Baked Lemon Chicken
Baked Lemon Chicken is a flavorful roasted chicken with tender potatoes and bright citrus notes coming from lemons. Juicy, aromatic, and easy to make, this is a perfect cozy weeknight dinner with weekend vibes. Shall we?
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Background
Baked chicken is a timeless dish that brings together tender meat and crispy skin for a comforting meal. Combined with citrus, the chicken absorbs the lemon notes as it slowly roasts, creating a deeply flavorful taste.
Lemon balances the richness of the meat, making the dish lighter and more refreshing than the traditional roast. It also helps keep the chicken moist on the inside, while providing a golden exterior.
What makes us love this dish is the simplicity. With just a handful of everyday ingredients - and minimal preparation - baked lemon chicken delivers a restaurant-worthy meal on a weeknight.
Why You'll Love It
- No Marinade! The chicken is juicy without hours of marinading.
- One Pan Dinner! Chicken and potatoes roast together - minimal cleanup.
- Family-Friendly! Loved by kids and adults alike!
- Reliable Every Time! It turns out great every single time.
- Great For Leftovers! The meat tastes just as good the next day in different dishes.
Ingredients
Can we talk about the minimal number of ingredients you'll need for this dish?
- Whole Chicken. One medium whole chicken without giblets.
- Potatoes. Fingerling or young potatoes (early in the season) potatoes are best for this dish as they soak up the lemon juices the most.
- Lemons.
- Seasonings & Aromatics. Seasoned salt or chicken bouillon, parsley, basil, oregano, and garlic cloves.
- Oil. Any will work.
Instructions
Here are easy instructions for making baked lemon chicken.
Step 1. Prep the potatoes.
Step 2. Season the chicken.
Step 3. Assemble.
Step 4. Bake.
Handling
Here are some tips for serving and storing baked lemon chicken.
Serve warm with the roasted potatoes and pan juices. Pair with a simple cabbage salad, rice, or pogacha bread.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge up to 24 hours. (Meat can last a day or two longer.)
Reheat in the oven to keep the skin from getting soggy.
Recipe FAQs
Absolutely!
Bone-in thighs and chicken legs work excellently. Avoid chicken breast as it can be too dry. Remember to adjust the new roasting time.
Yes!
However, we do recommend you keep it to the Mediterranean-inspired ones like rosemary, thyme, basil, oregano, etc. Their flavors go great with citrusy lemons while adding that aromatic depth.
Probably.
While we haven't tried it, due to the high citrus notes oranges could work for this recipe. We prefer to stick to the good old lemon though.
More Chicken 💙
Here are a few more chicken recipes you may like!
Thoughts?
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Prijatno, Dobar Tek, and Bon Appetit!
Recipe contributed by S.H.
Baked Lemon Chicken
Equipment
- 9x13 inch (23x33 cm) baking pan
Ingredients
- 2 pounds fingerling potatoes or other smaller potatoes
- 1 medium sized whole chicken without giblets
- 2 lemons washed and cut up
- 2-3 tablespoons bouillon or 1 bouillon cube, or 2 tablespoons vegeta
- 2-3 tablespoons dried parsley
- 2 tablespoons dried basil
- 5 garlic cloves minced
- 4-6 tablespoons oil any type
Instructions
- Prep the potatoes. Wash and peel potatoes. Cut them in half or quarters depending on their size. Place in a bowl with ½ of the seasonings, ½ of minced cloves and ½ of oil. Mix well and set aside.
- Season the chicken. Wash and pat dry the chicken and transfer it to a cutting board. Cut in a few places along the breast and legs and insert the remaining minced cloves into the holes. Take the remaining spices, and coat well on all sides. Finally, put one cut lemon inside the chicken (as much as it will fit).
- Assemble. Heat oven to 480 °F (250 °C). Generously oil the pan, put the chicken in, and spread the potatoes around it. Add one cup of water into the pan. Take the last lemon, and squeeze all the juice evenly over the chicken and potatoes. Place the remains into the pan.
- Bake. Place the pan into the oven, and bring the temperature down to 395 °F (200 °C). Bake for about 55 minutes or so, turning the chicken around once or twice.Bring the temperature up to 450 °F (230 °), and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes.
- Serve warm with the roasted potatoes and pan juices.Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge up to 24 hours. Reheat in the oven to keep the skin from getting soggy.
Oh wow! This looks amazingly flavorful! Can’t wait to try it!
Thanks for stopping by Ron. Yes, flavorful, and very easy to make. 🙂
This looks so good! I have never baked a chicken. Well, not a whole chicken. I find it intimidating for some reason. But this does look deliciously easy. Perhaps I can conquer my fear.
AJ, I was the same exact way until this chicken. It really is that easy.
Great recipe. Do you cover the pan when baking?
Thanks Chep! Depends on the oven. For this recipe I didn't. But if you notice the chicken blushing too fast, cover it with some foil and add a few minutes to baking. Then check if it's done. If you have a baking thermometer stick it into a juicy part of chicken away from the bone, and turn off the oven when the chicken reads about 165F (about 75C). If you don't have one, just check that the juice coming from the chicken is clear instead of pink.
This was our Thanksgiving Dinner last year and it was a huge hit!
Fantastic!
In the instructions, #3 includes, "Take the last lemon, and squeeze all the juice evenly over the chicken and tomatoes." What tomatoes???
Potatoes not tomatoes.
Thanks for correcting the instructions. Thought I'd missed an ingredient somewhere in the process.
Np, thanks for letting me know it was incorrect. Did you make it?
Salam Aida !!
Thank you so much for sharing so generously all these amazing recipes - I just put the roasted chicken and lemon and potatoes in the oven! My husband is Bosnian as are my two small girls - they are 1 and 3 abs I’m hoping inshAllah to get them accustomed to Bosnian food - my mother in law has her own style and honestly it’s easier for me to read a recipe and follow your instructions and do it that way- no pressure! InshAllah every time I make a recipe I will be sure to post a comment - it’s so so kind that you are sharing these cooking secrets- no one taught me to cook so now it like I’m learning from the best - You!
Sarah Amena,
We also find it easier to read and watch online! The blog was started when we couldn't get our family to give us the right ingredient volumes 😂... It was always "a little bit of this... a few spoonfuls of that..."
How did the chicken turn out?
Yes, it's good to start early by exposing children to different cuisines. I bet they love your Moroccan delicacies.
I have a little girl and am doing exactly the same.
Happy Ramadan!