Simple and Easy Lemon Butter Baked Chicken
This simple, easy and effortless lemon butter baked chicken flavored with lemon, caramelized onions, roast garlic, and herbs is perfect on busy working days when you have no time to spend cooking in the kitchen. Putting the ingredients in the baking pan takes no more than five minutes and the oven does the rest.
Simple Easy Lemon Butter Baked Chicken Recipe
This was one of those busy weeks with two wedding cakes and kids on vacation!! And you know two wedding cakes means no time to stand around in the kitchen cooking even a basic meal.
My Rhea loves her chicken and no matter how busy I am; I have to make something chicken for her or else she does not eat well. Aadi is more accommodating and a simple pasta makes him happy. But Rhea! she’s not easy to please. This is one she loves very much.
On days that I am so busy caking I make quick and easy meals such as this baked lemon butter chicken. It’s so simple and easy to make because all I do is throw in a couple ingredients in the pan along with the chicken and place it in the oven. The oven does all the work for me while I continue with my cake decorating. And that roasted garlic cloves are to die for. I must admit my favorite has to be the caramelized lemon slices. LOVE!
Simple Easy Lemon Butter Baked Chicken Recipe
An hour is all it takes!
An hour later, my home smells with amazing food as if I spent hours cooking. The kids come back from school and lunch is ready.
This is how it comes out of the oven!!
Doesn’t it look scrumptious? You can serve it right out of this pan. But careful it’s hot!! I love how to lemon and the onions all get caramelized.
Simple Easy Lemon Butter Baked Chicken Recipe
Now you can serve it right outta baking dish but my kids are small so to keep it safe I usually take things out of my hot oven pans and onto a platter. You can also place the veggies alongside but I place them separately.
Simple Easy Lemon Butter Baked Chicken Recipe
And the Gravy?
Well, I love plan juices and this is absolutely delicious you wanna save it.!! This is just the pan juices in there with all that caramelized goodness. If I have a big batch then I reduce it and thicken it with a tablespoon of flour if not I just serve the little there is in a sauce boat.
Simple Easy Lemon Butter Baked Chicken Recipe
Let’s talk ingredients and substitutes (Save/Pin)
- Chicken – I like to use quarters or chicken and thighs for this. I would not recommend chicken bread but if you do use chicken bread cook it for no more than 30 minutes
- Lemon – This adds a nice zing to the chicken and even if you don’t love lemons like my husband you will love it on this dish.
- Onions – you can use any onions but I especially prefer red onions because they caramelize and taste delicious.
- Garlic– the minced garlic adds flavor to the chicken directly but the roasted garlic cloves are a treat you will love with a slice of bread. Roasted garlic is not garlicky but sweet like jam and makes a great spread on bread during dinner. If you haven’t tried it – I insist.
I’ll be honest this is so popular in our home that it’s moved from just busy working days to the weekend when I can make a few other side dishes too. I made this recently for a festive family dinner – my popular mushroom quiche but I made this one in a puff pastry instead of a crust, Lemon rosemary roast potatoes but I used potato cubes instead of baby potatoes, and Sesame Green Beans
Simple Easy Lemon Butter Baked Chicken Recipe
Recipe – Simple Easy Lemon Butter Baked Chicken (Save/Pin)
Tools
Ingredients
- Chicken quarters with skin – 4 pieces (see notes)
- Lemon – 1 large
- Red onion – 1 large
- Butter 55 grams (1/2 stick)
- Garlic minced – 2 large cloves
- Plus whole head of garlic
- Sweet smoked paprika – 1 tbsp
- Dried thyme – 1/2 tsp
- Dried rosemary – 1/2 tsp
- Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
Prepare
- Preheat oven at 200 C / 400 F
- Clean and pat dry the chicken pieces – leave the skin on
- Add minced garlic, sweet paprika, dried herbs, some more salt and pepper to the butter.
- Slice whole lemons and onion into round disc – set aside.
- Open the garlic head into individual cloves but leave the skin on.
Bake
- Place chicken in a baking dish
- Season lightly with salt and pepper
- Generously rub the chicken with the prepared butter (compound butter)
- Place chicken in the pan
- Distribute lemon and onion slices all over the chicken
- Cover baking pan with aluminum foil
- Bake for 30 minutes
- After 30 minutes remove foil baste the chicken with the pan juices
- Cook uncovered for another 30 minutes until the top is golden and the chicken is cooked thru.
- Enjoy!
Pan Juices/Gravy
- The pan juices can be served with the chicken just as it.
(which is what I usually do) - If you prefer makes a gravy – pour the pan juices in a frying pan
- Cook until reduced to half
- Add a tbsp of four and cook further until thick
- Strain thru a sieve and serve.
