Split chicken breasts were on sale at Whole Foods this past week, so I couldn’t resist the chance to make some more low and slow roasted chicken (because that Herb Roasted Chicken Breast that I made was SO good). This time, though, I wanted to try a different, yet classic, flavor combo. This Lemon Garlic Roasted Chicken is incredibly simple, but seriously scrumptious!
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Why Bake Chicken “Low and Slow”?
This low and slow oven roasting technique creates a deliciously tender meat, similar to what you get with a rotisserie chicken. It also creates a delicious pan juice that I like to spoon over the meat after slicing for even more flavor and moisture. It’s just to die for.
But be aware, this recipe is specifically for “split breasts” which means the breast has bones, skin, and rib meat intact. The only thing that has been done to this chicken breast is that it has been “split” into two pieces.
Can I Use Boneless Chicken Breast?
Boneless skinless breasts will not work the same way. You can potentially do other bone-in, skin on cuts of chicken, but the cooking time will be different because of the size of the pieces. I’ve only done this technique with split breasts so far, so that is the only cut that I can really provide correct cooking times and temperatures for.
How to Serve Lemon Garlic Roasted Chicken
Once this chicken is roasted, I like to carve the meat from the bone, place it in a container, spoon the juices over top, and keep it on hand to use like rotisserie chicken. I use it to snack on, make quick wraps, or to add to salads.
What to Serve with Roast Chicken
Roast chicken is such a classic meal, I suggest keeping the side dishes pretty simple and classic as well. Try serving your roast chicken with: Lemon Butter Green Beans, Garlic Herb Mashed Potatoes, or Roasted Asparagus and Tomatoes.
Lemon Garlic Roasted Chicken
Servings 4Ingredients
- 2 small or 1 large lemon ($0.30)
- 1/3 cup olive oil ($0.78)
- 6 cloves garlic ($0.48)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
- Freshly cracked pepper ($0.05)
- 2 lbs split chicken breasts* ($4.77)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 275ºF. Squeeze about 3 Tbsp lemon juice from the lemon(s) and slice the remainder. Mince two cloves of the garlic, and peel the remaining 4. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, minced garlic, salt, and pepper.
- Pat the chicken breasts dry with a paper towel. Place them in a glass or ceramic casserole dish. Pour the prepared lemon marinade over the chicken, using a spoon to redistribute the marinade and make sure the surface of the chicken is fully covered. Add the remaining cloves of peeled garlic and sliced lemon around the chicken. If you’re sensitive to bitter flavors, add the additional lemon slices after baking. Cover the dish tightly with foil.
- Roast the chicken in the preheated oven for 90 minutes. After 90 minutes, turn the oven up to 425ºF, remove the foil, and baste the chicken with the juices from the bottom of the dish. Return the chicken to the oven and roast for an additional 20 minutes without foil at 425ºF, or until the skin is golden brown and crispy.
- Let the chicken rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing. Serve warm with the pan drippings spooned over top.
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Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Scroll down for the step by step photos!
How to Make Lemon Garlic Roast Chicken – Step by Step Photos
Begin by preheating the oven to 275ºF. Squeeze about 3 Tbsp of lemon juice from a small lemon or half of a large lemon, and slice the remaining lemon (I used two mini lemons, but you could use just one large lemon). Mince two cloves of garlic and peel four more, but leave them whole. In a small dish, whisk together the lemon juice, 1/3 cup olive oil, 2 minced cloves of garlic, 1/4 tsp salt, and some freshly cracked pepper.
Place two split chicken breasts (split chicken breasts are skin-on, bone-in, and rib meat attached) in a ceramic or glass casserole dish. Pat the skin dry with a paper towel, then pour the marinade over top. Spoon excess marinade from the bottom of the dish over the chicken to make sure the surface is fully covered.
Place the remaining four cloves of peeled garlic and lemon slices around the chicken. If you’re sensitive to bitter flavors, you may want to just add the lemon slices after cooking. The white pith can have a bitter flavor, which some people like, but others can not tolerate.
