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!
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.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
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!
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. ฤฐ 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.