Easy baked lemon chicken thighs recipe that is simple to make and uses a few simple ingredients. These pepper lemon baked chicken thighs are citrusy, tender inside, have crispy skin, and are packed full of flavor. They taste amazing and can be served with sides like fried potatoes, rice, and roasted vegetables. Let me show you how to make it.
Baked Lemon Chicken Thighs Recipe
This baked lemon chicken thighs recipe is simple but the best. The chicken thighs lemon pepper are marinated in a simple lemon marinade and then baked to perfection creating juicy, delicious chicken.
This lemon chicken thighs are made with a handful of ingredients but the flavors are amazing and it tastes delicious. Once you try it, it's going to be on rotation for your dinner menu. It's that good.
The ingredients used are ones that can be found in most kitchen pantries. No hard-to-come-by ingredients here!
Chicken thighs are budget-friendly, making this lemon baked chicken thighs an inexpensive dish for the whole family.
I have used skin on bone in chicken thighs for this lemon pepper chicken thighs recipe however you can use Boneless thighs, chicken breast, or chicken drumsticks.
No need to sear the chicken in a pan on the stove before making these baked chicken thighs with lemon, no browning in a pan, and no need to marinate it for long although if you have the time, you can marinate it for 30 minutes before cooking.
This baked lemon chicken thighs recipe is high in protein, low carb, nutritious, healthy, and delicious. Let me show you how to bake lemon chicken thighs.
Related: Baked bone in chicken thighs
Ingredients
Here are what you will need to make lemon pepper chicken thighs. The detailed ingredients, measurements, and directions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Chicken thighs- I used bone in skin on chicken thighs but you can use boneless chicken thighs.
Lemon
Lemon Pepper seasoning- Or a combination of lemon zest, black pepper, and onion granules.
Paprika- Use smoked paprika or regular Paprika.
Italian seasoning
Garlic granules
Salt
Olive oil- I used extra virgin olive oil. This can be substituted for regular olive oil, vegetable oil, sunflower oil, or any neutral flavor oil.
How To Make Lemon Baked Chicken Thighs
Preheat the oven to 400F/200C.
Cut the lemon into slices.
Dry the chicken thighs with paper towels.
In a small bowl, mix the lemon pepper seasoning, paprika, Italian seasoning, garlic granules, salt, lemon juice, and olive oil.
Brush the lemon seasoning mix all over the chicken thighs ensuring that the chicken thighs are well coated in the marinade.
Cover it and put it in the fridge to marinate for 30 minutes.
Bring the chicken out and let it get to room temperature.
Arrange the lemon marinated chicken thighs on a baking tray then arrange the lemon slices in the tray.
Put the tray in the oven and bake lemon chicken for 25 minutes. Flip the chicken and continue to bake it for another 20-25 minutes until cooked through to an internal temperature of at least 165F/75C.
Take the tray out of the oven.
Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes then serve.
What To Serve With
Here are some side dishes that can be served with lemon chicken thighs:
Cream cheese mashed potatoes, Instant pot roast potatoes, air fryer roast potatoes, baked sliced potatoes, air fryer diced potatoes, seasoned potato wedges, frozen potatoes in air fryer, air fryer red potatoes
Jollof rice, Instant pot Spanish rice, Jamaican rice and peas, Yellow rice, instant pot rice and beans
Spicy pasta, Spinach Pasta, tomato pasta, boiled pasta, instant pot pasta, veggie pasta
Fried plantain, Fried Yam, boiled sweet potatoes, pan fried sweet potatoes
No yeast bread, easy soft bread, bread rolls
Boiled Zucchini, Boiled asparagus, baked vegetables, air fryer Vegetables, Pan fried carrots, Mediterranean roasted vegetables, air fryer baby carrots
How To Store
Let the chicken thighs cool completely, remove and discard the lemon slices, then pack the thighs in a Ziploc or an airtight container, label, and store in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
It can be reheated from chilled or frozen.
