I stole this recipe for Lemon Chicken Breasts from Barefoot Contessa: How Easy is That? A lemon garlic sauce is cooked on the stove, then poured in the bottom of a baking pan. Chicken breast pieces are placed on top of the sauce and lemon wedges are arranged between the chicken pieces. The final cooked result is a fragrant roasted lemon chicken with so much flavor. It is definitely a chicken dish you want to add to your options when you don’t know what kind of chicken to serve for dinner.
Preheat oven to 400 F. Warm ¼ cup olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add 3 tbsp minced garlic and cook for just 1 minute but don’t allow the garlic to turn brown.
Off the heat, add ⅓ cup dry white wine, 1 tbsp grated lemon zest, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 1 ½ tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp minced thyme and 1 tsp salt
Stir to combine and pour into sprayed 9×13 baking dish.
Pat the 4 halved chicken breasts dry and place them over the sauce.
Brush the chicken breasts with olive oil and sprinkle them liberally with salt and pepper. Cut 1 lemon in 8 to 16 wedges and tuck it among the pieces of chicken.
Bake 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the size of chicken breasts, until the chicken is done and lightly browned. Baste the chicken with the pan juices half way through the cooking time. If the chicken isn’t browned enough, put it under the broiler for 2 minutes. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
Sprinkle with salt and serve hot with the pan juices.
Lemon Chicken Breasts
A lemon garlic herb sauce is served over roasted chicken breasts. The lemon, garlic and herbs are poured in the bottom of a baking dish. Chicken and lemon wedges are placed on top of the sauce and it is baked in the oven.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup good olive oil
- 3 tbsp minced garlic 9 cloves
- ⅓ cup dry white wine
- 1 tbsp grated lemon zest 2 lemons
- 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 ½ tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp minced fresh thyme leaves
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 boneless chicken breasts skin on (6 to 8 oz each)
- 1 lemon
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 400 F.
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Warm olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add the garlic and cook for just 1 minute but don’t allow the garlic to turn brown. Off the heat, add the white wine, lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, thyme and 1 tsp salt and pour into 9x13 baking dish.
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Pat the chicken dry and place them skin side up over the sauce. Brush the chicken breasts with olive oil and sprinkle them liberally with salt and pepper. Cut the lemon in 8 wedges and tuck it among the pieces of chicken.
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Bake 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the size of chicken breasts, until the chicken is done and the skin is lightly browned. If the chicken isn’t browned enough, put it under the broiler for 2 minutes. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and serve hot with the pan juices.
Recipe Notes
I used skinless chicken, I turned the chicken after cooking 20 minutes and basted the pieces with the pan juice and finished cooking. Cutting the chicken into smaller pieces also decreases cooking time. Chicken stock can be substituted for white wine.