Zesty, moist, and delicious, Easy Greek Lemon Chicken Breasts is the perfect easy prep meal. This chicken is made with only a handful of ingredients, but it has a ton of flavor.

Easy Greek Lemon Chicken Breasts is a quick, healthy, and easy meal that you can throw together any day of the week. It’s perfect for easy entertaining or simple weeknight meals. It just takes a few herbs and spices, lemon, and oil and you have one awesome dish!

It’s so easy to make, Easy Greek Lemon Chicken Breasts was one of the first recipes I ever made as a kid. It may not have been these exact ingredients or measurements. When I first started cooking, I rarely measured anything. I just added a little of this and a bit of that. And I tasted as I went. (Just the marinade of course). I played around with the ingredients until everything tasted just how I wanted it.

I’ll never forget the look on everyone’s face when they tried the chicken. It felt like one of the slow motion moments. With cautious hands, each person lifted their fork with a bite-sized piece of chicken stuck to the end and slowly raised it to their mouths. I could almost see that moment of hesitation. I get it, eating your kid’s cooking can be an interesting experience. But, once they tasted it, everyone smiled.

Almost immediately, comments flew around the table (since my first time cooking dinner wasn’t just for my family, my extended family was there too). “Wow, it’s delicious!” “Are you sure you made this?” “I love it, can I get the recipe?”

I started to laugh. I couldn’t believe how much everyone loved something that was so simple to make. Sometimes the simple dishes, that only take a handful of ingredients, can be the biggest hit!

This updated version is tastier than ever. And now that I actually have a recipe for it, you can make it too!

A truly DELICIOUS CHICKEN MARINADE

When it comes to sauces and marinades, the best ones are filled with flavors. The combination of sour and savory make each bite of Easy Greek Lemon Chicken Breasts a real hit! Here is a breakdown of each of the flavors:

• Sour or tart flavor comes from the lemon juice. Not only does the lemon add delicious flavor, but it also helps to tenderize the chicken – making it softer, juicer, and even more delicious.
• Salty and savory seasoning comes from the oregano, garlic, onion, and of course salt. It helps to amplify the flavor of the lemon. And the combination of oregano, garlic, and onion gives the marinade a Greek-style flavor.

Delicious and Easy Baked Chicken Dinner

Marinating chicken is one of the easier ways to make tender, juicy chicken. With minimal effort, your meal just gets better and better. It can take anywhere from mere minutes to letting it sit in the fridge overnight. Whichever you choose, this baked chicken trick always works.

Our favorite marinades always come together quickly and easily. Some of our favorite chicken dishes are Easy Asian Chicken, Honey Soy Sriracha Baked Chicken Breasts, Smoky Baked Chicken Breasts, and now Easy Greek Lemon Chicken Breasts.

HOW TO BAKE JUICY CHICKEN BREASTS Every time!

When it comes to making a delicious, super tasty chicken dinner, the most important thing is to not overcook it. You don’t want to end up with a tough, dry piece of meat that’s too hard to eat and enjoy.

Here are some tips for making juicy, always delicious chicken breasts:

• Marinades help to flavor the chicken while also keeping it tender and moist. Simply marinating your chicken for 15 to 30 minutes before baking can help keep it juicy and prevent it from drying out while baking in the oven. If you want marinate it longer, you can marinate the chicken for up to 24 hours in the fridge. But, you don’t want to marinate you meal for more than 48 hours. Chicken becomes too soft and mushy when it marinates for too long.
• Use oil when you are adding herbs and spices to flavor your chicken. The oil helps to add extra flavor and give it an even cover of moisture. Just a little oil goes a long way. When it comes to choosing a cooking oil, look for one with a high smoke point. The smoke point is the temperature that the oil starts smoking. Some studies have shown that exposure to oil smoke fumes can cause an increased risk of cancer. For this reason, I use grapeseed oil. According to the Canola Council of Canada, the smoke point of grapeseed oil is 435°F (224°C). It may be more authentically Greek to use an olive oil, but when it comes to a smokepoint, grapeseed oil is the better choice.
• Cooking at a high temperature keeps the chicken breasts moist and juicy. It helps the chicken develop a light crust on the outside, which locks in the chicken’s natural juices and stops it from drying out.
• Let the chicken rest when it is finished cooking. Simply let it sit for a couple minutes before serving and eating. Even just waiting 2 to 3 minutes can help the chicken hold in more of its natural juices, leaving you with a delicious and tasty dinner.

