This quick and easy, herb chicken recipe is perfect for hectic, weeknight family meals.
Using a classic blend of lemon, garlic, and easily available herbs such as rosemary, thyme, and oregano, this dish doesn’t need a lot of fancy ingredients to deliver robust flavor.
What’s more, you can serve it with just about any side dish you choose, think garlic roasted broccoli, brown rice, quinoa, or a leafy green salad.
If you happen to make a weeknight menu plan or have a well stocked pantry, fridge or freezer, you’ll already have the necessary ingredients on hand. Just marinate the chicken over night or prep the chicken when you have a spare five minutes during your day (Now where did I put those spare minutes? Must be where the proverbial missing socks keep hiding!).
No worries if you’re a last-minute dinner shopper. All hope of a quick, easy meal is not lost. Just marinate your chicken for as long as you can. Dinner will still be delicious. Promise.
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Easy Weeknight Lemon Chicken with Garlic and Herbs
Ingredients
- 2 Large Lemons, zest and juice, divided
- 4-6 Fresh garlic cloves, finely minced
- 3-4 Fresh rosemary sprigs, stems removed,chopped
- 2-4 Fresh oregano sprigs, stems removed, chopped
- 2-4 Fresh thyme sprigs, stems removed
- 8 Boneless, skinless chicken thighs or 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 Tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup water, chicken stock or white wine to deglaze the pan if needed.
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- 1. In a small bowl, combine ½ of the lemon zest and juice with the garlic and rosemary, oregano and thyme. Stir to combine. Reserve remaining lemon juice and set aside.
- 2. Place chicken pieces in a large, sealable, plastic bag and pour marinade on top. Seal bag and turn several times to ensure chicken is evenly coated. Place bag in the refrigerator to marinade for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
- 3. When ready to cook, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, but not smoking, remove the chicken pieces from bag, allowing excess marinade to drip off back into the plastic bag. Place chicken in the hot skillet. Discard remaining marinade.
- 4. Cook until chicken is browned on each side, approximately 3-5 minutes per side. Transfer thighs to a clean serving platter and set aside. Note: Chicken is NOT fully cooked at this point.
- 5. Add remaining lemon juice and ¼ cup water (I prefer to use chicken stock or white wine instead of water for an additional flavor boost), if necessary, to hot skillet to deglaze. Gently scrape surface of pan with spatula to remove any browned bits and incorporate them into the liquid. Bring liquid to a boil and then reduce heat to medium-low.
- 6. Return chicken pieces to skillet and simmer for 3-4 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Season with additional salt and black pepper, to taste. Remove from heat and serve immediately with your choice of sides
Notes
- Feel free to use whatever herbs you have on hand instead of the ones suggested in the ingredient list. This is a very flexible recipe. Just keep in mind delicate herbs such as basil, chives, cilantro, dill and parsley, should be added toward the end of the cooking process- in this recipe, they would be added in step 6. Hearty herbs, such as oregano, rosemary and thyme can be added early on, like in the marinade to infuse your dish with flavor.
- Place remaining lemon zest in an airtight container and freeze for future use in marinades, soups, or salad dressings.
- You can quarter or half more lemons then the recipe calls for and cook them along with the chicken- cut side down. This will add additional flavor to your dish, looks great on a serving platter and can even be squeezed over the chicken when the dish is complete.
- If you really want to serve your meal with flare, sprinkle additional fresh herbs over the chicken before serving. Bright pops of green herbs look great on this dish.
- Cook more chicken than you need for dinner. Just be sure to up the amount of lemon, garlic and herbs you use as well. The additional chicken can be sliced for lunch sandwiches, served with salads or cut up and served atop lemon, garlic pasta the next day!
What’s your favorite go to chicken recipe for a busy weeknight? Store bought roasted chicken doesn’t count! Share your tasty secret in the comments below. Thanks, smiles.
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This looks delicious! Lemon chicken always makes for a great meal! :)
So embarassed to admit I just found your comment after all this time. Cooking I know, technology, not so much! Did you try this recipe? How’d you like it? What other recipes, tips and tricks would you like to see in the future? Thanks. :)