Lemon Garlic Baked Chicken Breasts are a nourishing main dish that is easy to prepare, perfect for pairing with just about any side dish, filling, and healthy! Make it for meal prep or for a quick weeknight dinner.
If you’re looking for a weeknight staple or for a fresh and healthy changeup to your cooking routine, lemon garlic baked chicken breasts check all the boxes!
It’s rich in lemon and garlic flavors, plenty juicy, tender, and so easy to make!
Plus, it’s low in fat and high in protein, making it ideal for those looking for macro-friendly meals or simply enjoy clean eating.
This easy recipe is absolutely goof-proof! Serve it up with salad, pasta salad, roasted vegetables, green salad, etc. for a well-balanced meal.
Chicken is a staple in my household, and it comes in all forms and cooking methods.
Tips for Perfect Chicken Breasts:
I have some tips that will ensure your chicken turns out tender, juicy, and flavorful.
Tip #1: Use thinner chicken breast filets or chicken tenders. Most chicken breasts are voluptuous with the center being much more voluminous than the edges.
This causes the tail ends of the breast to cook faster than the thick middle, causing parts of the chicken to be dry.
The solution is to cut the breasts in half lengthwise so that you end up with two thin filets with even thickness. Or, simply buy chicken breast filets that are already cut.
As an alternative, use a meat mallet to tenderize the chicken and pound it into an even thickness.
Tip #2: Marinate the Chicken. As long as your marinade contains a good amount of salt and flavorful ingredients, you’re almost guaranteed tender chicken (so long as it doesn’t get overcooked).
The marinating process not only allows the salt time to penetrate the meat deeply, thereby tenderizing it, but it also helps inject the chicken with flavor and ensures you’re left with juicy chicken breasts.
How long to marinate chicken? For the absolute best result, I recommend marinating chicken for at least 4 hours (up to 12 hours), but any amount of time you can give it is better than none.
Tip #3: Use an instant read thermometer to check the internal temperature. A meat thermometer is one of the few kitchen gadgets I recommend every single meat eater owns.
Chicken breasts are fully cooked when they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Insert the meat thermometer into the thickest part of the breast to get an accurate read.
This ensures your chicken turns out perfectly cooked without running the risk of cooking it to a point that it’s too dry.
Now that we have these basic tips for perfect chicken breasts out of the way, let’s discuss the fresh ingredients for this lemon garlic baked chicken breasts recipe.
Ingredients For Lemon Garlic Baked Chicken Breasts:
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts: For the best result, buy either boneless chicken breast filets (chicken breasts that have been sliced in half to create thinner filets), or pick up regular boneless chicken thighs and slice them in half.
Avocado Oil: Because chicken breasts are so lean, cooking them with some oil ensures they turn out nice and juicy. Because we’re baking the breasts, a high temperature cooking oil like avocado oil is best over olive oil.
Lemon Zest and Lemon Juice: Lemon zest and lemon juice bring powerful lemon flavor to these delicious breasts! I like having both to ensure the chicken turns out very lemony. If you like less lemon flavor, use either zest or juice but not both.
Fresh Garlic: Fresh garlic cloves are what generate that huge inviting flavor that makes chicken breast much more enticing! Scale the amount you use up or down depending on your personal taste.
Paprika and Garlic Powder: Paprika gives a subtle smokiness and garlic powder adds even further to the garlic flavor. Neither one are mandatory but both help round out the flavor.
Sea salt: A major tenderizer, salt goes a long way in ensuring animal proteins turn out nice and soft and juicy. Don’t skip the sea salt unless absolutely necessary, as the longer the chicken marinates with the sea salt, the more tender it will turn out.
Optional Additions:
Onion powder, chili powder, Italian seasoning, or any simple seasoning or spice rub can be put to use here! For simplicity, I like making the recipe as written, but feel free to get creative.
Let’s make it!
How to Make Lemon Garlic Baked Chicken Breasts:
Remove the chicken breasts from their packaging and pat them dry with paper towels. If you’re using chicken filets, go on to the next step. For standard thick chicken breasts, slice them in half, creating two thinner filets.
To do so, place the chicken breasts on a cutting board and use one hand to stabilize it while slicing through the middle lengthwise with a sharp knife.
Transfer all of the ingredients to a ziplock bag. Seal the bag and shake everything around until the chicken is well coated in the ingredients.
Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes, ideally several hours (up to 12 hours).
When you’re ready to bake, take the marinated chicken out of the refrigerator and preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Transfer the chicken breasts to a roasting pan, baking dish, rimmed baking sheet or casserole dish, including the marinade.
Bake chicken breasts for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches just below 165 degrees F. Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken to get an accurate read.
Switch the oven to the high broil setting and broil on the second-to-top shelf for 5 to 10 minutes, or until there’s a nice crisp on the outside of the chicken.
Remove the chicken breasts from the oven and let the chicken rest for 10 to 15 minutes before serving with your favorite side dishes.
Note: If you’re using thicker chicken breasts, bake for 25 to 30 minutes, then broil for 5 to 10.
I enjoy making these lemon garlic baked chicken breasts in a big batch as a meal prep recipe, along with my Big Batch Roasted Vegetables.
Store any leftover chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
How Long To Bake Chicken Breasts:
The exact cooking time depends on the temperature of the chicken going into the oven and its thickness.
Thin chicken filets, smaller chicken breasts, and chicken tenders take 15 to 20 minutes at 350 degrees Fharenheit
Thick chicken breasts (regular breasts that have not been sliced into filets) require closer to 30 minutes.
Be sure to use your meat thermometer for the best results!
And that’s it! Everything you need to know about making the juiciest chicken breast recipes that turn out fabulously every time for a lovely easy chicken dinner.
More Chicken Recipes:
- Garlic Butter Roast Chicken
- Instant Pot Whole Chicken
- Lemon Garlic Air Fryer Boneless Chicken Thighs
- Asian Baked Chicken Thighs
- Easy Honey Garlic Chicken
Side Dishes for Serving With Oven Baked Chicken Breast:
If you’re looking for healthy sides for chicken, here are some of my favorites!
- Greek Potato Salad
- Italian Pasta Salad
- Mayo-Free Macaroni Salad
- Creamy Cauliflower Casserole
- Roasted Asparagus with Parmesan and Lemon
- Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Garlic and Lemon
- Green Bean Salad with Walnuts and Feta
Enjoy this simple healthy chicken recipe and put it on repeat for easy weeknight meals the whole family will surely love!
Lemon Garlic Baked Chicken Breasts
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Zest of 2 lemons
- 3 Tbsp avocado oil
- 3 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder optional
- 1 tsp paprika
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- ½ tsp sea salt to taste
Instructions
- Transfer all of the ingredients to a ziplock bag. Seal the bag and shake everything around until the chicken is well coated in the ingredients.
- Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes, ideally several hours (up to 12 hours).
- When you’re ready to bake, take the marinated chicken out of the refrigerator and preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Transfer the chicken breasts to a roasting pan, baking dish, rimmed baking sheet or casserole dish, including the marinade.
- Bake chicken breasts for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches just below 165 degrees F. Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken to get an accurate read. Switch the oven to the high broil setting and broil on the second-to-top shelf for 5 to 10 minutes, or until there’s a nice crisp on the outside of the chicken.
- Remove the chicken breasts from the oven and let the chicken rest for 10 to 15 minutes before serving with your favorite side dishes.
