Lemon Herb Baked Chicken
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Prep a batch of juicy Lemon Herb Baked Chicken for meal prep. This lemon herb chicken is great for salads, wraps and sandwiches. We make it almost every week in our home!
Simplify meal prep with this oven baked chicken breast
I love having precooked proteins in the fridge to grab all week. This lemon herb chicken is the perfect protein for many meals.
Most people think marinated chicken has the most flavor, but you can skip the marinating step here and still have super juicy chicken. Baking the chicken with lemon juice and fresh herbs infuses it with the best flavor.
Bake a batch of these lemon herb chicken breasts on Sunday and use them throughout the week. My favorite way to use these healthy cooked chicken breasts is on salads.
This chicken is so tender, juicy and flavorful, but the flavor is neutral enough to be very versatile. I love to make salads with this chicken, lots of veggies, and my Mason Jar Salad Dressing.
Kitchen tools
- Baking dish
- Measuring spoons
- Liquid measuring cup
- Knife
- Cutting board
- Instant read thermometer
Serving suggestions
This lemon baked chicken recipe is truly so versatile. It can be served so many different ways throughout the week.
Like I said it is great with salads. I love to pair it with a veggie couscous salad or this easy Greek salad to add some extra protein.
I also like to slice it super thin and use in place of lunchmeat in sandwiches, wraps or paninis. My favorite panini is made with cheddar, bacon and chicken. Then, I dip it in a creamy honey mustard sauce.
Ingredients
You will be amazed at how easy it is to make herb chicken breast in the oven with just a few ingredients.
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Fresh lemon juice
- Olive oil
- Dijon mustard
- Garlic powder
- Pepper
- Fresh or dried parsley
Ingredient Substitutions
There are so many ways to customize this lemon baked chicken to fit your preferences. First of all, you can use boneless skinless chicken thighs instead of breasts.
If you use thighs, they may cook faster or slower than the breasts. Be sure to keep an eye on the temperature so they don’t overcook.
When you are baking chicken with lemon, you can intensify the flavor by using lemon zest along with the lemon juice. You can even put whole lemon slices on top of the breasts before placing the casserole dish in the oven.
To intensify the garlic herb flavor of this lemon chicken breast, replace the garlic powder with fresh garlic. I would use about 3 cloves of garlic finely minced and mix that into the marinade.
Parsley is my favorite herb to use for this herb chicken, but you can truly use any herbs you like or a mixture or herbs. I think it would be delicious to combine fresh parsley, fresh dill and chives for a really herby chicken marinade.
You could even use fresh basil for this baked chicken. I know my garden always has an abundance of basil every summer that would be perfect for this recipe!
Let’s make some Lemon Herb Baked Chicken!
Step 1: Prep lemon baked chicken
To begin, preheat oven to 400F. Then, in bowl or pitcher mix oil, lemon juice, dijon mustard, pepper, garlic powder and parsley.
Next, add chicken breast to an oven-safe dish. I used a square 10×10 ceramic casserole dish. Then, pour lemon-herb mixture over the chicken and toss the chicken to coat.
Spoon some of the excess marinade over the top of the breasts before baking.
Step 2: Bake the chicken
Then, place the casserole dish in the oven and bake at 400F for 30-40 minutes. Exact timing will depend on the size of the chicken breasts that are baking.
After 30 minutes, test the temperature of the chicken with an instant-read thermometer. The thickest part of the breast should reach an internal temperature of at least 165F.
When the chickens’ internal temp reads 165F remove the casserole dish from the oven. Finally, allow the chicken to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
I like to store the chicken in any of the leftover juice from the bottom of the casserole dish to keep it extra juicy.
Storage and reheating
Once prepared, allow this lemon herb baked chicken to cool completely. You can slice it before storage or store it whole.
Either way, I like to store the chicken with the leftover marinade from the bottom of the casserole dish to keep it moist. Place chicken with marinade in an airtight container.Store it in the fridge for up to 4 days.
I prefer to eat this cold instead of reheating it. If you do want to reheat it, I recommend storing it whole and reheating gently in the oven at 325F until just warmed through.
Check out these other baked chicken recipes
- Healthy Baked Chicken Cutlet
- Oven Baked Chicken Tenders
- Crispy Oven Baked Panko Chicken
- Cast Iron Baked Bone-In Chicken Breast
You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!
Lemon Herb Baked Chicken
A simple and healthy oven-baked lemon herb chicken breast recipe.
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp ground pepper
- 1/4 cup fresh finely chopped parsley or 1 tbsp dried parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F
- Mix oil, lemon juice, dijon mustard, pepper, garlic powder and parsley in a small mixing bowl
- Add chicken breast to an oven-safe dish – I used a casserole dish
- Pour lemon-herb mixture over the chicken and toss the chicken to coat
- Place the casserole dish in the oven and bake at 400F for 30-40 minutes depending on the size of the chicken breasts
- After 30 minutes test the temperature of the chicken with an instant-read thermometer – the thickest part of the breast should read at least 165F
- When the chickens’ internal temp reads 165F remove the casserole dish from the oven
- Allow the chicken to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
Notes
- Store chicken with any excess juices to keep it moist
Luna says
Loved this chicken! I am generally no good at cooking meats, but after this recipe I definitely gained some confidence! In the future I may reduce the amount of oil and lemon juice since a lot of it just pooled in the bottom/burned, but the flavor was great nonetheless. Will definitely be making this one again!
★★★★★
Madeline says
so glad to hear that! thank you!!
Bri says
I make this basically every other week because it’s so simple and SO delicious. My husband loves it and always asks for it! I would definitely recommend reducing the oil a bit since most of it just pools in the bottom of the pan and burns the extra herbs. Overall a super simple dish that will absolutely please!
★★★★★
Emma says
This chicken was so easy to throw together and it turned out perfectly moist and delicious to put on top of a salad (through it’s flavorful enough that I would love to eat it all by itself). I added some seasoned salt to the chicken breasts before pouring the sauce on top. I can’t wait to make this regularly!
★★★★★
Kaitlin C says
I made this tonight and it was surprisingly flavorful!! I’m always skeptical of dishes with very few ingredients. Great for a quick weeknight meal. Will be making this chicken again and pairing it with salad because the dressing is delish.
★★★★★
Kaitlin C says
I made this tonight and it was surprisingly flavorful!! I’m always skeptical of dishes with very few ingredients. Great for a quick weeknight meal. Will be making this chicken again and pairing it with salad because the dressing is delish
★★★★★
Madeline says
Awesome! Thanks, Kaitlin!