Name: Baked Lemon Chicken Recipe
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts; 4 cloves garlic; 3 tbsp butter; 2 tbsp lemon juice; 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves; 1 tsp kosher salt; ½ tsp black pepper; For Garnish:; fresh lemon slices; extra fresh thyme sprigs

How To Make Baked Lemon Chicken

The pefect chicken breast dish should be juicy and tender. This baked lemon chicken recipe is not only perfectly cooked but aslo full of lemony flavors.

Preparation: 20 minutes

Cooking: 15 minutes

Total: 35 minutes

Serves:

Ingredients

4boneless, skinless chicken breaststhat have been pounded to even thickness and brined in saltwater, see easy instructions below
4clovesgarlicpeeled and minced
3Tbspbuttermelted
2Tbsplemon juicefreshly-squeezed
1tspfresh thyme leaves
1tspkosher salt
½tspblack pepperfreshly-cracked

For Garnish:

fresh lemon slices
extra fresh thyme sprigs

Instructions

Brining The Chicken:

Fill a large bowl with 1 quart of warm water and 1/4 cup kosher salt. Stir to combine until most of the salt is absorbed.
Add the chicken breasts and let them sit in the mixture to brine for 15 minutes.
Remove the chicken breasts from the brine, rinse them with cold water, then pat them dry with some paper towels.

Baking The Chicken Breast:

Heat oven to 450°F.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the garlic, melted butter, lemon juice, and thyme until combined. Set aside.
Pour the melted butter mixture into a large baking dish, and place the chicken breasts on top of it in an even layer.
Use a pastry brush to brush the butter mixture all over the chicken breasts until they are completely coated on both sides.
Sprinkle each chicken breast evenly with a generous pinch of salt and pepper.
Bake for 5 minutes. Then remove the pan from the oven and brush the chicken again thoroughly with the butter mixture. Bake again for 5 minutes, remove and brush.
Bake again for 5 to 8 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink.
Once the chicken is cooked, remove the pan from the oven and brush the chicken thoroughly with the butter mixture once more. Loosely cover the pan with aluminum foil, and let the chicken rest for at least 5 to 10 minutes.
Serve immediately, garnished with extra lemon slices and thyme sprigs if desired. Or refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Recipe Notes

1.If you want to brine the chicken longer, you can also cover the bowl with the brine mixture and refrigerate for up to 6 hours. 2. Add in a few extra lemon slices to the mix to look pretty when it all bakes up. But don’t eat these or lay them directly on top of the chicken breasts, since they get a little bitter the longer they cook. 3. If you use a cooking thermometer to measure the temperature thickest part of the breast, it should be between 160 to 170 degrees F. The FDA recommends 170 degrees F. 4. If you want the chicken to be a little bit browned and crispier on top, you can turn the broiler on high for the final 3 to 5 minutes and broil the chicken until it is cooked through and extra browned on top. Keep a close eye on the chicken so that it does not overcook or burn.