The Best Easy Lemon Chicken Recipe (2024)

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By Courtney ODell

4.66 from 44 votes

May 31, 2020, Updated Mar 22, 2024

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This delicious easy lemon chicken has the absolute best quick and easy lemon chicken recipe with simple ingredients and and is naturally low carb and keto diet compliant.

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Best Easy Lemon Chicken

This lemon chicken recipe is a simple, quick, and effortless way to get delicious restaurant-quality lemon chicken at home for a one pot chicken dinner the whole family will love. This recipe is easy enough for a weeknight but decadent enough for a dinner party or Sunday supper.

This lemon chicken recipe is keto diet compliant, making it a delicious low carb chicken dinner to add to your weekly menu rotation. It’s great on its own, fresh from the skillet, or in sandwiches, salads, wraps, and in pasta or rice dishes!

To Make One Pot Lemon Chicken, You’ll Need:

Chicken Thighs or Breasts
Lemons
Garlic Cloves
Olive oil or butter
Olive oil or butter and Pepper
Italian Herb Seasoning Blend

How to Get Crispy Chicken Thighs

If you’re using chicken thighs in the best easy lemon chicken recipe, I am giving my best tips for easy crispy pan seared chicken thighs (skin-on or skin-off).

Don’t crowd the pan

To get a perfect crispy crunch on chicken thighs, cooking them hot and fast is key.

Don’t overcrowd your pan – it will bring down the temperature of the pan, making chicken flabby and not crispy.

Cook in batches if needed to give chicken thighs ample room to crisp.

Pre-sear to crunchy

Don’t overflip chicken, let thighs crisp up before flipping or adding to oven to bake.

Remove excess moisture

When pan frying, chicken thighs do best when they have been patted down with a paper towel to remove any excess water or fluid from chicken.

How To Get Juicy Lemon Chicken Breasts

If you’re using chicken breasts in this quick and easy lemon chicken recipe, I am giving my best tips for easy juicy pan seared chicken breasts.

Marinate at least 4 hours

While this recipe will still taste great without marinating, it is the best when chicken breasts have marinated at least 4 hours and up to one day before cooking.

Cut large chicken breasts down

Grocery store chicken, especially chicken breasts in economic bulk flat packaging (my personal favorite pick to help our family stay in-budget), can be very large.

Extra large chicken breasts require more cooking time – so cutting down the chicken helps to make the chicken cook faster, without compromising the chicken’s tenderness.

Depending on the size of your chicken, slice the breast in half length wise to make two smaller chicken breasts – or if the chicken is very fat, you can “butterfly” the breasts to make two thinner breasts.

Pan-sear chicken

Pre-sear chicken breasts in a pan before baking for the best flavor and a little crunch on the outside!

Let rest before serving

Like meat, chicken needs to rest at least 5 minutes after cooking before you want to cut into it so the juices lock in.

This easy one pot lemon chicken is one of my favorite one pot keto chicken dinners because it doesn’t require a ton of fancy ingredients or equipment. In fact, you probably already have most of this recipe on hand!

If you love this easy lemon chicken you will also love this one pot wonders:

Or you can try my 10 Minute Broccolini Recipe, Roasted Cauliflower with Cilantro Cashew Pesto, Chipotle Knockoff Cilantro Lime Rice, 10 Minute Broccolini Recipe, The Best Easy Air Fryer French Fries Recipe, or The Best Chopped Chinese Chicken Salad Recipe.

To check out my amazingly delicious Air Fried Lemon Chicken Recipe please click here.

To check out more chicken recipes click here!

If you love the best easy lemon chicken recipe as much as I do, please give it five stars and help me share on facebook and pinterest!

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The Best Easy Lemon Chicken Recipe

The Best Easy Lemon Chicken Recipe – the absolute best quick and easy lemon chicken recipe with simple ingredients and TONS of lemon chicken flavor!

Course One Pot

Cuisine American

Keyword #ketochicken, #lemonchicken, #onepotmeal, easy lemon chicken, keto, keto chicken, one pot chicken recipes, quick and easy lemon chicken, the best lemon chicken

Prep Time 3 minutes minutes

Cook Time 18 minutes minutes

Equipment

Ingredients

½ cup olive oil to marinate
t tsp sea salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tbsp italian herbs dried
6 chicken thighs or 6 6oz chicken breasts
2 tbsp olive oil
½ lemon sliced into rounds

Instructions

In a large ziploc bag or glass dish, add olive oil, herbs, lemon zest, salt, and pepper and add chicken to bag/bowl to marinate for at least 30 minutes (preferably 4-24 hours.)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large, heavy pan, heat olive oil until light and shimmery.
Remove chicken from marinade, shake off excess liquid.
Discard oil and marinade bag.
Add chicken to pan and cook 3-4 minutes until one side is golden brown and crunchy. Flip and repeat for other side.
When chicken is well seared on each side, check internal temperature. Place oven-safe skillet into oven and roast until chicken is 165 degrees internal temperature, about 5-10 minutes depending on chicken breast/thigh size.
Remove from pan and plate with grilled vegetables, topping with sauce.Also great to add to salads, wraps, tacos, or save for meal prep to reheat for lunch.

Video

Nutrition

Sweet C’s Favorites

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All are easy and full of flavor – and most are low carb!

