Baked Lemon Pepper Chicken is an easy weeknight dinner that will satisfy the whole family. With loads of tart lemon flavor and spicy pepper, this chicken breast recipe is a quick and easy favorite.
Here’s another great baked chicken recipe to add to your recipe book! It’s a favorite in our home, and fits right in with our other favorite chicken recipes, like Honey Garlic Chicken and our super popular Baked Chicken Breasts.
Baked Lemon Pepper Chicken Breasts Recipe
Chicken breasts are a dinnertime go-to for many families, but plain chicken can become monotonous and nobody likes dry chicken. My Lemon Pepper Chicken is tender and juicy and full of tangy, spicy flavor. It’s delicious as an entree served with youe favorite sides or sliced up for salads or sandwiches.
How to Make Lemon Pepper Chicken
- Try to select chicken breasts that are similar in size and thickness if you can. Otherwise you can use a meat mallet and lightly pound the chicken so that all of the pieces are about the same size. PRO TIP: Purchase fresh chicken breasts in bulk and separate them into recipe size packages. I look for breasts that are similar in size so I can freeze those together.
- Marinate chicken breasts in lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, lemon pepper and other seasonings for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours. Any longer and the acid from the lemon juice could begin to break down the chicken and make it tough. If you must marinate overnight, omit the lemon juice and add it the the chicken at least 15 minutes before cooking.
- Bake the chicken for 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
- Rest, covered with foil, for 10 minutes before servings so the juices ave time to redistribute throughout the meat.
Can I make this recipe with different kinds of chicken?
This marinade is quite versatile and works well with chicken thighs, drumsticks or wings. The cook time will vary based on the type of chicken and whether or not it is boneless. The marinade time will be the same.
Can you grill this recipe instead of baking?
Absolutely! Lemon Pepper Chicken breasts on the grill are delicious! Marinate the chicken as directed, then heat your grill to medium-high (450-500 degrees) and grill chicken about 4 minutes per side or until it registers 165 degrees. Allow to rest, tented with foil, for 10 minutes before serving. Be sure to throw some Grilled Zucchini and Grilled Potatoes on as well!
How to serve Lemon Pepper Chicken
We love to go crazy with the lemon when serving this chicken, and serve it as an entree with a Lemon Kale Caesar Salad, One Pan Lemon Garlic Pasta and Lemon Brownies for dessert.
What to do with leftovers
Store leftover chicken in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3-4 days. Lemon Pepper Chicken leftovers are great on salads or in sandwiches and wraps.
Can you freeze lemon pepper chicken?
Baked chicken breasts freeze well as long as you store them properly. Place cooked and cooled chicken in an airtight container and freeze for up to 4-6 months.
You can also freeze raw chicken in the marinade for up to 6 months. Place frozen chicken breasts in the refrigerator and they will marinate as it defrosts.
More delicious chicken recipes you’ll love:
- Easy Chicken Club Lettuce Wraps
- One Pot Creamy Chicken and Noodles
- Chicken Fried Rice
- One Pot Chicken Alfredo
- Homemade Chicken Soup
Lemon Pepper Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts 3-4
- 1 medium-large lemon zested then juiced
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3 teaspoons lemon pepper
- 2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon fresh dried parsley 1 teaspoon dried
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- To make the marinade, combine lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and seasonings in a small bowl and set aside.
- Lightly pound chicken to an even thickness and place in a ziploc bag with the marinade and massage into the chicken. Marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place chicken in a large baking dish and discard any remaining marinade.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear. Chicken should register 165 degrees on a meat thermometer.
- Tent with foil and let chicken rest for about 10 minutes so the juices can redistribute throughout the meat before slicing and serving.
Nutrition
This was really good! The chicken was super juicy and not dry like most lemon chicken recipes. We did only bake 2 chicken breasts but kept the measurements for everything else the same so that probably kept it even more moist during the marinade process. I did not have any parsley on hand and it turned out fine but anxious to try it with parsley next time. I would probably use a little less salt as well.
Nice! Thanks for the awesome feedback Amy.