Cover the dish tightly with foil to hold in the moisture, and then roast for 90 minutes at 275ºF. After 90 minutes, turn the oven up to 425ºF, remove the foil, and baste the chicken with the juices from the bottom of the dish. (You can see how much moisture comes out of the chicken as it roasts. If the foil is not tightly covering the chicken, this juice will evaporate.)
Roast for an additional 20 minutes at 425ºF without foil, or until the skin is golden brown and crispy. Let the chicken rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. Make sure to spoon some of that delicious liquid over the meat, too!
I added a little chopped parsley to add color to the photos, but it’s not necessary for flavor.
That crispy brown skin is TO DIE FOR!
The best baked Chicken my family has everrrrrr eaten!!!!! so unbelievably delicious and easy…thank.tou for sharing
I tried this with 3 breasts and surrounded by Yukon Gold potatoes on my Green Mountain electric smoker, mesquite pellets!!!!
I actually cooked this using a 3lb whole chicken cut in half (that’s what happened when I sent my husband to the store, haha!) I seasoned the whole chicken with salt + pepper, then poured the marinade on it (top + bottom). I didn’t have whole garlic, so I used only a tsp of my jar minced garlic in the pan with the marinade juice, and did not use the extra lemon in the pan. Cooked the chicken with the instructions (no time added), and it came out perfectly! It was very juicy, and had lots of flavor! Super easy! So happy my husband got the wrong chicken! Lol!
Thanks for the recipe!
Followed the recipe to the letter, chicken was very dry / NOT juicy at all
It turned out like rubber as it cooked too long but it looked nice.
Yeah, mine was the tiniest bit dry. I will do it again, though. I think maybe check the temp of the chicken at 60min, and determine cook time from there. It was delicious and beautiful! I can’t wait to get the cook time perfected!
It was amazing!! I would definitely make it again.
Prepared this recipe by the book and I was very disappointed. Quality bone in breasts from a good butcher and it turned out dry and very bitter. I can’t recommend it and won’t make it again. A waste of good chicken. Sorry.
Would this work with skinless chicken breasts?
But be aware, this recipe is specifically for “split breasts” which means the breast has bones, skin, and rib meat intact. The only thing that has been done to this chicken breast is that it has been “split” into two pieces.
I followed the receipt but it came out dry. I will not make it again. I think the time baked is to long as this is chicken breast even if the bone is in.
I would actually give this recipe no stars
Totally tasteless…the only thing that allowed us to eat this chicken is that it was extremely tender and moist. But that is not a result if the recipe. I used kosher split breasts that are always juicy and tender.
Instead of olive oil use Imperial Margarine, I promise you it’ll taste soooo much better.. the olive oil makes it extremely tasteless and disappointing.. also use Salt, pepper, and seasoning salt
Looking forward to trying this! To save wasting foil, is it ok to use a covered Dutch oven? Sorry if this is a silly question 😅
Yes I think that would be just fine!
Would this recipe adapt to being done in a slow cooker?
You could probably do something similar in a slow cooker, but I haven’t tested it to know the exact amount of time it would need. I would guess 6-8 hours on low. But also be aware that you won’t get the nice browning on top that you get with the oven, since a slow cooker is a moist cooking environment.
This is a HUGE favorite in our house (seriously we make it every week) – it’s so simple, so delicious, and SO nice to be able to cook it in the oven (with an infant in the house) with some garlic couscous and green beans – amazing! I do wonder – do you have tips for how long to cook it if you’re doubling the recipe? At this point it’s just my husband and I with two split chicken breasts, but if we have people over and make four breasts, does the cooking time change? Thank you for your amazing site!
Yay! Cooking time should still be about the same. Just keep your eye on it.
My wife likes to cook pasta to add to what ever leftover juices to what she cooks, usually spicy juices.
As she is Chinese. So I laid the chicken breast on some leftover pasta and cooked it and didn’t tell my wife. And she loved it!!!!!
