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This juicy lemon garlic chicken is flavorful, crisped until golden brown, and easily prepared under the broiler or on the grill in less than 30 minutes! Serve with rice, pita bread, veggies, tzatziki sauce, and all of your favorite toppings.
Table of Contents
If you’re looking for even more lemon chicken recipes, try this dump-and-bake lemon chicken orzo, a pot of lemon chicken orzo soup, and this lemon chicken piccata, too!
These lemon garlic chicken thighs are one of those easy chicken dinners that’s perfect for busy weeknights. You just can’t beat a quick meal in less than 30 minutes — like our chicken and bell pepper stir fry, oven-fried Nashville hot chicken, and baked bbq chicken thighs (PS — you can find all of our 30-minute recipes here)!
A Versatile Lemon Garlic Chicken Marinade
This meal is incredibly versatile, so make adjustments to suit your family’s schedule and taste preferences. For instance, you can leave the chicken in the marinade for a couple of hours if you’d like to prep the dinner in advance, or you can cook the meat right away — no resting time required.
I like to use the broiler in the oven when we’re short on time, but you can also throw the marinated chicken kabobs on the grill. Don’t have skewers? No problem — just place the diced chicken on a rimmed baking sheet and let the broiler do its thing.
Use the cooked chicken on top of salads, on rice bowls, or with a side of pesto pasta. The fresh citrus, herbs, and garlic pair nicely with Mediterranean-inspired toppings, such as tzatziki sauce, hummus, olives, feta cheese, pickled red onions, and marinated cucumbers. If that’s not your preference, then maybe you’d like to offer a potato salad or a skillet of cornbread on the side. As I said above, we love the versatility of this dish!
Ingredients
This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for our favorite garlic lemon chicken. As always, specific measurements and step-by-step cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Extra virgin olive oil: the fat in the marinade, which helps transfer fat-soluble flavors onto the meat and also helps the meat retain moisture.
- Lemon zest and fresh lemon juice: the acid that tenderizes the chicken thighs and adds fresh flavor to the meat.
- Red wine vinegar: another acidic component that brightens up the dish and tenderizes the meat.
- Garlic: for lots of savory flavor.
- Brown sugar: just a touch of sweetness balances the savory ingredients and adds complexity to the dish. It also helps the meat char.
- Oregano, parsley, and thyme: lends so much fresh, earthy flavor to the dish.
- Dijon mustard: for a bit of zest, and also to help emulsify the marinade.
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper: to enhance the other flavors.
- Chicken: I prefer boneless, skinless chicken thighs, which stay incredibly tender and juicy — you can’t mess them up! That said, you can substitute with boneless, skinless chicken breast if you prefer.
How to Make Lemon Garlic Chicken in Oven
With about 15 minutes of prep time, this easy chicken dinner is ready for the broiler or grill! I’ve included the detailed directions in the recipe card below, but here’s the quick overview:
- Shake or whisk together the marinade.
- Toss most of the marinade and the chicken in a large bowl or freezer bag, reserving some of the sauce for basting.
- Thread the chicken onto skewers, or add the meat directly to a baking sheet.
- Place under the broiler for about 11-14 minutes, until the chicken is golden brown. Flip halfway through.
- Brush the cooked chicken with the reserved sauce.
What to Serve with Lemon Garlic Chicken Thighs
This versatile, flavorful chicken pairs nicely with a variety of sides. Here are some good options:
- Charleston Red Rice, Rice Pilaf, Parmesan Risotto, or No-Stir Easy Mushroom Risotto
- Couscous Salad
- Pita Bread or Naan with Hummus or Tzatziki Sauce
- Pesto Pasta
- Three Bean Salad
- Potato Salad
- Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits, 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits, 4-Ingredient Butter Swim Biscuits, 7UP Biscuits, Sweet Potato Biscuits, Cheese Biscuits, Pumpkin Spice Biscuits, Cheddar Biscuits with Chives and Bacon, or Drop Biscuits
- Cast Iron Cornbread, Fluffy Bakery-Style Corn Muffins, Broccoli Cornbread, Southern Cornbread, Jiffy Cornbread with Creamed Corn, Sweet Cornbread, Pumpkin Cornbread, Cake Mix Cornbread, Skillet Cornbread, Corn Sticks, or Honey Cornbread
- Duke’s Homemade Mac and Cheese, Creamy Baked Mac and Cheese, Crock Pot Mac and Cheese, Stovetop Shells and Cheese, or No-Boil Easy Mac and Cheese
- Hush Puppies
- Hoe Cakes
- 3-Ingredient Sour Cream Muffins
- Virginia Spoon Bread
- Corn Salad, Jiffy Corn Casserole, or Fried Corn
- Cheese Grits or Pimento Cheese Grits Casserole
- Homemade Coleslaw or Vinegar Coleslaw
- Tomato Salad with Basil and Balsamic or Cucumber Tomato Onion Salad
- Easy Pasta Salad with Mayo, Lemon, and Basil or Macaroni Salad
- Mashed Potatoes with Sour Cream and Chives or Garlic and Parmesan Cauliflower Mash
- Potato Pancakes or Aunt Bee’s 3-Ingredient Cheesy Potato Casserole
- Zucchini Gratin with Corn, Zucchini Fritters, or Sauteed Zucchini
- Refrigerator Dill Pickles, Marinated Cucumbers, or Cucumber Radish Salad
- Garlic Roasted Broccoli, Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower, Broccoli Cauliflower Salad
- Mixed Greens with Dijon Vinaigrette, Simple Green Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette, Caesar Salad, Wedge Salad, House Salad with Candied Pecans, or Caesar Salad
- Sauteed Spinach or Creamed Spinach
- Roasted Asparagus
Preparation and Storage
- Prep ahead: while it’s not necessary, you can make the marinade up to 3 days in advance and keep it stored in the fridge. Don’t marinate the chicken for more than a few hours, since the acidic marinade can cause the meat to become mushy.
