Baked Lemon Chicken

5 from 4 votes

Baked Lemon Chicken is sure to be a new weeknight dinner staple. The most tender and juicy chicken ever, and so easy and full of flavor!

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Total Time40

Course: Main

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 343kcal

Author: Kristin Maxwell

Ingredients

4 small chicken breasts
4 cloves of garlic minced
2 tablespoons corn oil
1 lemon zested and juiced
2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 lemon sliced
Fresh parsley

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Pound chicken breasts lightly so they are of even thickness.
Whisk together lemon juice and zest, minced garlic and corn oil in a small bowl then pour into a 13" x 9" baking dish. Lightly dredge the chicken through to coat it, then place chicken breasts side by side in the dish.
Sprinkle chicken evenly with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning, then rub it in with your hands. Place chicken breasts side by side, making sure there is no overlap. Arrange a few lemon slices on top of the chicken.
Bake in a preheated oven for 18-20 minutes, basting once or twice, until juices are clear or a meat thermometer reads 160-170 degrees. *Note - depending on the size of your chicken breasts, it could take longer. Mine were pounded to less than an inch thick and take about 18 minutes.
*Optional Step - To brown chicken, turn the oven to broil and place chicken under the broiler for 2-3 minutes until browned.
Cover with foil and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes while the juices settle before slicing.
Serve immediately, garnished with fresh parsley and lemon slices, if desired.

Notes

I wanted to note that in the original Baked Chicken Breasts recipe I used olive oil. A lot of people were concerned about the olive oil being cooked at such a high temperature and that it can break down and become harmful so I have switched to using corn or canola oil. Although the oven temp is 450 degrees, the food (and consequently the oil) doesn't reach anywhere near that temperature and it's only in the oven for a short time. I have never had an issue with the small amount of extra virgin olive oil reaching it's smoke point on the chicken, but if you are concerned, I recommend doing some research and making that decision for yourself.

Nutrition