This is the best baked lemon chicken breast you need to make today

Chicken breast is great in all diets as it is lean and can easily be added to any salad or eaten on its own. Today I’m going to show you how to get a delicious oven baked lemon chicken breast marinated in lemon, garlic, olive oil and herbs.

Baked lemon chicken breast

This amazing baked lemon chicken breast can be added to many casserole recipes! This is such an easy and versatile recipe, you will want to experiment to find your own great chicken breast recipe to impress your family and guests each time.

Chicken breast doesn’t have a strong flavor, so you’ll want to add some seasoning to bring out the best of it. Not a big spice and herb fan? Salt and pepper will go just fine in this case.

More chicken recipes you will love:

• Chicken stir fry
• Lemon fried chicken
• Baked balsamic chicken
• Pineapple BBQ chicken
• Lemon chicken orzo salad
• Chicken tater tot casserole
• Best ever chicken breast marinade

If you don’t like one of the herbs or spices I’m using, you can change everything you want so that it suits your taste. Paprika, rosemary, basil, thyme, Cajun seasoning, taco seasoning, Provence herbs, just use your imagination to add variety to this recipe each time you cook it.

Of course, if you don’t want to leave it in the marinade, just toss it over the chicken breast, wait until the oven is heated and bake. It will still be delicious.

The best and juiciest chicken breast is cooked at a medium high temperature. This is because the heat will cook it quickly, sealing in the juices. Just make sure you don’t overcook it, as this will make it dry. After baking, leave to rest for a few minutes to allow the juices to reabsorb into the meat. Slicing immediately will cause them to evaporate and dry the meat.

How to make the juiciest lemon thyme chicken breast:

• Pre-heat the oven at a medium high temperature. About 400 degrees will cook it quickly, sealing in all the juices;
• Make sure the breast pieces are of even thickness to allow even cooking. If not, use a meat tenderizer to pound them to an even thickness;
• Marinade the chicken breasts;
• Lightly grease the pan with oil or butter, or line with baking paper or foil, so they don’t stick;
• Bake for about 22 – 26 minutes or until the inside reaches 165 degrees (or just eyeball it and stop cooking when golden);
• Leave to rest before slicing.

Pounding the chicken breast is very important, as it has a teardrop shape, with a thick, meatier area at the bottom. If left like this, the thick area will take longer to cook, while the thinner parts will overcook and become dry. You can use a meat tenderizer or a heavy rolling pin to bring the breast pieces to the same overall thickness.

This is also important for chicken that will be grilled or cooked on the stove top.

Depending on the breast size, you might need to adjust the cooking time:

• 4 – 6 ounce pieces – about 18 minutes;
• 7 – 8 ounce pieces – about 20 minutes;
• Over 9 ounce – 22 minutes.

Now, why is it important for the chicken breast (or any meat) to rest a few minutes before slicing? Chicken breast is basically a muscle. When getting cooked, a muscle will tighten, so if cut it right after cooking, all of the juices will run out, resulting in a dry, tough and chewy meat.

On the other hand, if you leave it for about 5 minutes under a loose foil or in a pan covered with a lid, the chicken breast will relax and redistribute the juices. The meat will then be tender and juicy, a pleasure to eat.

How to serve baked lemon chicken breast?

This oven baked chicken breast goes great with a lot of garnishes such as:

• Baked asparagus
• baked potatoes
• vegetable salad
• rice
• vegetable couscous

You can also shred or cut it and add in pasta casserole, salads or any recipes that use baked chicken breast.

Chicken breast can make a lot of delicious meals, so I’m very curious about your experiments. Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

Lemon herb chicken breast

What do you need to make baked lemon herb chicken breast?

Very simple ingredients are required for this recipe and chances are you have them all in your pantry.

• Chicken breast – skinless, boneless, preferably with all fat removed. We prefer fresh chicken breast rather than frozen, from free range chickens.

For the lemon thyme chicken marinade

• Lemon juice – fresh and strained through a fine sieve.
• Sunflower oil.
• Thyme – dry is preferred by fresh will do too. Just make sure you chop it finely.
• Garlic powder – you can also use fresh garlic if you don’t have powder. Just smash it very well, mix it with lemon juice and keep covered in the fridge over night. The next day strain through a fine sieve. You can’t bake the chicken with garlic on as the garlic cooks much faster and you’ll end up with burnt bits of garlic on the meat.
• Salt and pepper

How do you make baked lemon chicken breast?

1. Start by mixing the marinade ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Add the chicken and mix to coat well. Keep refrigerated over night, up to 3 days (depends on the expiry date of the chicken). The more you keep the meat in the marinade, the tender and juicier will get when cooked).
3. Line a backing sheet with baking paper, add the chicken breast and bake until golden.
4. Allow the chicken to rest in a dish covered with a lid or foil for 5 minutes before serving.

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Baked lemon chicken breast

Today I’m going to show you how to get a delicious oven baked lemon chicken breast marinated in lemon, garlic, olive oil and herbs.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Refrigerator time1 day d

Total Time1 day d 40 minutes mins

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: baked lemon chicken breast, lemon chicken breast, lemon herb chicken breast, lemon thyme chicken breast, oven baked chicken breast

Servings: 4 people

Author: Petro Neagu

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going into sleep mode

Ingredients

• 1 lbs chicken breast skinless, boneless

For the marinade

• juice from 1/2 a lemon large
• 1/4 cup sunflower oil
• 1 tsp thyme dry
• 1/2 tsp mint dry
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Equipment

• cutting board
• kitchen knife
• baking sheet
• baking paper
• spatula
• mixing bowl
• plastic wrap

Instructions

• Add all marinade ingredients in a mixing bowl and combine well. Cut the chicken breast into cutlets. Add the chicken cutlets and mix to coat well, using your hands to rub the chicken lightly, to distribute the marinade ingredients evenly. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and keep in the fridge over night, up to 3 days.
  
• Pre heat the oven at 400 F. Line a baking sheet with baking paper (add a double layer or use a layer of baking sheet and a layer of foil).
  
• Distribute the chicken cutlets.
  
• Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the chicken is golden in color. Check for doneness after 20 minutes. For crispier chicken, bake for additional 5 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a bowl or a roomy dish and cover with a lid or foil for about 5 minutes before serving.
  

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