To reheat in the oven - arrange the chicken thighs in a single layer on a baking paper lined tray. Put it in the oven and bake at 200C for 8 minutes (12 minutes if frozen) or till heated through.
To reheat in the microwave- Arrange the chicken on a microwave-safe plate, cover, and heat in the microwave on high settings for 1 minute then at 30-second intervals till it's warmed through to your desire.
Tips For Making Chicken Thighs Lemon Pepper
- Dry the chicken thighs with paper towels before seasoning so the seasoning isn't watered down and for crispy skin.
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice is best but you can use bottled lemon juice if that's what you have.
- If you have the time, let the chicken thighs marinate for 30 minutes before cooking.
- Let the chicken come to room temperature before cooking. Don't bake it from cold.
- Don't undercook. Ensure the internal temperature is at least 165F at the thickest part.
- Don't overcook as this can make the chicken dry out.
- Cook at a high temperature of 400F or 425F.
- When cooked, sprinkle some lemon pepper seasoning on the chicken for extra lemony flavor.
- Let the chicken rest for a few minutes before you cut into it so the juice has time to redistribute inside.
FAQS
Can you freeze cooked lemon Chicken?
Absolutely! Lemon chicken stores and reheats well so it can be made ahead and stored or you can store leftovers. To freeze lemon chicken, let it cool completely then pack it in a Ziploc or a freezer safe airtight container, label it, and put in the freezer for up to 6 months. It can be thawed in the fridge before reheating or reheat from frozen.
What is the best cut for lemon chicken?
Skin on Bone in chicken thighs because it's dark meat which is more flavorful than white meat, the skin also keeps the chicken juicy inside. Other cuts that can be used are chicken breast, boneless chicken thighs, chicken drumsticks, and chicken wings.
How long to marinate chicken thighs in Lemon juice?
Marinate for at least 30 minutes up to 4 hours.
More Lemon Recipes
More Chicken Thigh Recipes
Air fryer boneless skinless chicken thighs
Air fryer frozen chicken thighs
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Recipe
Baked Lemon Chicken Thighs Recipe
Equipment
- Baking tray
Ingredients
- 1 kg (2lb) Chicken thighs Bone in skin on
- 3 tablespoon Lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon Lemon pepper seasoning
- 1 Lemon Sliced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon Paprika
- ¼ teaspoon Garlic granules
- Salt to taste
- 2 tablespoon Olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F/200C.
- Cut the lemon into slices.
- Dry the chicken thighs with paper towels.
- In a small bowl, mix the lemon pepper seasoning, paprika, Italian seasoning, garlic granules, salt, lemon juice, and olive oil.
- Brush the lemon seasoning mix all over the chicken thighs ensuring that the chicken thighs are well coated in the marinade.
- Cover it and put it in the fridge to marinate for 30 minutes.
- Bring the chicken out and let it get to room temperature.
- Arrange the lemon marinated chicken thighs on a baking tray then arrange the lemon slices in the tray.
- Put the tray in the oven and bake lemon chicken for 25 minutes. Flip the chicken and continue to bake it for another 20-25 minutes until cooked through to an internal temperature of at least 165F/75C.
- Bring the tray out of the oven.Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes then serve.
Notes
- Dry the chicken thighs with paper towels before seasoning so the seasoning isn't watered down and for crispy skin.
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice is best but you can use bottled lemon juice if that's what you have.
- If you have the time, let the chicken thighs marinate for 30 minutes before cooking.
- Let the chicken come to room temperature before cooking. Don't bake it from cold.
- Don't undercook. Ensure the internal temperature is at least 165F at the thickest part.
- Don't overcook as this can make the chicken dry out.
- Cook at a high temperature of 400F or 425F.
- When cooked, sprinkle some lemon pepper seasoning on the chicken for extra lemony flavor.
- Let the chicken rest for a few minutes before you cut into it so the juice has time to redistribute inside.
Nutrition
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