Baked Lemon Chicken breasts are an easy and flavor-packed way to spice up an ordinary chicken dinner. Use leftover sauce to drizzle on top before serving!
Baked Lemon Chicken Breasts
Who doesn’t love a good easy baked chicken recipe?! Finding new and fun ways to dress up baked chicken is always a fun task and these baked lemon chicken breasts are truly ones to take note on.
Juicy and tender bone-in chicken breasts are topped with fresh spices and lemon slices and oven baked until they reach perfection. It’s really one of those recipes that will never let you down.
How To Make Baked Lemon Chicken Breasts
You’ll want to note that this recipe calls for bone-in chicken breasts, that’s why the overall cook time is a little longer than most chicken breast recipes. I prefer to use the bone-in because cooking with the bone in allows for a juicier and more flavorful end product. Don’t let the longer cook time deter you though, this is still a great easy recipe that doesn’t take a lot of effort. Options included below for boneless chicken.
- Start by preheating the oven and combine the salt, pepper, paprika, oregano, cumin, and olive oil in a bowl and stir until well mixed.
- Next, wash the lemons and thinly slice.
- Place chicken breasts bone side down in a glass baking dish. Evenly coat with the spice mixture and then top with lemon slices.
- Bake uncovered until chicken breasts reach an internal temperature of 165F.
- Remove the chicken breasts from the baking dish to a serving platter.
- Collect the pan juices and serve alongside the chicken as a sauce. Top chicken with a bit of chopped parsley, Serve and Enjoy!
Can I Make This With Another Type of Chicken?
Yes, you can make the recipe with other types of chicken. You will just have to adjust the cooking time based on the type of chicken you decide to make the recipe with. Each type of chicken will have a different cooking time, so here’s a guide below on how to adjust your cooking time based on your cut of meat.
Chicken Cooking Times
Boneless chicken breasts: 25-30 minutes
Chicken tenderloins: 15-20 minutes
Bone-in chicken thighs: 35-45 minutes
Boneless chicken thighs: 20-25 minutes
What To Serve With Baked Lemon Chicken
A recipe as classic as a baked lemon chicken can really go with anything. Pair it with your favorite sides for an easy weeknight dinner.
I usually serve this alongside my Garlic Rubbed Roasted Cabbage Steaks (they have the same cook time and temperature!). An easy Arugula Salad on the side takes no time. Feeling like something a bit more hardy? Try my Instant Pot Rice, Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes (Dairy Free), or even Classic Potato Salad (my Mom’s recipe!).
Recipe Tips
- The longer you leave the spice marinade on the chicken, the more flavor you are going to get so feel free to mix up the spices and oil and put it on the chicken the night before or in the morning.
- The size of bone-in chicken breasts can really vary. As a general rule, a 1/2 pound per person is usually perfect as 2 to 3 ounces will be bones and the cooked portion will always be smaller than the uncooked portion. I calculated each serving size as 5-ounces cooked chicken plus 1/6 of the marinade.
- To always be sure your chicken is cooked all the way through, use a meat thermometer and remove the chicken from the oven when the internal temperature reaches 165F.
Like This Recipe? Check Out More Easy Chicken Recipes
Dinner is about to get a whole lot easier once you check out even more of my favorite chicken dinner recipes. All easy, healthy, and full of flavor. A dinner ever busy mom dreams about!
Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating below!
Baked Lemon Chicken breasts are an easy and flavor-packed way to spice up an ordinary chicken dinner. Use leftover sauce to drizzle on top before serving!
- 1.25 teaspoons kosher salt
- 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 medium organic lemons washed and thinly sliced
- 3 pounds bone-in skinless chicken breasts (usually 4 to 6 pieces)
- parsley for garnish
Preheat the oven to 400F. Begin by combining salt, pepper, paprika, oregano, cumin and olive oil until well mixed.
Wash lemons and thinly slice.
Place chicken breasts bone side down in a glass baking dish. Evenly coat with spice mixture and then top with lemon slices.
Bake uncovered for 50 to 55 minutes until chicken breasts reach an internal temperature of 165F. Remove the chicken breasts from the baking dish to a serving platter. Collect the pan juices and serve alongside the chicken as a sauce. Top chicken with a bit of chopped parsley, Serve and Enjoy!
Recipe Video
- The longer you leave the spice marinade on the chicken, the more flavor you are going to get so feel free to mix up the spices and oil and put it on the chicken the night before or in the morning.
