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Lemon garlic chicken is the perfect midweek meal, rich in flavor despite being incredibly simple to put together. Bursting with citrus juiciness, this the perfect chicken dish to add to your weekday repertoire.
For more delicious recipes using chicken thighs, try my classic Apricot Chicken or my mother in law’s Honey Garlic Chicken.
Lemon Garlic Chicken
Lemon and garlic are classic Greek flavors, and this recipe stays true to that tradition. Grecian herbs like oregano and thyme, plus liquid honey and plenty of oil and lemon, make for an incredibly delicious chicken dinner.
The longer, slower cook time in this recipe helps to really bring out the juiciness of the chicken thighs. Make sure you don’t sub chicken breasts for this recipe, though, because the breasts will likely be dry whereas the chicken thighs will only get more delicious with time. You can try SKIN ON chicken breasts with this recipe however.
Lemon Garlic Chicken Ingredients
Make sure you look at the recipe card at the very bottom for the exact amounts, as there are a few fiddly ingredients here.
• Chicken thighs, skin on and bone-in
Lemon Garlic Marinade
• Olive oil
• Liquid honey
• Lemon juice
• Garlic cloves
• Oregano
• Thyme
• Salt
• Lemons
• Fresh parsley
How To Make Lemon Garlic Chicken
• Combine the marinade ingredients together until fully combined, reserving 2 tablespoons for basting later
• Place the chicken and the marinade into a Ziploc bag; press the air out and seal, turning to cover completely
• Marinate in the fridge for 4 hours, turning occasionally.
• Remove the chicken, discarding the marinade
Grill Method
• Preheat the grill to a medium-high heat and oil the grates to prevent sticking
• Cook the chicken on the preheated grill, basting with the marinade
• Grill the chicken with the lid closed, basting every 10 minutes, or until the internal temp reaches 185 Fahrenheit
• Grill the lemon wedges for 3 minutes cut side down until they are nicely blackened
• Remove the chicken and lemons and serve two chicken thighs per person
Oven-Baked Method
• Bake the marinated chicken on a baking sheet for 40 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 185 Fahrenheit
• Bake the lemons for about 5 minutes, but don’t expect the beautiful grill marks with the other method
What & How To Serve with Lemon Garlic Chicken
Nothing works better with lemon garlic chicken than fluffy baked potatoes or hasselback potatoes, especially when using the oven-baked method. The potatoes soak up the extra lemony, garlicky juice from the chicken, giving them a fresh tang while still keeping their overall comforting potatoey-ness.
For a healthier and lower carb side, why not try some roasted broccoli or roasted Brussels sprouts. These will also work great with the chicken, helping to complement the strong flavors of the marinade.
Bringing the meal together can be as simple as placing a few thighs on each plate and adding your chosen sides. This creates a summery meal that feels like the kind of dish you would be served in a real Greek restaurant.
Reheating Leftovers the Next Day
Lemon garlic chicken is almost as good the next day as it is freshly cooked. That is assuming it is reheated correctly, of course.
Make sure you don’t commit the treasonous, unforgivable act of attempting to microwave this chicken to reheat it. Not only will it completely mess up the marinade, but the texture will get all gummy and taste vaguely plastic-y. Stick to oven reheating at 350°F using a thermometer to check when they reach a safe temperature of 165°F.
For an even simpler meal, why not add leftover chicken pieces to a salad? Chop leftover chicken into small pieces along with your favorite leafy greens. Add a fresh squeeze of lemon, and you have a delicious summery meal in less than 10 minutes.
Even better, eat it cold like I do. I loooove cold leftover chicken for breakfast, just me?
Looking for more delicious Chicken recipes ? Try these out:
Enjoy!
Love,
Karlynn
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Lemon Garlic Chicken
Ingredients
- 8 chicken thighs skin on and bone in
Lemon Garlic Marinade
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup liquid honey
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 4 garlic cloves minced finely
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 lemons cut in half
- fresh parsley
Instructions
- Combine the marinade ingredients until fully combined. Reserve 2-3 tablespoons of the mixture for basting later.
- Place the chicken into a large Ziploc bag. Pour the marinade into the bag, press the air from the bag and seal. Turn the chicken around in the bag until the chicken is covered.
- Place the bag in the refrigerator and marinate for 3-4 hours, turning occasionally to marinate all sides of the chicken.
- Remove the chicken from the bag and discard the marinade. Place the chicken on a plate for grilling, or on a baking sheet for baking in the oven.
Grilling Method
- Preheat your grill to medium-high heat. Oil the grilling grates to prevent sticking.
- Place the chicken on the preheated grill. Baste with the reserved marinade. Close the lid and grill the chicken, basting every 10 minutes or so, until the chicken has reached an internal temperature of at least 185 °F.
- Place the lemon wedges cut side down on the grill, and grill for 3-4 minutes until the lemons are heated and have nicely blackened grill marks on them.
- Remove the chicken and the lemons. Serve two chicken thighs per person, garnished with fresh parsley and with a lemon half to squeeze over top.
Oven Baked Method
- Preheat your oven to 375 °F.
- Place the marinated chicken onto a baking sheet and bake for 35-45 minutes, until the chicken has reached an internal temperature of at least 185 °F.
- You can place the lemons on the baking sheet cut side down around 5-6 minutes before removing the chicken to heat them, but only the grill method will give you nice black marks on the lemon.
Notes
- a serving is two chicken thighs
- the grilling method is the best for this recipe, but oven baked is also delicious
Lisa Zanardi says
Looks fresh and delicious. Is liquid honey different from regular honey?