Oh that sounds like a great tip! Thanks for sharing Martin!
I have made this recipe twice and it is very delicious and totally tender. I also made the herbed version and it was the same. It really pays off to cook these low and slow. Thank you for the recipe!
It really does!
Can this recipe be prepared in advance and then put in the freezer? I am getting ready to have surgery and want some meals done in advance.
Thanks, SHERRI
This would be a great freezer meal. Best of luck on your surgery Sherri!
We love this recipe, we follow the directions exactly and the chicken is moist and delicious. We eat it the first night and use the leftovers in rice, sandwiches whatever floats our boat. Delicious. Thanks for your recipes, For those I have tried, I haven’t had one fail me yet. 😊❤️🙏
I did this recipe once and it was not that good. Could I do it again for 45 min at 350 ? Thats how I cook these same kind of chicken breasts when I just want some chicken for other chicken dishes such as tetrazzini.
Looking forward to making this! I’m thinking I’ll roast some asparagus on another level of the oven for the 425 degree portion of cooking. :D
Hi I accidentally took off the skin from the chicken breast bone in, but did everything you said. Do you think it’ll come out Dry?
Should I take it out sooner?
cant wait to make
We love this recipe, eating it weekly!! I will never go back to boneless chicken! I have been watching the chx grocery counter, and snag all the mark downs to freeze and save cash! Also, I have been making a lovely pan sauce. After pulling chx from oven, I pour drippings in a small skillet, add a little white wine, and reduce. Yummy!!! Thanks!! So simple, so delicious!
This came out perfectly, just as pictured. (for a side, i used a peeler to make butternut squash ‘fettuccine,” sauteed with onions and some greens,.)
The “fettucini” sounds interesting. How did you do it? Peeled then sauteed? Steamed then peeled then sauteed? Inquiring minds want to know!
Made this with bone in skinless thighs and baked uncovered 75 minutes at 350, came out great!
What would you recommend changing jfnwe were to roast 4 chicken breasts?
This recipe does not work for boneless skinless breasts, so make sure you’re using bone-in skin on breasts like the recipe suggests. Boneless and/or skinless breasts will dry out if you use this cooking method.
This was absolutely delicious! I have a hard time finding the split chicken breasts at the store, but is well worth the hunt!
Tried and it was a fail. Bland and tough
Hi there!! I can’t afford the skin-on, bone-in at my store, so I’m hoping to use boneless, skinless chicken for my recipe…can I ask how you would change the cooking time/temperatures with this change? Thank you for the great recipes, and I hope I can hear from you soon! <3
Unfortunately this one is not well suited for boneless, skinless chicken. The bones and skin are needed to keep the chicken moist and tender during the long roasting time.
Can you use skin-on, bone-in thighs? They’re usually on sale by me. Thanks!
You can, but you probably won’t need to roast quite as long as they will be smaller than the chicken breasts. :) (And they’ll be extra juicy because thighs are nice and fatty!)
I have to say, I was looking for something different to make tonight and I had all of these ingredients…and it is delicious!
So do you take the chicken out of the oven while you wait for 425? Sorry that’s probably a silly question but I’m a terrible cook, but this looks like something I couldn’t mess up. Ha!
Not a silly question! :) You can take the chicken out to remove the foil and baste one last time, and change the setting on the oven when you do. It should only take a few minutes to rise up to 425, so you can pop the chicken back in the oven when you’re done basting, even if it’s not fully up to temp yet. :)
So I am marinating this—but I have boneless chicken breasts–hope it works!!!
I have made this recipe multiple times and it turns out to be amazing every time. I followed the recipe exactly; didn’t tweak a thing. I froze the excess juice and used it another day for Greek Lemon Orzo chicken soup. Best soup ever!! And that was from the recipe on the bag of orzo – AMAZING!! Making the chicken dish for supper again tonight. Am going to add large prices of potatoes around the chicken to soak up all that lovely chicken-lemon-garlic juice. YUMMY!! Thank you for sharing your recipe.
