Easy Baked Lemon Chicken

Hot, Hearty, Home Cooking

Well, if you’re reading this, then we’ve both somehow managed to survive the holidays! Although I truly enjoy the excitement and chaos the holiday season brings, once we push past New Year’s, I’m more than ready for a little “normal.” This time of year I always seem to find myself anxious to get back into a routine. The shopping, decorating, parties, even the indulgent food…they’re wonderful while they last, but I do look forward to a return to the predictable.  

Don’t get me wrong, by predictable I’m not talking about boring or humdrum. I’m talking about COMFORT, particularly COMFORT FOOD. For the last week or so I’ve been craving a “stick to your ribs” kind of meal, and this past Sunday brought me the perfect opportunity to make it happen. Cold and rainy, it seemed like the ideal day to stay inside and whip up something hot, hearty, and home-cooked! Enter Baked Lemon Chicken…the star of my meal and one my family’s all-time favorites. I stumbled across this recipe last year and it has been one of my go-to dishes ever since. It’s quick, easy to prepare, and most importantly, super flavorful! 

In keeping with my New Year’s resolution to try and eat healthier, I decided to tweak this recipe just a bit by substituting turkey breasts for the chicken. While the differences in these lean meats are minimal, turkey does have a slight edge from a nutritional standpoint. It also happened to be what I had in my freezer, so there’s that. I started with Nature’s Rancher Turkey Tenderloins (99% fat free). I thought by using the tenderloins I might do a better job of limiting portion size and, in turn, reduce calories. I also opted to sear the turkey in olive oil rather than butter. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised with the results. This recipe, whether made with turkey or chicken, is definitely a keeper!

I finished up the meal with two simple side dishes, oven roasted fingerling potatoes and garlic parmesan broccoli. What a way to round out the plate! My need for comfort food was more than satisfied and luckily I made enough for leftovers!

Easy Baked Lemon Chicken
Serves 4
Print
Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
30 min
Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
30 min
Ingredients
  1. 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts *(I substituted 10 turkey tenderloins)
  2. 3 TBS butter *(I substituted olive oil)
  3. 1/3 cup chicken broth
  4. 4 TBS fresh lemon juice
  5. 1 TBS honey
  6. 2 tsp minced garlic
  7. 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  8. salt and pepper to taste
  9. optional: fresh rosemary and lemon slices for garnish
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease a baking sheet or large casserole dish.
  2. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook 2-3 minutes on each side, just until browned. Transfer chicken to prepared baking dish.
  3. In a small bowl, whisk together chicken broth, lemon juice, honey, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
  4. Pour mixture over chicken. Top with sliced lemon and rosemary, if desired. Bake 20-30 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Every 5-10 minutes spoon the sauce from the pan over the chicken.
  5. Garnish with additional fresh rosemary and lemon and serve.
Notes
  1. Recipe by Crème De La Crumb at http://www.lecremedelacrumb.com/2016/04/easy-healthy-baked-lemon-chicken.html
  2. For Roasted Fingerling Potatoes recipe visit https://www.chowhound.com/recipes/roasted-fingerling-potatoes-28281
  3. For Garlic Parmesan Broccoli recipe visit https://homemadehooplah.com/garlic-parmesan-broccoli/
Nature's Rancher https://naturesrancher.com/