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Slices of lemon pepper chicken breast.
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Baked Lemon Pepper Chicken

Looking for a quick and flavorful dinner with little hands-on cooking? This Baked Lemon Pepper Chicken recipe is perfect for any night of the week, and can even double as meal-prep for lunches. Plus, we’re sharing our best tips for cooking chicken breasts in the oven, too!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time55 minutes
Course: Dinner
Diet: Gluten Free
Keyword: Baked Lemon Pepper Chicken
Method: Bake
Author: Lexi's Clean Kitchen

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon honey optional
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoons butter diced into small pieces (optional)
  • Parsley for serving

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400ºF.
  • Place chicken breasts on a steady surface between two sheets of parchment or plastic wrap. Using the flat side of a meat mallet or rolling pin, pound each to an even thickness.
  • Place chicken inside a 9x13”, or similar sized baking dish. In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, zest, oil, garlic cloves, garlic powder, and honey and pour over the chicken. Sprinkle the chicken with half the salt and ground black pepper, turn over and sprinkle with the remaining half. Pierce the chicken lightly with a fork all over. Let the chicken marinate for 15-30 minutes at room temperature.
  • Place diced butter on top of chicken and bake on the middle rack until the chicken is nearly finished cooking through, to about 160ºF, about 30-35 minutes.
  • Remove the chicken from the oven and transfer to a plate and loosely cover it with aluminum foil. Let it rest for 5-10 minutes while the temperature of the chicken continues to cook from residual heat. It will rise to above 165ºF during this time.
  • Slice and serve with the pan drippings, lemon slices and your favorite sides.

Notes

This baked lemon chicken is awesome for lunch meal prep, especially on a salad. Serving it over a big leafy green salad with a ton of veggies is maybe my favorite way to eat this chicken. So bake up a big batch on Sunday and slice and save for meal prep for the week. This chicken will last about 3-4 days in the refrigerator.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/4 recipe | Calories: 316kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 52g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 130mg | Sodium: 380mg | Sugar: 1g