This easy one pan lemon garlic chicken recipe is ready in no time! A quick, weeknight chicken dinner that tastes great over rice or pasta.
This easy lemon garlic chicken is one of my favorite fall recipes.
It's ready to go in under an hour, uses just one pot, includes spinach because #vegetables, and makes a simple, lemon-y, garlicky broth that's perfect for pouring over rice, pasta, or sopping up with a few slices of homemade crusty bread.
Also, this lemon chicken recipe makes great leftovers (perfect for meal prep!)
Ingredients you'll need
- Boneless, skinless chicken thighs - We're using chicken thighs here because they pack a ton of flavor, stay a bit more tender than other cuts, and are easy to fit in the pan. Boneless skinless chicken breasts work just as well here though!
- Diced yellow onion and plenty of minced garlic - We'll sauté these aromatics together to create the base of our sauce.
- Fresh thyme gives some extra depth to this recipe. Dried thyme works, too!
- Lemon is the star of the show here: Fresh lemon juice adds brightness and flavor to our sauce. Use more or less lemon juice depending on your preference!
- Chicken stock (or chicken broth) gives our sauce some volume and extra flavor.
- Fresh spinach lends a pop of color and plenty of nutrients.
- You'll also need a few basics: olive oil, salt, and pepper help us bring this dish together.
Order of operations
First, sear the chicken
Adding a quick sear to our chicken thighs locks in a bit of moisture and gives us some super flavorful drippings to use as the base for our sauce.
Season your chicken thighs on all sides with plenty of salt, then sear the chicken with a bit of oil in a deep, large skillet until the meat is lightly browned on all sides. Set the chicken aside, then use the same pan to make the sauce.
Build your sauce + bake
- Sauté onion and garlic with a bit of oil until soft.
- Add salt, pepper, and fresh thyme, then squeeze in the juice of one lemon.
- Stir chicken stock and spinach into the sauce.
- Return the chicken thighs to your saucepan, then bake in a hot oven until cooked through.
Riffs and substitutions
These lemon garlic chicken thighs are ultra forgiving and easy to customize! A few of our favorite swaps and additions:
- For a creamy sauce, stir in a splash of heavy cream or Magic Cauliflower Cream.
- Use white wine in place of ½ cup of the chicken stock for extra flavor!
- For more lemon flavor, add the lemon zest from your lemon in addition to the juice (or add another lemon entirely!) You can also top the chicken thighs with lemon slices just before baking for a beautiful presentation and extra flavor.
- Add diced potatoes, asparagus, broccoli, kale, or carrots to make it a little heartier.
- Use whatever cut of chicken you have on hand - this recipe is equally delicious with boneless, skinless chicken breast (just make sure to add a few minutes to the cook time if you're using a larger cut- a good meat thermometer can help you with this).
What to serve with lemon garlic chicken
We love serving this chicken with pasta (we love ravioli or tortellini!), rice, quinoa, farro, or a pile of zucchini noodles. It's also great with:
- Small Batch Crusty Bread
- Classic Homemade Mashed Potatoes
- 5 Minute Lemon Arugula Salad (you can also use spinach in this salad!)
PS - Love this recipe? Try our Spinach Artichoke Chicken →
VIDEO: HOW TO MAKE LEMON GARLIC CHICKEN
Easy Lemon Garlic Chicken
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 35 mins
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4
- Category: Main Dish
- Cuisine: American
Description
An easy baked lemon chicken recipe for busy weeknights!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- ½ medium yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 large sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 lemon
- 1 ½ cups chicken stock
- 2 heaping cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped
Instructions
SEAR THE CHICKEN (10 MIN)
- Heat oven to 400° Fahrenheit.
- Season both sides of chicken thighs with salt and pepper to taste.
- Heat olive oil in a large, oven-safe pan (I like to use a wide, deep skillet) over medium heat.
- Place chicken thighs in the hot pan and sear for 4-5 minutes on each side until golden brown.
- Remove chicken to a plate and set aside, then return pan to stove over medium-high heat.
MAKE THE SAUCE (5-10 MIN)
- Add onion and garlic to pan. Sauté until onion is translucent, about 3 minutes. If the pan is looking a little dry, add another drizzle of olive oil to help the onion cook.
- Pull leaves off of thyme sprigs. Add thyme leaves to the onions.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Juice the lemon, removing any seeds, and add lemon juice to the onion mixture. Stir to combine.
- Add chicken stock and spinach to onions and stir to combine. Bring mixture to a simmer.
- When mixture has reached a simmer, return seared chicken thighs to pan and spoon some of the broth over the top of them to help them stay moist.
BAKE (15-20 MIN)
- Place pan in 400° F oven, uncovered, and cook 15-20 minutes more until chicken is cooked through. Serve immediately.
Notes
Can I make this in an Instant Pot? Yes! Visit our Instant Pot Lemon Garlic Chicken post for full instructions.
Substitutions. Use bone-in, skinless chicken thighs or boneless, skinless chicken breasts if you prefer. With larger or bone-in cuts, you may need to extend the baking time to ensure chicken is cooked through (when we tested this recipe with boneless, skinless chicken breasts, we increased the cook time by 8 minutes or so). Use ½ cup of white wine in place of ½ cup of the chicken stock if you like. Add kale, broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes, or any vegetables you have on hand in place of or in addition to the spinach. We recommend adding broccoli, cauliflower, or carrots just as you put the chicken in the oven to avoid overcooking.
How to serve this lemon garlic chicken: Serve this lemon chicken over rice, quinoa, farro, pasta (we love ravioli and tortellini!) or mashed potatoes. It's also delicious as a stand-alone entree with some roasted vegetables on the side.