I followed the recipe but let the chicken marinade in the sauce for about an hour before I popped it into the oven. Chicken came out well, one piece was a bit dry but I think it’s because my oven runs hot.
Family enjoyed this dish. I also roasted some vegetables (zucchini, sweet potatoes, red potatoes, and carrots) at the same time. I popped them in 15 mins before the 275 degrees cycle ended then cooked them at 425. A few pieces were burnt as I put them on my bottom rack since the chicken was on the middle rack.
I made this tonight, and we loved it. I doubled the recipe and let it marinade all day. Instead of slicing the lemon because I don’t like it, I used lemon zest. I added 1 tsp of crushed chillies. Since we have 2 huge bags of garlic, I used a full bulb plus 6 minced cloves. I didn’t have bone-in breasts so I used boneless skinless bulk box breasts (the tasteless ones). This led me to bake at 350 for an hour; again I had doubled the recipe.
Forgot to rate it.
Have now made this multiple times. Excellent every time! I use garlic paste instead of cloves. Super easy shortcut, less messy.
Thanks for the recipe!
Made this tonight – so yummy!
Instead of putting lemon slices in – because I do not like the bitterness of cooked pith – I sprinkled in about 1/2 tsp of Penzeys Minced Lemon Peel into the liquid. (I didn’t bother rehydrating it first – I figured the cooking process would take care of that.) Then I poured the sauce off into a deep 4-cup measuring cup, and used a twirl risk to mash up the chunks of lemon peel and the garlic cloves. It made a really lovely, complex sauce.
I make this often. Delicious!
Followed the receipe to the exact But added more garlic , also spooned under the skin , than poured on top and around four chicken breasts . Omitted the lemon rinds . Covered w aluminum foil . Uncovered as suggested . Family loved it . !!! Poured the juice into individual
Cups for dipping .
Delicious! I added more salt, pepper, and garlic to our liking (and a bit of fresh parsley at the end).
Terrible. Horrible. Underflavored. Dry. Overcooked at that length of time. A huge waste of time and ingredients. Followed recipe exactly.
If you followed the recipe “exactly” I don’t see why you wouldn’t have gotten the same outcome as everyone else that left a comment. No need to be so negative, change something up and try again, or don’t. But there’s not reason to be rude to someone who was kind enough to share there recipe with strangers.
Your oven might be hot more than it should be or the foil was not tight and leaked steam.
The Lemon Garlic Chicken is absolutely amazing! My sister and I used bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. We browned the chicken in the skillet for extra flavor, and to make the skin crispy. Then, we finished baking the chicken in the oven for one hour at 375 degrees. We served it with steamed rice and green beans on the side. The recipe was very simple. Thank you so much, Beth.
This was so good! We had thighs so I used those in place of the breast, didn’t adjust the cooking time or temp at all, and it came out fabulously. My boyfriend has a knack for finding something wrong with everything I cook (sad but true) and even he commented on how tender the meat was. Yay for me! I think the only advice I would have is to not put lemon slices directly on top of the chicken pieces during the 425-degree stage; I did that to one of the pieces and – no surprise – it didn’t crisp up as well as the others. I should have known! Anyway, this was really good and utilized a lot of ingredients I already had lying around. I will definitely make again! (P.S. The sauce is so good! I would recommend making a side of rice or quinoa and drizzling some of it over. Delicious!
I’m a new mom and new to cooking, can I double the amount of split chicken breasts and ingedients and keep the cooking time and temperature the same?
Yes, as long as the the chicken pieces are basically the same size, they will get the same amount of heat exposure, regardless of how many there are. That being said, if you pack them into a small dish so that they’re all squished up against one another, that can reduce heat exposure and may affect the outcome.
Not worth the effort. Chicken does stay moist but no real flavor.
You could have seasoned the chicken to your liking.
