This sheet pan lemon chicken is the best one-pot chicken recipe you can make in less than 45 minutes. It's a surprisingly easy recipe that's simple and scrumptious. A lemon marinade is drizzled over chicken and mushrooms, then, baked until everything becomes crisp on the outside and tender juicy on the inside. And, served with roasted garlic cloves and caramelized onions. What more can you want?
Table of Content
Do you do a lot of sheet pan cooking? I didn't until a few years ago. Then, I made one recipe and that seemed to get us all hooked on sheet pan meals.
And, the best thing about sheet pan meals, is that everything goes in on one pan. Also, there is something for everyone. Some parts are crisp, which Ziv and I love very much, while some parts stay soft, tender and juicy, which the kids love very much.
About this recipe
Honestly, home cooking doesn't get any easier than this.
A tangy lemon marinade made with garlic, rosemary, oregano, and olive oil is drizzled over bone-in, skin-on chicken. This keeps the chicken moist, tender and juicy. In addition, the mushrooms also absorb some of the chicken juice and stay pulp, moist and juicy.
And, the whole recipe comes together in less than 45 minutes. It takes just about 5 minutes to prep the chicken and veggies, and about 35 to 40 minutes to bake. I love to serve this over mashed potatoes. And yet, a wonderful vegetable pilaf is another one of my kids' favorite accompaniments.
Ingredients and substitutes
- Chicken - I love to use bone-in thighs and legs for such roast recipes. In this case, I have used skin on (fat trimmed), so the chicken stays nice and moist. You can use chicken breast, but make sure to reduce baking time as chicken breast cooks and dries out very easily.
- Mushrooms - I've used small white button and champagne mushrooms. And yet, any of your favorite mushrooms works well for this recipe. Keep them to similar sizes, so cut a large one in half if needed, so they cook evenly.
- Lemon - I've used lemon juice and lemon slices. Yes, the chicken does have a lemony flavor so if you prefer you can reduce the lemon as well. I love roasting lemon slices with skin on (so often I will double the lemon slices) and if you have not tried it yet, you absolutely must.
- Dried herbs - I make this during the week and dried herbs are usually on hand as compared to fresh herbs. But you can certainly use fresh herbs if you prefer.
- Garlic - I always have fresh or roasted garlic at home. And yet, half a teaspoon of garlic powder would work just as well.
Step by step instructions
Method
- Preheat oven at 200 C / 390 F.
- Prepare baking pan - Line a 15 x 10 sheet pan with foil or parchment paper for easy clean-up.
- Spray pan - or spread the parchment or foil with oil.
- Season chicken - In a large bowl, season the chicken with salt and pepper.
- Prepare marinade - In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, dried oregano, rosemary, garlic, red pepper flakes, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
- Spread over sheet pan - Place the chicken on the foil surrounded by the mushrooms, sliced onions, whole garlic cloves, and lemon slices.
- Coat everything - Pour the marinade over the whole pan, and toss everything to coat.
- Bake - Roast in the oven on the middle rack for about 35 to 40 minutes. (if using a thermometer the internal temperature of the chicken should read 165F).
- Rest - Let the chicken rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.
7 Tips for perfect sheet pan recipes
- Always use the right size pan for cooking. Too large and the meat will stew rather than roast giving you mussy veggies. Too small will not give even cooking.
- Line the pan with parchment for easy clean-up. Having said that, baking directly on the pan can give you crisp edges which some of us enjoy.
- Layer moist meats or veggies on top of dry ones so the top will keep the bottom from going dry.
- Use veggies with similar cooking times, or give the veggies that need longer cooking a head start.
- Keep the veggies moist by spraying them with oil so they won't dry out.
- Use the right cooking time for the right cuts of meat. Chicken breast usually cooks quicker than chicken thigh or red meats.
- Not everything gets browned well on a sheet pan - if necessary sear the meat on the stovetop so you don't overcook just for browning.
Frequently asked questions
This sheet pan chicken can be kept in the fridge for up to 4 days. Make sure to cover it well to prevent it from drying in the fridge. It can also be kept it the freezer for up to 3 months.
Yes, you can use chicken breast but the cooking time for chicken breast is much shorter than chicken thighs and legs. So make sure to adjust the cooking time accordingly.
Absolutely, I have used mushrooms but you can try other veggies, such as potatoes, sweet potato, turnip, parsnip, cauliflower or even broccoli. Make sure to adjust cooking time as per the veggies you use.
I love lemon chicken juices with a nice crusty bread such as my rustic whole wheat raisin bread or my no-knead beer bread. My kids love this over my fragrant fruit and nut rice or vegetable pilafs.
Personally, I love to have cauliflower rice for a low carb option.
Use a large baking pan, casserole dish, or oven rack lined with foil for easy clean-up. Whatever pan you use, make sure the pan is large enough to keep all the ingredients in but not too small that they stew rather than roast.
If you don't like lemon, try my other sheet pan chicken recipes. For example:
Sheet Pan Chicken caramelized onions and sweet potato
Sheet Pan Paprika Chicken
Or Sheet Pan Shawarma Chicken with potatoes
Lemon is a versatile flavor with chicken - You can also try my Stir-Fry Cilantro lemon chicken in less than 15 minutes or Lemon Butter baked Chicken.
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Printable Recipe
Sheet Pan Lemon Chicken with Mushrooms, Roasted Garlic and Caramelized Onions
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Ingredients
- 8 (8 ) Chicken pieces bone-in, skin-on, thighs and legs
- 1 lb (450 g) mushrooms
- 2 (2 ) Onions sliced into rounds
- 2 (2 ) Lemons sliced into thick rounds
- 10 (10 ) Garlic cloves skin-on
Lemon Marinade
- 4 tablespoon (4 tablespoon) Olive oil
- ½ teaspoon (½ teaspoon) Garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon (½ teaspoon) Salt
- 2 tablespoon (2 tablespoon) Lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon (½ teaspoon) Oregano dried
- ½ teaspoon (½ teaspoon) Rosemary dried
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) Red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon (½ teaspoon ) Black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 200 C / 400 F.
- Prepare baking pan – Line a 15 x 10 sheet pan with foil or parchment paper for easy clean-up.
- Spray pan – or spread the parchment or foil with oil.
- Season chicken – In a large bowl, season the chicken with salt and pepper.
- Prepare marinade – In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, dried oregano, rosemary, minced garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, lemon juice
- Spread over sheet pan – Place the chicken on the foil surrounded by the mushrooms, sliced onions, whole garlic cloves, and lemon slices.
- Coat everything – Pour the marinade over the whole pan and toss everything to coat.
- Bake – Roast in the oven on the middle rack for about 35 to 40 minutes. (if using a thermometer the internal temperature of the chicken should read 165F).
- Rest – Let the chicken rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Nutrition Information
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
Adrianne
Yum I love sheet pan dinners!! Lemon and chicken is a great combo and I am loving how good this sounds. Thanks for sharing.
Veena Azmanov
Mine too, Adrianne.Love lemon and chicken
Marisa F. Stewart
This is exactly the type of weeknight meal we love. What could be better than juicy chicken in a delicious lemon marinade. We always have mushrooms and have them several times a week. This is on our menu this coming week. Can't believe the easy clean-up!!
Veena Azmanov
Absolutely, Marisa. Let me know if you tried it.