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Categorized as:
Chicken, Chicken Thighs, keto, Keto Chicken, Lemons, Main Dishes, One Pot, paleo, Recipes

About Courtney

Courtney loves to share great wine, good food, and loves to explore far flung places- all while masting an everyday elegant and easy style at lifestyle blog Sweet C’s Designs. Sweet C's devoted to finding the best food and drinks you'll want to make or find, around the world!

FAQs

What does soaking chicken in lemon juice do? ›

Here's why: Lemon juice helps to tenderize meat, but when left for too long, it will break down the proteins too much, making the meat tough and rubbery… sometimes even mushy. So, if you want tender, juicy, and flavorful chicken, make sure to only marinate the chicken for 2-3 hours.

Tell Me More ›

Do you put lemon juice on chicken before or after cooking? ›

Fip the chicken in the pan, then add fresh lemon juice, chicken stock, and more lemon zest to the skillet. Stir to scrape any stuck bits from the bottom of the pan, slide it into the oven, and bake until the chicken is cooked through (about 30 minutes).

Explore More ›

What is the secret to juicy chicken? ›

Because chicken isn't a very fatty cut of meat, you'll want to add some fat to keep the meat hydrated. Most recipes use butter or oil for cooking chicken, but mayo is the better fat option when it comes to producing juicy chicken.

Know More ›

Why put a lemon in a chicken? ›

The benefits of the hot steaming lemon going into the chicken are very obvious as the meat tastes amazing, and the chicken cooks slightly quicker because of it. Rub the chicken inside and out with a generous amount of salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Tell Me More ›

What do you eat with lemon chicken? ›

What to Serve With Lemon Pepper Chicken

Potatoes: Roasted, Mashed, Greek, Wedges, Scalloped, Grilled, Skillet.
Roasted Vegetables: Broccoli, Asparagus, Green Beans, Carrots.
Pasta: Buttered Noodles, Garlic Parmesan Pasta, Creamy Herb Pasta, Mushroom Ravioli.
Garlic Bread with Cheese.

More items...

Feb 5, 2023

Read The Full Story ›

How long can chicken sit in lemon marinade? ›

Most recipes for marinating meat and poultry recommend six hours up to 24 hours. It is safe to keep the food in the marinade longer, but after two days it is possible that the marinade can start to break down the fibers of the meat, causing it to become mushy.

Keep Reading ›

What happens when you put lemon on raw chicken? ›

The lemon also denatures proteins on the surface of the chicken, similar to how citrus "cooks" fish in ceviche. This will impart a tenderizing effect, making the chicken softer and juicier as a bonus. Vinegar also works as a cleaning agent due to its similar acidity.

Read The Full Story ›

Should you rinse chicken before cooking it? ›

While washing meat and poultry to remove dirt, slime, fat or blood may have been appropriate decades ago when many slaughtered and prepared their own food, the modern food safety system doesn't require it. Meat and poultry are cleaned during processing, so further washing is not necessary.

Get More Info ›

What spices go well with lemon? ›

Lemon. Herbs and Spices: Pairs really well with lemongrass, cardamom, thyme, basil, cilantro, ginger, coriander, nutmeg, and tarragon. Foods: Pairs really well with other citrus flavours, carrot, cranberry, seafood, and bacon.

Discover More ›

Why do you rub lemon on chicken? ›

Like pickling, smoking, and curing, the practice of rinsing chicken with lemon juice probably started out as a way to neutralize any off-aromas in the meat and cut down on bacteria.

Read The Full Story ›

Why do you squeeze lemon on fried chicken? ›

If you're trying to cut down on the amount of salt in your cooking, lemon can help. Instead of salting a finished dish, try a squeeze of fresh lemon just before serving. This works especially well with fried foods.

Learn More ›

What tenderizes chicken the best? ›

You might have wondered why most chefs or cooks prefer to soak their chicken in buttermilk or yogurt overnight. Well, the answer is simple: they are tenderizing the chicken for cooking later, and that's the secret behind their super delicious, juicy chicken.

See Details ›

How do you keep chicken super moist? ›

Don't overcook them; they dry out.
Use a meat thermometer to ensure they reach 165°F (75°C) but not beyond.
Marinate or brine them beforehand to add moisture.
Cover them with foil while baking to keep moisture in.
Let them rest after cooking; this helps juices redistribute.

Mar 21, 2023

Explore More ›

How do you make chicken taste more flavorful? ›

Brining your chicken is a foolproof way to not only add flavour to your roast but also to ensure you don't overcook the meat. Essentially a mix of salt, sugar and water, we love adding herbs, garlic or whole spices such as fennel and cumin to flavour the brine.

View Details ›

What is lemon cream sauce made of? ›

Mix lemon juice and soy sauce. Pour into a saute pan and heat over medium heat for a few minutes. Add Greek yogurt and butter and whisk until smooth. Continue to heat for another few minutes, add pepper to taste; adjust to your palate.

What is lemon glaze made of? ›

Lemon Glaze Recipe FAQs

This recipe has 4 ingredients, powdered sugar, lemon juice, whole milk, and vanilla extract.

Can you buy lemon sauce for chicken? ›

Ben´s Original™ Lemon Chicken cooking sauce is free from artificial colours and preservatives, and helps you create a delicious and wholesome Chinese meal in no time.

Show Me More ›

What is lemon butter sauce made of? ›

Lemon butter sauce is a decadent sauce made from lemon and butter, plus ingredients such as shallot, garlic, chicken stock, and parsley.

Learn More Now ›

The Best Easy Lemon Chicken Recipe (2024)

Best Easy Lemon Chicken

To Make One Pot Lemon Chicken, You’ll Need: