Name: Baked Lemon Chicken
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1485 min
Ingredients: 4 Tbsp Avocado Oil; 3/4 Cup Lemon Juice; 1/2 tsp Salt; 1 Pinch Cayenne Pepper; 1 Pinch Cumin; 1 tsp Rosemary ((chopped)); 1 tsp Thyme ((chopped)); 4 Chicken Breasts (Boneless & Skinless)

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This baked lemon chicken breast recipe is easy and healthy. It's a chicken marinade that works great for baked chicken breast or baked chicken thighs and is perfect for meal prep, in tacos, on a salad or with your favorite side dish. Your family is going to love this easy baked chicken recipe.

This baked Lemon Chicken recipe is a healthy chicken recipe, perfect for meal prep. It's great on salads, in tacos, or just as a main dish with your favorite side.

If you're looking for more of the best chicken recipes, be sure to try 3 Citrus Chicken Marinade, Cornflake Chicken, Grilled Apricot Chicken Recipe, and Easy Grilled Caprese Chicken Recipe.

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Lemon Chicken Marinade
Baked Chicken Time
What temperature is baked chicken done?
Ingredients in Baked Lemon Chicken
Tips for Baking Chicken Breast
Baked Lemon Chicken

Lemon Chicken Marinade

This Lemon Chicken Marinade is so easy to make. It's basically just throwing a few ingredients in with your chicken and baking whenever you're ready. You can make this marinade 2-48 hours before you need to bake your chicken breasts. You can marinate your chicken in a glass bowl, glass baking dish or in a gallon ziplock bag.

This lemon chicken marinade also works great for baked chicken thighs. You can use this same recipe for lemon chicken marinade to make baked chicken breasts, baked chicken thighs, and chicken tenderloins. This same marinade recipe works great if you want to grill your chicken too. It's so versatile and easy to make and bonus, it's a healthy chicken recipe that adds loads of flavor to the chicken.

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Baked Chicken Time

What temperature should chicken be cooked to in the oven?

Generally, I bake chicken at 350 degrees F. for 30 to 40 minutes. Please check out my very large Internal Temperature Chart for Cooking Meats and Baked Goods. To be sure that the chicken breasts are cooked thoroughly, use an instant digital Cooking or Meat Thermometer for the proper temperature of 165 degrees F

How long does it take to Bake Chicken at 350 degrees?

The Temperature and time to bake chicken depends on how big the piece of chicken is. It typically takes 25 to 30 minutes to bake a 4-oz. chicken breast at 350°F (177?C) but an internal temperature of 165?F (74?C) degrees is the best way to determine if a chicken breast is fully cooked.

How long does it take to grill chicken?

Average Grilling Times

Small Chicken breast, boneless, skinless (6 – 8 ounces ) will take between 8 to 12 minutes over direct medium heat (350° F)
Medium Chicken breast, bone-in (10 – 12 ounces) 30 to 40 minutes over indirect medium heat.
Large Chicken leg or thigh, bone-in- 30 to 40 minutes over indirect medium heat.

What temperature is baked chicken done?

Chicken, bone-in or bone-out is done when the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees. It's best to use a digital thermometer to determine if the chicken breast is fully cooked.

Ingredients in Baked Lemon Chicken

Avocado Oil- I like to use Avocado Oil for this chicken marinade recipe. It has a high smoking point and it doesn’t add a lot of flavors.

Lemon Juice– Good marinades call for some kind of acidic element- For this recipe, I like to use lemon juice. White vinegar would be another good option. The acidity in the marinade will help break down the muscle fibers and tenderize the chicken.

Salt-Be sure to salt the chicken breast like you would if you were grilling it.

Cayenne Pepper- This adds just a little heat to the chicken marinade. You can certainly take this out if you don't like heat but this adds a nice little bit of warmness to the chicken marinade.

Cumin- This will add just a little bit of a smokey flavor to the chicken recipe.

Rosemary- Of course fresh is best but you can use dried if you don't have any on hand. In that case, be sure to marinate your chicken breast at least 4 hours so the rosemary can reconstitute and you can get some of that amazing flavor.

Thyme- the perfect pairing with lemon and rosemary.

Chicken Breasts- It's best to use chicken with the fat trimmed off. If your chicken breast if thick, follow the steps the tenderize and flatten the thickest part of the chicken breast.

Tips for Baking Chicken Breast

Tenderize your chicken. It will really make a big difference when grilling your chicken. It’s really easy to do and only takes a couple of minutes. You can place the chicken between two sheets of parchment paper and whack it on the thickest part of the chicken breast with a rolling pin or mason jar You can also put it in a gallon ziplock bag and use the flat side of a meat tenderizer. Don’t over-pound your meat. A few good whacks will do the trick. Just whack on the thickest part of the breast to help even it out. Your chicken breast will cook a lot more evenly if the meat is a uniform thickness.
Marinate your chicken. The high PH from vinegar or lemon juice helps break down the muscle fibers in the chicken and the oil will help keep it moist.
Don’t overcook your chicken. The best way to assure you’re not overcooking your chicken is to use a digital meat thermometer. Grill the chicken only until it reaches 165 degrees.
Cook at a lower heat for longer to keep the chicken breast tender and juicy.
When the chicken is done, keep it in the baking dish or place it on a platter with foil over it for 5 minutes to redistribute the juices and to keep the chicken warm and juicy.

Baked Lemon Chicken

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 40

marinating time 1

Total Time 1 45

Servings people

Calories 261kcal

Author The Carefree Kitchen

Ingredients

Lemon Chicken Marinade Recipe

4 tablespoon Avocado Oil
¾ Cup Lemon Juice
½ tsp Salt
1 Pinch Cayenne Pepper
1 Pinch Cumin
1 teaspoon Rosemary (chopped)
1 teaspoon Thyme (chopped)
4 Chicken Breasts Boneless & Skinless

Instructions

How to Tenderize Chicken

Place the chicken in a gallon Ziplock bag, use a rolling pin, mason jar, or the flat side of a meat tenderizer to pound the thickest part of the chicken breast. Pound until it about ¾" thick, similar to the rest of the chicken breast. (This should only take a few good whacks.)

How to Make Lemon Chicken Marinade

In the gallon Ziplock bag, add the avocado oil, lemon juice, salt, cayenne pepper, cumin, rosemary, and thyme.
Roll the chicken breasts around in the ziplock bag to get the marinade all over the chicken. Let the chicken marinate for 2-24 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.
Place the chicken breasts in the baking dish.
Bake the chicken in the oven for 20-35 minutes, depending on how thick the chicken breasts are. When the chicken is done the internal temperature of the chicken should be 165 degrees Fahrenheit. It is the safe internal temperature for both the white meat and dark chicken meat.
Remove from the oven and spoon the juices over the chicken breasts. (If desired) Place under the broiler for 3-5 minutes or until the chicken is golden brown. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.

Nutrition

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