CAN YOU USE ANOTHER CUT OF CHICKEN?

Absolutely! Easy Greek Lemon Chicken Breasts can be prepared with any type of chicken: bone-in or boneless. 

If you prefer dark meat, you can use chicken drumsticks or thighs. With the bone in, the baking time will be longer. These cuts of chicken need to bake for 35 to 40 minutes at 425°F (230°C).

Boneless thighs, on the other hand, only need a little more time to cook. You can bake boneless thighs for 25 to 30 minutes at 425°F (230°C).

Whichever cut of chicken you use, always make sure that you cook it until the recommended internal temperature of 165°F (74°C).

CAN YOU MAKE Easy Greek Lemon Chicken Breasts BREASTS AS A FREEZER MEAL?

In one word – YES! If you love easy prep dinners, Easy Greek Lemon Chicken Breasts makes a delicious and easy freezer chicken dinner.

To prepare your freezer meal, simply add the uncooked chicken breasts to a 1 gallon sized freezer bag and cover evenly with the sauce before zipping up the bag.

You can freeze Easy Greek Lemon Chicken Breasts for up to 6 months. And when you are ready to bake it, simply defrost your chicken in the fridge overnight.

If you need it to defrost it a little faster, you can thaw the frozen chicken in cold water. Simply immerse the freezer bag in cold water, changing the water every 30 minutes. It will take about 1 hour for the chicken to fully defrost. After it has thawed, bake it immediately.

Whichever way you choose to defrost it, Easy Greek Lemon Chicken Breasts is even tastier when frozen because as it thaws, it marinates in the sauce. Marinating is a surefire way to enjoy a tasty chicken dinner.

Ingredients for Easy Greek Lemon Chicken Breasts

Simple and packed with flavor, this is one easy and delicious dinner. So let’s get cooking.

• Chicken breasts – skinless and boneless
• Oil – while it may be less authentic, it is recommended to use an oil with a high smoke point. This is why we use grapeseed oil, instead of olive oil.
• Lemon – you only need one lemon for this recipe to give it a burst of lemon flavor. But if you like extra lemon flavor, you can always serve lemon slices on the side.
• Oregano – a staple in Greek cooking. But to make this recipe easier to prepare, it uses dried oregano.
• Garlic – adds a ton of flavor and always makes dishes extra delicious. You can use fresh garlic, but this recipe easily works with garlic powder.
• Onion – like the garlic, it adds extra flavor and it also uses onion powder.
• Salt and pepper – you can adjust this seasoning to taste.

You may notice that there is more than five ingredients above. There is a little hidden math when it comes to 5 ingredients meals. There are three simple ingredients that aren’t counted – oil, salt and pepper.

Oil, salt and pepper are kitchen staples and you likely won’t need to purchase for this recipe. Plus, salt and pepper are flavor enhancers that you can always adjust to taste. So, if you prefer more salt, you can add it. And if pepper isn’t your thing, you can leave it out. Or, just add a little less.

HOW TO MAKE Easy Greek Lemon Chicken Breasts

A flavor bursting baked chicken dish that is as easy as it is delicious. It’s made in only 5 simple steps and in no time, you have a meal that’s simple and truly finger-licking good!

STEP 1: PREHEAT OVEN TO 425°F (230°C)

This is the perfect temperature to bake chicken. If you don’t usually bake your chicken breasts at 425°F, you are going to love it. When chicken cooks at a higher temperature it keeps it juicy and moist. And most importantly, it gets dinner on to your table even faster. Which is always a big win!!