We love your recipes! Question about this one….do you think if I threw it in the crockpot on high for 4 hours and then broiled it that I would get a similar result? (kind of how you instruct to cook your crockpot 5 spice chicken)
Yep, I do think that would give a similar effect! :)
I had a leftover chicken leg quarter in my freezer that I needed to use use and decided to try this recipe. This was delish! As another poster mentioned, it takes a little longer for the thigh and drumstick to brown. I had a small amount of red rice I needed to use up. The sauce was absolutely delicious over the red rice. Can’t wait to try this with a split chicken breast.
i made this today with leftover lemons i usually dont have. it was great, i also used thighs as thats what i had on hand! very tasty!!!
Hi Beth,
I do not cook. The only thing I have ever successfully made in the kitchen is a mess. This chicken was the best meal I’ve ever made. It was so simple, so easy, and it came out perfect! It was moist, juicy and flavorful. I even made it with your lemon butter green beans which came out buttery and bright tasting, crisp and fresh. It was a just a big mouth full of adjectives, and a belly full of yum! Thanks lady!
Hahah, “a mouth full of adjectives, and a belly full of yum!” I love that! :D
Delish! Made it tonight and turned out perfect.
I was forced to make dinner and so I committed to making this recipe at 7 pm. Then I looked down at the last step and wished I were dead. Now my family has to wait for 2 1/2 hours for dinner and they yelled at me for what a worthless piece of garbage I am. I hate my life so much. I wish I would just shrivel up and die.
http://crisiscallcenter.org/
Not the recipes fault you didn’t read before making this. Not fair to give it 3 stars.
If I double this recipe, how long for the cook time?? Thanks!
As long as they’re not over crowded in the dish and the chicken pieces are about the same size, the cooking time should be the same.
I made this last night….Beth, you the bomb!
It was so delicious we didn’t have any left overs, yet I didn’t feel stuffed! Definitely will be a staple meal now!
I have made this recipe every Sunday for at least a month now. And I plan on doing so every Sunday until I get sick of it! It’s awesome. I have used both split breasts and leg quarters, depending on what’s on sale; split breasts can be quite expensive where I live. The only difference I’ve found is that the leg quarters take longer to brown during the second part of cooking than the split breasts do. I take leftovers for lunch, and have gotten compliments on how good the chicken looks and smells!
This is awesome! I’m making it again but have 3.5 lbs of chicken. Any idea on additional cooking time. Thank you, Shane
It really depends on the size of the pieces rather than the total weight of the pieces combined.
We loved this! We made the recipe as stated but with boneless skinless chicken breasts and it cam out perfect. Will definitely make again, next time in large batches to eat throughout the week!
Thank you so much for this great and easy recipe! I made it for my husband today. I couldn’t believe how simple it was and how great it looked when done (I’m vegetarian so I didn’t actually taste it but it definitely looked great). My husband loved it. I’ll definitely be making this again.
The photos are very appealing! What are your thoughts about making this in a slow cooker then, in a separate pan, browning the chicken briefly under a broiler?
You can definitely do that! :) I’ve done the same thing with my pressure cooker to make it faster and it was GREAT.
Whoa…just bought one of those! How did you cook it in your pressure cooker?
Thanks!
Here’s my recipe for chicken in the pressure cooker. It’s SO GOOD.
Would this method still work if I used the lid that came with my baking dish instead of foil? Or doesn’t the lid seal the dish enough? I just hate using disposable foil if I can wash a reuseable lid instead.
Yes, as long as the lid fits well, it should work. Maybe even better than the foil. :)
Sweet! Thanks much :)
made this today. it was delicious.my husband’s favorite dish is fried chicken but he has requested this lemon chicken at least once a week
Looks amazing. İ ll try it immediately
Would you change the cook time or temperature if you used skin on, bone in chicken thighs?
Yes, thighs are quite a bit smaller and they have a lot more fat, so the cooking time and temperature would definitely be different. I would really need to do some testing before knowing what to recommend.
