Description
This baked lemon chicken recipe features tender boneless skinless chicken breasts cooked in a buttery, garlicky lemon sauce with Italian seasoning. It's an easy, flavorful dinner perfect for weeknights, garnished with fresh parsley and optional lemon slices for a bright finish.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken
- 1 1/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Sauce
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- lemon slices for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit to prepare for baking the chicken.
- Season Chicken: Season both sides of the chicken breasts evenly with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning to infuse flavor.
- Brown Chicken: Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts and cook 5 minutes per side until nicely browned but not fully cooked through.
- Prepare Baking Dish: Transfer the browned chicken breasts into a baking dish, arranging them evenly.
- Make Sauce: In a small bowl, mix melted butter, minced garlic, chicken broth, and lemon juice until combined.
- Pour Sauce Over Chicken: Pour the prepared butter-lemon sauce evenly over the chicken breasts in the baking dish.
- Bake Chicken: Place the baking dish in the oven and bake for 25 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and juices run clear. Adjust baking time according to chicken thickness.
- Serve: Spoon sauce from the bottom of the baking dish over the chicken. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and garnish with lemon slices if desired before serving.
Notes
- Use boneless, skinless chicken breasts for faster cooking and easy slicing.
- To ensure even cooking, pound chicken breasts to uniform thickness if needed.
- Butter and lemon sauce can be adjusted for more tang or richness by adding extra lemon juice or butter.
- Serve with steamed vegetables or rice to complete the meal.
- Leftovers can be refrigerated up to 3 days and reheated gently to keep chicken moist.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 271 kcal
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 293 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 2 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 30 g
- Cholesterol: 113 mg