STEP 2: MAKE THE SAUCE

The Greek lemon sauce is made with only a handful of ingredients. But they pack a tasty flavor punch. To make the sauce, simply combine oil, lemon, oregano, garlic, onion, salt and pepper in a small bowl. And it’s just that simple. Don’t you just love when dinner comes together that easily.

STEP 3: MARINADE The Chicken

If you are marinading the chicken before baking, add the chicken to a large bowl, container, or one gallon freezer bag. Pour the Greek lemon sauce over top. Cover the chicken with a lid, plastic wrap, or zip closed the freezer bag. And marinade the chicken in the fridge for 15 minutes to 24 hours before baking.

But, if you are short on time, you can skip the marinating step. Sure, marinating adds to the flavor, but you will still have a tasty meal without.

When you are ready to bake, add the chicken breasts to a parchment covered baking sheet. Cover the chicken breasts evenly with the Greek lemon sauce. And before you know it, dinner will be ready!

STEP 4: BAKE

Easy Greek Lemon Chicken Breasts is ready really quickly. Simply pop it in the oven for 20 minutes. When it’s done, check the internal temperature using a meat thermometer. Chicken is safe to eat when its internal temperature is 165°F (74°C).

STEP 5: REST

Before you serve the chicken, let it rest. If you cut it too soon, it will lose some of its natural juices and tender texture. Letting it rest for even 3 minutes helps to lock in some of its juices, so you end up with a delicious piece of chicken every time.

WHEN Is THE CHICKEN IS READY?

The best way to know that your Easy Greek Lemon Chicken Breasts are fully cooked is to use a meat thermometer. You want to make sure that you are feeding your family food that is safe to eat, especially when you are cooking chicken.

To do this, we use instant-read meat thermometer. These are super easy to use. And you can check the internal temperature of the chicken once it is finished cooking.

Simply pierce the stem of the thermometer into the thickest part of the meat. Always check the instructions of your meat thermometer to find out how far it needs to be inserted.

The thermometer will read the internal temperature of the chicken, letting you know if it is fully cooked. The recommended internal temperature for chicken is 165°F (74°C).

HOW TO STORE Leftover BAKED CHICKEN BREASTS

If you have any leftovers, Easy Greek Lemon Chicken Breasts can be stored in the fridge, in a sealed container, for up to 3 days. But, chicken dinners never seems to last that long in our house.

If you doubled the recipe and ended up with too much leftover chicken, you can freeze any leftovers for up to 3 months. You can also slice or dice the chicken before freezing. This way, it’s easily prepped for another meal. Sliced or diced chicken can be the perfect addition to a salad, pasta, or casserole dish.

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Easy Greek Lemon Chicken Breasts (5 Ingredients Recipe)

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Zesty, moist, and delicious, Easy Greek Lemon Chicken Breasts is the perfect easy prep meal. This chicken is made with only a handful of ingredients, but it has a ton of flavor.

• Author: Jessica
• Prep Time: 5
• Cook Time: 20
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: 4 1x
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Bake
• Cuisine: Greek

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 3 tablespoons grapeseed oil
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice (1 lemon)
• 2 teaspoons oregano, dried
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F (230°C).
2. In a small bowl, combine oil, lemon juice, oregano, garlic, onion, salt, and pepper to make the Greek lemon sauce.
3. Place chicken on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Cover with Greek lemon sauce.
4. Bake chicken for 15 to 20 minutes, until it has an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C).
5. Rest for 3 to 5 minutes before serving.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 piece
• Calories: 345.06kcal
• Sugar: 0.44g
• Sodium: 673.05mg
• Fat: 15.8g
• Saturated Fat: 2.15g
• Unsaturated Fat: 3.07g
• Trans Fat: 0.02g
• Carbohydrates: 3.45g
• Fiber: 0.69g
• Protein: 45.28g
• Cholesterol: 145.27mg

Keywords: baked chicken, 5 ingredients chicken recipe, easy baked chicken recipe