- Leftover garlic lemon chicken will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- To extend the life of the cooked chicken, freeze leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
- How to Reheat: place the cooked chicken in a skillet on the stovetop. Cover with a lid and warm over low heat, just until the meat reaches the desired temperature (stirring regularly). You can also reheat individual servings of the chicken in the microwave for about 60 seconds.
Recipe Variations
- Skip the skewers and just place chicken directly on a greased, foil-lined baking sheet.
- Serving a larger group? Double all of the ingredients. Similarly, you can cut all of the ingredients in half if you’re just cooking for one or two.
- Use white meat boneless skinless chicken breasts instead of the dark meat chicken thighs.
- Try other herbs, such as rosemary, basil, chives, or cilantro.
- Swap out the brown sugar and use honey instead.
Tips for the Best Lemon Garlic Chicken Recipe
- If it’s convenient, you can marinate the chicken in the lemon garlic sauce for up to 3-4 hours. I wouldn’t leave it in the marinade much longer than that, since the marinade is quite acidic (which can result in mushy meat). This isn’t necessary, though — the chicken will still be delicious without that extra marinating time. Just make sure that you reserve the extra sauce to brush onto the cooked meat at the end.
- These chicken skewers would also be delicious on the grill instead of under the broiler. Grill the chicken over medium-high heat for 6-8 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- If you’re using wooden skewers, make sure that you soak them in water for at least 20-30 minutes before adding the chicken. Otherwise they can catch fire under the broiler or on the grill. You might like these metal kabob skewers, which you can reuse (and don’t require soaking).
- The total cooking time will vary depending on your individual oven. You’ll know that the chicken is done when it’s charred in parts, golden brown all over, and the juices run clear. If using an instant-read thermometer, the chicken should reach 165°F.
More Lemon Chicken Recipes to Try
Lemon Chicken
1 hour hr 5 minutes mins
Lemon Chicken Piccata
30 minutes mins
Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
1 hour hr 40 minutes mins
Lemon Garlic Chicken
Ingredients
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Zest from 1 lemon
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 4 cloves garlic minced or pressed
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley or 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
- 1 ½ teaspoons fresh thyme leaves or ¾ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt or more to taste
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper or more to taste
- 2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into bite-sized pieces
- Wood or metal skewers (optional)
- Optional garnish: additional chopped fresh herbs
- Optional, for serving: cooked rice or rice pilaf, pita bread, Naan bread, or pita chips, tzatziki sauce, chopped lettuce, sliced tomato, sliced red onion, sliced olives, feta cheese, pickled red onion, hummus, marinated cucumbers
Instructions
- If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 20-30 minutes before using.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil; coat lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Adjust one of the oven racks to the top position (about 6 inches from the broiler). Preheat the broiler on HIGH.
- In a large measuring cup or jar, combine the olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, brown sugar, oregano, parsley, Dijon, salt, and pepper.
- Place the chicken in a large bowl or Ziploc bag. Pour about ¾ of the sauce over the chicken; toss to coat. Reserve a little bit of the sauce for brushing or for serving.
- Thread the chicken onto the skewers, or let the excess sauce drip off and just add the chicken directly to the sheet pan.
- Place under the broiler for 11-14 minutes, or until the chicken is golden brown and reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Flip the chicken halfway through for even cooking.
- Brush the cooked chicken with reserved sauce. Serve with tzatziki sauce and pita bread, rice, and other optional toppings of choice.
Notes
- If it’s convenient, you can marinate the chicken in the lemon garlic sauce for up to 3-4 hours. I wouldn’t leave it in the marinade much longer than that, since the marinade is quite acidic (which can result in mushy meat). This isn’t necessary, though — the chicken will still be delicious without that extra marinating time. Just make sure that you reserve the extra sauce to brush onto the cooked meat at the end.
- These chicken skewers would also be delicious on the grill instead of under the broiler. Grill the chicken over medium-high heat for 6-8 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- If you’re using wooden skewers, make sure that you soak them in water for at least 20-30 minutes before adding the chicken. Otherwise they can catch fire under the broiler or on the grill. You might like these metal kabob skewers, which you can reuse (and don’t require soaking).
- The total cooking time will vary depending on your individual oven. You’ll know that the chicken is done when it’s charred in parts, golden brown all over, and the juices run clear. If using an instant-read thermometer, the chicken should reach 165°F.
- The nutrition information is just an automatically calculated estimate, assuming about half of the marinade is consumed (and the other half discarded).