This came out amazing – so simple and SO worth the time it took to cook. I cooked it with the lemon and I didn’t get any kind of bitterness. I broiled for 1 minute at the end because my skin didn’t brown quite as nicely as yours did!
As someone who is learning to cook I really appreciate the detail in your recipes. The photos are particularly instructive.
I remember you said you made the switch to better quality meat a while ago – what have you noticed about the meat quality since? Does it have more flavor? Is it less or more marbled? Does it spoil quicker – do you ever get it fresh from the butcher or local farm?
Thanks!
I haven’t switched 100% (I try so hard, though!). I don’t notice a big difference with the chicken, but I feel better about my money supporting better practices. On the other hand I have noticed a HUGE difference in the beef. The grass fed beef that I got on sale at Whole Foods smelled so insanely delicious as it was cooking that I couldn’t believe it. It was absolutely amazing. That really made me never want to buy the other stuff again (ground beef usually smells slightly poopy to me. Gross, I know, but it does). I haven’t noticed anything about spoilage, though, because I usually use or freeze my meat within a day of buying.
Made this on Saturday, and it was AMAZING. The skin was divine. I will definitely be making this for the family again. :)
The husband said it was a little dry and lemon-y, but I thought it was just perfect.
Can this be made with boneless skinless chicken breasts? It’s really hard to find the bone-in, skin-on ones at stores here!
No, unfortunately this method only works for bone-in, skin-on chicken.
I attempted this with boneless skinless chicken breasts (misread the recipe). After an extra 25min at 425 I couldn’t get any semblance of a golden brown appearance, by this point I was too hungry from the aroma to worry about the appearance. The flavor was still great, the chicken was almost falling apart it was so tender, but some caramelization would have helped. Since then I’ve checked three different grocery stores and I’m not finding any bone in.
As a compromise could I quickly brown the breast in a skillet and then move to a oven dish w/cover and bake low and slow with the added lemons/garlic?
That might work, but it’s hard to say without testing it. Bare meat definitely won’t brown in the oven the same way that skin does.
I’ve done the herb roasted version with boneless breasts, it won’t brown but it’ll be fine. I think i just did them at 350 for about an hour, covered. Very juicy and yummy.
I love buying split breasts! This was delicious and the chicken got rave reviews. I served it with lemon-dijon little potatoes and asparagus. Had to use up that Costco lemon bag somehow…
I did add tarragon to the bottom of the roasting dish, as I had some that was wilting. But you could tell that without it the recipe would still be delicious as-is.
While this looks delicious and inviting, it really is braising and browning rather than roasting. That said, however , it should keep the chicken moist and the skin nice and brown. Will give it a try. Thanks.
Made this tonight! Hoping to have leftovers, but family finished it all off. Definitely saving the cooking liquid for something later on. I really like that you link to suggested sides to pair with the dish. If left to my own devices, I am so boring. I took your suggestion and made your Spanish Chickpeas & Rice. Both are definite keepers!
This fits in my Whole30 diet plan, so this is going on the menu in a couple of days for sure! Will roast up some little potatoes and green beans on the side. I can’t wait!
And don’t EVER discard that cooking liquid–best soup base ever!
Looks delicious! It’s similar to a chicken and leeks dish I make. The biggest difference (besides the addition of leeks) is that after cooking, I smash the garlic cloves into the sauce and heat it for a couple of minutes with a little cream. Decadent!
This looks delicious! I made lemon chicken about a month ago and it was WAY too lemony. I needed to take a break from lemon for awhile, but after seeing this I think I am ready to give it another go :)
I’ve been playing with Lemon garlic chicken for awhile.. consider adding some mustard powder..
Split chicken breasts are 1000X better than the boring boneless, skinless variety. So juicy. I’m definitely going to add this one to my repertoire :D
I love lemon garlic chicken but I’ve never roasted it the way you do though. I usually just keep it one temperature the whole way throughout. I’m guessing the lower temp makes it juicier, though?
Yep, it’s a lot like cooking it in a slow cooker.