Baked Lemon Pepper Chicken

Baked Lemon Pepper Chicken with garlic is a super easy chicken recipe you are going to love. Quick and easy preparation, and in no time dinner is done!

baked lemon pepper chicken with garlic over rice on a platter


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Lemon Garlic Chicken Recipe

Looking for a new way to prepare chicken breasts? This lemon garlic chicken is scrumptious. While baking your kitchen is going to smell amazing.

Did I mention this recipe is super easy to prepare? All of the ingredients are easy to find, and it will take you only a few minutes to make this delicious chicken recipe. The hardest part is waiting for the chicken to bake.

Baked lemon pepper chicken is the perfect recipe to make on a busy weeknight. You can make it in no time, and still enjoy all the delicious lemony, garlic, and pepper flavors.               

What Makes This Lemon Pepper Chicken Recipe Stand Out

There are a few reasons why you need to make this recipe. First, the flavors alone, produce an absolutely delicious piece of lemon pepper chicken breast.

Also, unlike a lot of baked chicken, this one is topped off with a delicious breaded crust to give it that extra little crunch.

Once the chicken is in the pan, dinner can be done in about 30 minutes, and the oven does the rest of the work.

Garlic Lemon Pepper Baked Chicken Ingredients

The other amazing thing about this recipe is that most of it can be made with everything you already have in your pantry! Here’s a list of what you need:

  • Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • Butter
  • Garlic
  • Lemon juice
  • Italian breadcrumbs
  • Grated Parmesan cheese
  • Thyme
  • Lemon pepper seasoning
lemon pepper chicken ingredients on a baking sheet.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

Want to make gluten-free lemon pepper chicken? 

To make it gluten-free you will want to substitute the Italian bread crumbs for Panko evenly and then add 1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning and mix it all together.

Don’t have Italian bread crumbs on hand? 

No problem! Just crush up some of the crackers that you have on hand. Some of my favorites to use are Ritz crackers or even Cheese Its! Then, add 1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning with the cracker crumbs.

Don’t have lemon pepper seasoning?

While the lemon pepper seasoning is pretty key to this recipe there are some substitutes you can try. Mishry has some ideas for lemon pepper substitutes.

However, if you have the ability to get to the store to grab some, that might be easiest.

How to Make Lemon Pepper Chicken with Garlic

  1. Begin by preheating the oven to 400 degrees.
  2. While the oven is heating, cut up the butter and place it in a baking dish that is oven safe. Then place it in the oven to melt the butter.
  3. When the butter is melted, remove the baking dish from the oven. 
  4. Add in the garlic, thyme, and lemon juice to the baking dish and mix it all together with a spatula. 
    melted butter, garlic, thyme, and lemon juice in a baking dish.
  5. Grab a large zip-top bag and add the breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese.
  6. Add the chicken to the bag and shake it to coat the chicken with the breadcrumb mixture.
  7. Once the chicken is coated, place each breast in the baking dish.
  8. Flip the breasts over allowing each side to get covered with lemon sauce.
  9. Then sprinkle the remaining breadcrumbs from the bag on top of the chicken breasts.
  10. Sprinkle lemon pepper over the chicken.
    lemon pepper chicken in a dish before baking
  11. Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes or until done (165 degrees internal temperature).
  12. Transfer the baked chicken to a serving platter or individual plates.
  13. Spoon some of the liquid over the cooked chicken and accompanying side dish if desired.
baked lemon pepper chicken on top of rice on a white platter.

What does baked lemon garlic chicken taste like?

It tastes exactly how it sounds. It has the wonderful citrus flavor of the lemon, mixed with the spicy pepper and garlic.

And then it has the wonderful added crunch from the bread crumb and Parmesan cheese mixture. 

Is lemon pepper salty?

While it will have a little bit of a salty taste, it does not have a powerful salty overpowering flavor. 

What is the best way to cook this lemon garlic chicken recipe?

The best way to cook this chicken recipe is in the oven! It allows the chicken to bake in the lemon and butter juice and produces a very tender and flavorful chicken.

Serving Suggestions for Lemon Pepper Chicken Breast with Garlic

Finish off this recipe with some of these amazing sides:

How do you store and reheat baked lemon pepper chicken?

You can either store the chicken breast in the baking dish with foil placed on top, or you can transfer it to an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days.

When you want to reheat it, you can always use the microwave. You can also preheat the oven to 350 degrees and reheat the chicken for 20-30 minutes or until heated through.

But, if you’d like to use the oven, make sure to put a little water or chicken broth in the pan with the chicken to avoid the chicken from drying out while it reheats.

How long with lemon pepper chicken last?

Baked lemon pepper chicken will keep refrigerated for up to 5 days and frozen for up to 3 months.

Can you freeze Garlic Lemon Chicken?

You can freeze the chicken, but I would suggest doing it with just the breaded chicken.

You can freeze the raw breaded chicken or fully cook the chicken and then transfer the chicken to a freezer-safe container.

Wait to make the butter and lemon sauce when you are ready to bake it.

baked lemon pepper chicken over rice on a platter.

More Chicken Recipes

Check out more of my easy chicken recipes and the best recipes for dinner here on CopyKat!

baked lemon pepper chicken with garlic over rice on a platter

Lemon Pepper Chicken with Garlic

Make garlicky chicken easily in the oven!
5 from 15 votes
Print Pin Rate Add to Collection
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Baked Lemon Pepper Chicken, Chicken Recipes, Lemon Pepper Chicken
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 315kcal

Ingredients

  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 1/2 cup butter (one stick)
  • 2 heaping tablespoons minced garlic
  • 3/4 teaspoon thyme (important for flavor)
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
  • 1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
  • Cut the butter into slices and place the butter slices in a baking dish. Place the baking dish in the oven to melt the butter.
  • When the butter has melted, remove the dish from the oven.
  • Add the garlic, thyme, and lemon juice to the dish and mix it well.
  • Mix the bread crumbs and Parmesan in a large plastic zip-top bag.
  • Add the chicken to the bag and shake to coat the chicken.
  • Remove the chicken from the bag and lay each breast on its front to get moist then flip them over in the pan.
  • Sprinkle the remaining breadcrumb mixture on top.
  • Sprinkle lemon pepper on top.
  • Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes or until done (internal temperature is 165 degrees).
  • Transfer the baked chicken to a serving platter or plates.
  • Spoon some of the liquid in the baking dish over the cooked chicken and accompanying side dish if desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 315kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 70mg | Sodium: 604mg | Potassium: 57mg | Fiber: 0g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 855IU | Vitamin C: 5.4mg | Calcium: 182mg | Iron: 0.9mg

About Stephanie Manley

I recreate your favorite restaurant recipes, so you can prepare these dishes at home. I help you cook dinner, and serve up dishes you know your family will love. You can find most of the ingredients for all of the recipes in your local grocery store.

Stephanie is the author of CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home, and CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home 2.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Erin

    5 stars
    So very delicious. I started making this, POSITIVE that I had all of the ingredients, only to find out that we threw away the lemmon pepper seasoning because it was expired. I added an extra tablespoon of lemon juice and some fresh ground peper and it was amazing. My bf made a bunch of comments about my ‘gourmet cooking.’ I highly recommend this and will definitely make it again!

  2. Rick

    5 stars
    So easy using items you have already. Made me look like I knew what I was doing. Reheats the next day for lunch. Thank You Stephanie!

  3. Rebecca Renk 

    5 stars
    This is looking delicious. I would love to bake this for the coming occasion Thanks for sharing the recipe

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