Lemon Garlic Chicken

A quick, healthy, and flavorful lemon garlic chicken recipe that's ready in less than 30 minutes!

Course Dinner

Cuisine American, Mediterranean

Keyword garlic lemon chicken, lemon garlic chicken, lemon garlic chicken marinade, lemon garlic chicken thighs

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 12

Total Time 27

Servings people

Calories 281kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

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

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.

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).