- The size of bone-in chicken breasts can really vary. As a general rule, a 1/2 pound per person is usually perfect as 2 to 3 ounces will be bones and the cooked portion will always be smaller than the uncooked portion. I calculated each serving size as 5-ounces cooked chicken plus 1/6 of the marinade.
- To always be sure your chicken is cooked all the way through, use a meat thermometer and remove the chicken from the oven when the internal temperature reaches 165F.
Did you make this recipe? Tag @EverydayMaven on Instagram with the hashtag #EveryDayMaven and please give a star rating below.
Update Notes: This recipe was originally published in June 2013 and was updated in July 2019 with new photos, step-by-step instructions and more helpful information.
I haven’t been able to locate smoked paprika in any grocery stores near me and am just wondering if regular Paprika would work just as well? Thanks!
Absolutely! Just a bit more mild for the flavor profile.
Hey
I’m going to make this tonight.
What side did you for the dish?
I like to bake my Garlic Rubbed Roasted Cabbage Steaks as a side since they cook at the same temperature and for the same amount of time!
Not a seasoned cooker here, can I cook both the cabbage side and chicken at the same time? Both go in the oven right? The last I tried cooking two diff dishes in the oven that required the same temp one didn’t cook as well….
Hi Nic! For these two recipes, definitely because they both cook at 400F. However, when I have more than one tray in my oven, I find that I occasionally have to add an additional 5 to 10 minutes of cook time so just keep that in mind.
This recipe was EASY but I didn’t think it would be SO DELICIOUS! My husband, and my 3 year old son devoured it. I found this recipe/website online when I was getting ready to cook. I will be coming back for more recipes. I am pregnant and don’t have energy to cook like I used to but it tasted like I did! Thank you so much!
Thank you so much Karina!! There is nothing better than the whole family loving the same dish. Congrats on your pregnancy. I just had my second son earlier this year (January). 🙂
Question – Does this recipe cook and freeze well? Would I be better offer freezing the raw chicken in the marinade and then simply cooking it off once we arrived at the vacation home?
Hi Jamie,
You could do it either way and it would work. One benefit to freezing the raw chicken in the marinade is that you can cook it and serve. If you pre-cook it and defrost, you will need to reheat the chicken, which could dry it out. Either way, enjoy it and have a great trip!
I made this tonight and it was amazing! It is definitely a keeper. My son went back for thirds!!! Thank you so much for sharing
So glad you liked it! Thanks for letting me know 🙂
I agree!!!
I was not ready for the deliciousness of this chicken dish. I followed the recipe to the letter because I’m weird like that. I agree with what was said about the more spice on the chicken the more flavorable. My family really enjoyed it. .. even my 5hr old. I even shared the recipe with a couple of people. Thank you!
Hi Amanda! Thank you so much for the feedback – so glad everyone enjoyed it – especially your 5-year old!!! 🙂
I made this for the first time, using (gasp!) frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts. I used a basting brush to put the oil-seasoning mix onto the chicken, and I loosely covered with foil for the first 40 minutes (because they were frozen), and removed the foil for the last 20. I did it at 400 degrees. It was GREAT! The chicken was very moist and flavorful. This definitely goes into my “tried and true” file, to be made again. I served it with sauteed sliced red onion and broccoli.
Hi Sue, So great to hear! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment and let me know 🙂
This was so good! Thanks for the recipe.
So glad you liked it Anastasia!
Just finished eating this. I was looking for something quick and easy, and this was delightfully DELISH!!! Even our just-turned-2-year-old devoured a whole piece.
So glad to hear it Anna – thanks for taking the time to comment and let me know! 🙂
Everyday Maven – absolutely love this recipe!! Have you ever tried Limes instead of lemons? Just curious as I am planning on doing that tonight.
Being new to cooking and such, I’m trying to find quick and easy recipes that taste great and that I can enjoy on my Paleo eating plan! This was just the ticket! Thanks
No, I haven’t Scott. How did the limes work out?
Your chicken recipes looks good to try. I have been searching for lots of chicken recipes to make.
Come back and let me know how you like this one Ruth!
Love this recipe! I make it all the time!!
So glad you love it Rikki-Lynne and thanks for taking the time to comment and let me know!
I love this recipe, I make it all the time! Thanks for a great twist!
So great to hear Colleen – thanks for taking the time to let me know! 🙂
This recipe looks simple and delicious; I’d really like to try it. I have a question regarding rewarming. I will probably be making this the day before I’ll be serving it, due to time constraints. How would you recommend rewarming to minimize dryness? Also, if I use boneless cutlets as opposed to bone-in, would you recommend any recipe modifications?
