with the chicken? I see them in the picture (and they look baked) but I didn’t see that step in the directions. Do I need to be cautious about where I place them to provide good flavor? Thanks!!
Hi Taryn! We’re so sorry for getting to your comment late. Since the lemon wedges are optional, we didn’t mention them in the instructions for the recipe, but earlier in the post — sorry for the confusion, we just updated the recipe to better clarify this.
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.)