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Simple Easy Lemon Butter Baked Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 pieces Chicken quarters with skin see notes
- 1 Lemon
- 1 Red onion
- 55 grams Butter
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 Garlic bulb
- 1/2 tbsp Sweet smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp Dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp Dried rosemary
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Prepare
- Preheat oven at 200 C / 400 F
- Clean and pat dry the chicken pieces - leave the skin on
- Add minced garlic, sweet paprika, dried herbs, some more salt and pepper to the butter.
- Slice whole lemons and onion into round disc - set aside.
- Open the garlic head into individual cloves but leave the skin on.
Bake
- Place chicken in a baking dish
- Season lightly with salt and pepper
- Generously rub the chicken with the prepared butter (compound butter)
- Place chicken in the pan
- Distribute lemon and onion slices all over the chicken
- Cover baking pan with aluminium foil
- Bake for 30 minutes
- After 30 minutes remove foil baste the chicken with the pan juices
- Cook uncovered for another 30 minutes until the top is golden and the chicken is cooked thru.
- Enjoy!
Pan Juices/Gravy
- The pan juices can be served with the chicken just as it. (which is what I usually do)
- If you prefer make a gravy - pour the pan juices in a fry pan
- Cook until reduced to half
- Add a tbsp of four and cook further until thick
- Strain thru a sieve and serve.
Nutrition Information
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You may like to check out some of my other quiche recipes.
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This looks like a really tasty option for a family meal!
Thanks Sara. Happy you think so.
I love roasted chicken dinners! And you are absolutely right… the pan drippings make the best sauce.
Thanks Meredith. Yeah I love pan drippings to make my sauce.
This looks amazing! I just printed this out so I can make it for dinner this week! Looking forward to making this!! YUM! And I’m like you -I’m fine with the time as long as the oven does all the work!!
Absolutely Amanda. Most of my meals are either in the oven or slow cooker cooking themselves on busy cake order days. That’s how I manage to function lol Let me know how it was. Thanks
This is one of my favorite chicken dishes, I tend to serve it with aromatic clove rice. That’s when it turns into an addiction. Lemon, garlic and chicken are best friends. 🙂
I know what you mean Helene I love the combination of Lemon, garlic and Chicken – I hope you try it.
Love the idea of putting all the ingredients together and roasting to get the maximum amount of flavor. Your kids must know a good thing when they taste it. Lemon and garlic are naturals together. A perfect team in every sense of the word. And using paprika on the chicken gives it that nice color!! Great recipe.
There is no comfort like cooking all in one especially on busy days Marisa. On busy cake days this is a blessing and the kids love it.
Such a great recipe for an easy and tasty dinner! I am vegetarian/pescetarian but my husband would love this chicken!
Thank you Nicoletta – I hope you make it for him. He sure will enjoy!
Lemon and chicken go so well together and I’m always looking for more recipe using Chicken Quarters. I will be making this soon.
Thank you Sharon. Happy to hear that. Let me know what you think. Enjoy!
Quick meals like this are such a welcome addition to busy weeknights. This chicken looks absolutely succulent!
Absolutely Ashley!! A great dish for weeknight or weekends.
Drooling. Great recipe. Looks so delicious
Thanks Kushi
Yummy! Your lemon butter chicken looks so delicious!! I love baking chicken and am always looking for new recipes! I can’t wait to try it!
Thanks Elaine – If you do try. Please let me know what you think
This chicken sounds amazing, especially with those roasted lemon slices! I love dishes like these that practically cook themselves. So convenient on nights when you have a million and one things to do, but still want to eat well!
Me too Amanda. I love dishes like these and my slow cooker too – They practically cook themselves.
This would be great for me as leftover in s chicken salad for lunch the next day!
Thanks Gina. Yes the left overs definitely make a great addition to sandwiches.
What a great chicken recipe. It would be so moist and delicious. My family from hubby to the grandkids would LOVE this for dinner any night of the week. Economical too.
Thanks Gloria. Happy to hear that. If you try do let me know what you think.
One of my ultimate favorite recipe. Its simply easy and taste great. My kids really enjoyed it very much. Definitely making this again.
Thank you so much Nayella. Appreciate you taking the time to come back to comment and let me know. Always thrilled to hear positive feedback from those who tried my recipes. Happy to hear your kids loved it. Thank you .!
My family loves baked chicken and this recipe makes a perfect dinner. We LOVED it! Thank you for the recipe
Thank you so much for your feedback Stella. I’m always so excited and proud to hear positive feedback from my recipes. Thank you so much for taking the trouble to come back and comment.Appreciate it.Thanks