Thank you!
That is tricky Faye as boneless chicken cutlets tend to be on the dryer side to start with. You will obviously need to adjust your cooking time but I would also suggest keeping the chicken in the pan juices until you rewarm it. Good luck and I hope it turns out – this is probably one I wouldn’t make the night before so I can’t wait to hear if it works for you!
Hi!
I was wondering, could I use boneless chicken breasts? If so, are there any adjustments I need to make?
Thanks!
Hi Melissa,
Yes, I would reduce the heat to 350F and let them cook 30 to 40 minutes or until the internal temp is 165F. Enjoy!
Would I be able to use real lemon juice instead of lemon slices?
Hi Krista,
For this recipe, I would go with real lemons. The flavor would be completely different with bottled lemon juice.
We loved this, my kids love it too!
Nice! Thanks for taking the time to let me know Mary 🙂
This recipe sounds delicious! Would there be any modifications (oven temp or cooking time) if boneless breasts are used?
Hi Bernadette,
I would reduce the heat to 350F and let them cook 30 to 40 minutes or until the internal temp is 165F. Enjoy!
What a great recipe! I love the flavours you’ve combined!! I hope your summer isn’t too hot and unbearable without AC. 🙂
Thanks Nancy! Luckily, we did get A/C for our bedrooms so sleeping is OK but this weekend has been over 90F so we have been out of the house non-stop just to keep cool!
It’s going to get even warmer. We don’t have air conditioning either, just a lot of fans! This chicken looks incredible, and I forgot about your cabbage steaks. Thanks for the reminder. I’ve been meaning to make them. They looked delicious.
Kristi – I saw pretty good deals on portable A/C’s at both Home Depot and Bed, Bath and Beyond in case you are interested. Stay cool!
I love simple recipes like this for hot summer nights – the lemons look so pretty on top.
Thanks Jeanette! I think we will doing a lot of simple food the next week because we are supposed to get a heat wave!
We couldn’t live without AC. And because we have AC, turning the oven on is no problem – so we use it all the time. That said, it’s been awhile since I’ve done chicken breasts in the oven. These look terrific! And I’d totally forgotten how good roast lemons are. 😉 Really good stuff – thanks so much.
I know John – even though we have the A/C window units for the bedrooms, it’s unbearable being in the kitchen on warm days because it just takes hours to cool off!
I had the best lemon and salt roasted chicken in Florence, and I’ve tried to duplicate it ever since.
This looks promising–thanks Alyssa!
(I could not handle life w/o AC, even if I don’t need to use it, having lived with a western-facing 3rd floor bedroom I completely understand . . .)
Luckily, it doesn’t get all that hot here but (confession) we do have portable A/C units for our bedrooms 😉
I’ve said this before, but I don’t even like chicken and I want this!!! It looks so light and yet full of flavor. My ideal Summer meal!
I think it’s summer + lemons. Add in an herb and all seems right in the world.
Just the thought of no air conditioning makes me shudder ;). This chicken sounds amazing though…so packed with flavor! Plus, so pretty.
Definitely trying this! I have some lemon slices left over from a juice cleanse and everything else is in the fridge or pantry!
Nice, I love when recipes work out like that – enjoy it Harrison!
We don’t eat meat very often but this looks so good and easy we might just need to try it. I use these spices a lot but usually with beany and tofu-y things. Love the lemon slices, they go so juicy and almost caramelised when cooked this way. Lovely
Simple recipe, but looks very flavorful! I don’t think I have tried making chicken with lemon, will save this recipe 🙂 thanks.
Great recipe. I would double the amount so as to have leftovers for salad and/or sandwich.
Great idea Norma!
I love roasted chicken, the lemon is a must!
I could eat lemon roast chicken daily!
Delicious! I have been using smoked paprika like crazy lately! It adds such great flavor to so many things. This looks like a yummy meal, especially with those cabbage steaks!
A perfect dish to celebrate the beginning of summer. Love the lemon slices 🙂
What a beautiful dish, Alyssa! I love the lemon slices on top, too. I’ll bet they help keep the breasts nice and moist, as well. Love your summer orange nail polish! 🙂
They do Hannah and some of the lemon juice drips into the pan juice and makes for a nice sauce!
This looks amazing…. Love that you put the lemons ontop of the chicken before roasting….
Roasted lemon slices are sooooo good!