For added texture, wait to add the spinach until you're ready to serve. Stir it into the hot broth and let it wilt just slightly. (We add the spinach before baking in this recipe for ease, so you can go right from the oven to the table - but if you have the time and prefer your spinach to have more texture, add it right at the end!) This recipe has a very light, broth-y sauce.
If you prefer to thicken the sauce, stir in a cornstarch slurry, a splash of heavy cream, or a few spoonfuls of our Magic Cauliflower Cream just before serving. (You may also want to check out our creamy one pan chicken and potatoes recipe, which features a thicker, creamy sauce!)
To make this recipe in a slow cooker, sauté the onions and garlic in a small skillet. Add sautéed onion mixture to your slow cooker along with the remaining ingredients and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Stir chopped spinach in when you're ready to serve. (While you can certainly skip the sauté step if you like, we strongly recommend sautéing the onions and garlic even if you're using a slow cooker because the texture is so much better!)
Save leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat, warm in a skillet or saucepan over medium-low heat until heated through. Taste and add extra chicken stock, lemon juice, and seasonings as necessary before serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 362
- Sugar: 1.9 g
- Sodium: 357.8 mg
- Fat: 15.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 6.5 g
- Protein: 47.6 g
- Cholesterol: 215.8 mg
Claudia N
Made this tonight...new family favorite. Will definitely be a regular for a great weeknight meal!
Jackie @ Life As A Strawberry
Hi Claudia - we love being added to the weekly dinner lineup! Thank you!
Carrie B
This recipe is SO good! The flavor is really really good. Thanks
Jackie @ Life As A Strawberry
Hi Carrie - thank you!
Ned
excellent I put them in the boiler 2 min, each side
Jackie @ Life As A Strawberry
Hi Ned, thank you!
Jessica
I make this every single week! It's a family favorite! Thanks for the recipe!!!! It has improved our life in a small, happy way 🙂
Elizabeth
Very tasty, easy recipe. And it even works well if you use fresh rosemary instead of thyme. Rosemary is what I have growing in my garden, and I am forever getting my herbs a bit mixed up since the garden labels wore off. Not having a full cup of fresh spinach, I add in some beet greens. I liked the idea of white wine, so I used 1 can, 14 oz of chicken broth and about 1/4 c white wine. Otherwise made as directed. Even some of my more picky kids liked it. Chicken was tender, and plenty of sauce to pour over any sides. One small change I will make next time, other than actually using thyme, is to add a bit more spinach and greens. This is definitely one I will make again and again.
Jackie @ Life As A Strawberry
Hi Elizabeth - so glad to hear you are using fresh ingredients from the garden and using what you have to improvise! Love to see the kiddos liked it as well. Great job!
Fran
I really love simple recipes that taste really good and this one is one to definitely try. It’s a welcomed addition to meals for weeknights. It’s quick and inexpensive. I bought all of the ingredients for less than $10 and for a mom on a budget this really means a lot!!! THANK YOU 🙂
Jackie @ Life As A Strawberry
Hi Fran, thank you so much! So happy to hear we made it into the dinner rotation, wohoo!
Danielle
I have been making this recipe once every couple weeks for a few months now, we love it! That's saying something because I normally hate eating chicken without breading but I was looking for something I would enjoy and is healthy and this is a great option. I find the chicken to be full of flavor and it's easy to make, especially after the first time!
Karen P
Great recipe! Made with boneless, skinless chicken and 1/2 dried thyme.
Jackie @ Life As A Strawberry
Hi Karen - Thank you and so glad you mixed it up!
Amber
Easy to make, as well as ingredients that I had around the house. Only problem that I had is that the chicken just didn't have any flavor.. Even the parts sitting in the liquid. I will definitely try to make this again, but may add flour to the sauce and see it that helps it stick.
Chandra Ramirez
I made this as described but switched out the spinach for Swiss chard. Super good, thanks!
Jackie @ Life As A Strawberry
Hey Chandra, great substitute - sounds yummy!
Jessica
I made this dish last night and it was DELICIOUS!! I cooked the whole meal on the stovetop. My house smelled so good too. Thank you for sharing!
Jackie @ Life As A Strawberry
Hey Jessica,
This make us SO happy to hear how much you liked it!
Lori
I had some boneless skinless thighs so I used them. What I saved in calories / fat isn’t worth it. I definitely recommend bone in skin on( trim skin to a triangle on thigh ) I used white wine vs broth. I also feel it’s not necessary to turn on the oven. Simmer stove top they’ll cook in same time not sure how to rate since I changed the recipe.
Jackie @ Life As A Strawberry
Hi Lori, thank you for your feedback.
Kim
I just made this dish and it was delish! Thank you for the recipe.
Jackie @ Life As A Strawberry
Hi Kim, you're so welcome! Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Jaylene
This was really tasty. Next time I make it I will add more spinach. Definitely going in the dinner rotation! 🙂
Jackie @ Life As A Strawberry
Hi Jaylene, YES! We love to become part of the dinner rotation 🙂
Melissa
Made this for dinner last night - it was wonderful! Very thin broth, I wish I'd made more of it. I ate it with some noodles and it was perfectly warm and light!
Jackie @ Life As A Strawberry
Hi Melissa, Delicious! I love hearing you enjoyed it!
Carrie L
Really delicious and super easy. I added a little more chicken broth and made a light slurry of corn starch before putting the chicken back in, hoping for a more gravy like sauce out of the oven. It was perfect! Served it with lemon and garlic parmesan orzo (another recipe I found elsewhere) and a side of broccoli. It's definitely earned a place in the frequent dinner rotation!
Jackie @ Life As A Strawberry
Hi Carrie - I love hearing about changes and new creations! Sounds wonderful, glad we made the dinner rotation!