Ina Garten’s Lemon Chicken

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From the Barefoot Contessa herself, Ina Garten's Lemon Chicken is juicy, flavorful, and oh so easy!
From the Barefoot Contessa herself, Ina Garten's Lemon Chicken is juicy, flavorful, and oh so easy!
Ina's lemon chicken is a no fuss dish that's comforting, familiar, and utterly satisfying. Make ahead of time or right before serving.
Ina's lemon chicken is a no fuss dish that's comforting, familiar, and utterly satisfying. Make ahead of time or right before serving.
From the Barefoot Contessa herself, Ina Garten's Lemon Chicken is juicy, flavorful, and oh so easy!
From the Barefoot Contessa herself, Ina Garten's Lemon Chicken is juicy, flavorful, and oh so easy!
From the Barefoot Contessa herself, Ina Garten's Lemon Chicken is juicy, flavorful, and oh so easy!

From the Barefoot Contessa herself, Ina Garten’s Lemon Chicken is juicy, flavorful, and oh so easy!

Follow along with the video!

 

Ina Garten's Lemon Chicken in panThis chicken! This chicken! Ina Garten’s Lemon Chicken is the latest addition to our weeknight dinners. It’s a simple chicken cooked in a simple sauce and yet the result is remarkable! I think this is the dinner to cook when trying to win the heart of that special someone ;)

Aerial view of Ina Garten's Lemon Chicken in panThe sauce is bright, tangy, herby, earthy, and winey ;)  all at the same time. At our house, not a drop of the sauce goes to waste. We use it to dip our bread, dress rice, and as a sauce to pour over store-bought rotisserie chicken. As for the chicken. It’s everything you’d want chicken to be. The meat is so juicy, regardless of using white or dark meat, and the skin is perfectly crisped.

Preparation step for Ina Garten's Lemon Chicken - ingredients on cutting boardIna strikes again. With Ina Garten’s Lemon Chicken, it all begins with the sauce. Olive oil is warmed with freshly minced garlic. How can you go wrong with that?

Preparation step for Ina Garten's Lemon Chicken - herbs, wine, and lemon juice in measuring cupThen, pour in a mixture of wine, fresh and dried herbs, and of course, lemon juice and zest.

Preparation step for Ina Garten's Lemon Chicken - chicken thighs marinating in panPour it over some pat-dried chicken, tuck in some lemon slices under the skin, and roast in the oven! To make it ahead of time, simply pour the sauce over the chicken, cover,  and refrigerate until ready to go into the oven. Ina Garten’s Lemon Chicken will taste even better after that marinating time :D

Sauce being poured on Ina Garten's Lemon Chicken For a no fuss entree that’s easy to throw together ahead of time or an hour before serving, Ina Garten’s Lemon Chicken is your answer. It’s rustic, comforting and familiar; perfect after a long day of work. Serve it over some greens or pair it with a side of greens. So satisfying!

Ina Garten's Lemon Chicken in pan



From the Barefoot Contessa herself, Ina Garten's Lemon Chicken is juicy, flavorful, and oh so easy!
Print Recipe
4.84 from 18 votes

Ina Garten’s Lemon Chicken

Yields 4 chicken breasts or thighs, or 2 half chickens
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 1 medium thigh
Calories: 284kcal

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons minced garlic, 8-9 cloves
  • cup dry white wine
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest *, from about 2 lemons
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, about 1 lemon
  • 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
  • Salt and pepper to taste (optional)
  • 4 boneless, skin-on chicken breasts, 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, or 2 skin-on half chickens, patted dry
  • slices Lemon, from remaining lemon after zesting

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  • In a small sauce pan, warm the oil over low heat. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant. Do not let the garlic brown. Remove from heat.
  • In a small bowl, stir together the wine, lemon zest and juice, oregano, and thyme.
  • Whisk the wine mixture into the warm oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • In an oven safe-baking dish, pour in about half of the wine and oil mixture. Place the chicken over the sauce, skin side up. Tuck the lemon slices under the chicken skin. Season the skin with salt and pepper, if using. Pour the remaining wine and oil mixture over the chicken.
  • Follow the guide below for cook time. Bake until the juice from inside the chicken is no longer pink. If the skin has not browned, place the dish under the broiler for 1-2 minutes. Cover the chicken with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

Cook Time
Boneless Skin-On Chicken Breasts: 30 – 40 minutes
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts: 25 – 35 minutes
Bone-in, Skin-On Chicken Thighs: 40 – 50 minutes
Skin-on half chickens: 45 – 55 minutes  
*After zesting, use 1 of the lemons to squeeze the juice needed in the recipe and slice discs from the second lemon.
Adapted from Barefoot Contessa

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86 comments

  1. Stacey says:

    This sounds delicious. Is there a substitute for the wine though??
    It’s not something we drink or ever have in the house.

    • Patty K-P says:

      5 stars
      Hi Stacey! Thank you for your sweet comment. Although I haven’t tested the recipe without wine, I would substitute it with an equal amount of either chicken or vegetable broth. I hope that helps! Let me know if you have any more questions :)

    • Patty K-P says:

      I’ve never tried. But I think it cooks too quickly to need a slow cooker :) If you’re worried about keeping it warm, I have marinated overnight and only popped it in the oven right before serving. Hope that helps!

  2. ron says:

    seems like the 1/2 chicken cooking time is off, seems to me 1/2 a chic takes longer that a breast, might want to see if a typo in transcribing – ron

  3. Sandra Adams says:

    If you marinate the chicken overnight…. won’t the lemon juice change the texture of the
    chicken? Thank you, Sandra

    • Patty K-P says:

      Hi Sandra, I didn’t notice a significant change in the texture of the chicken. If anything, it tenderized the meat more, making it softer and more “fall off the bone” :) If you’re worried and you want to make it ahead of time, feel free to make the sauce first and store it until ready to cook. Hope that helps :)

  4. MARIA says:

    Hi. Is it ok if I use the dried thyme instead of the fresh one? I never see any fresh thyme to my usual stores. And also, i dont have dry white wine what can i use? Chicken broth with the same measurements? Thanks.

    • Patty K-P says:

      Sure, Maria! Dried herbs are more concentrated than fresh ones, so go ahead and use half the amount of dried thyme called for in the recipe. Instead of wine, chicken broth will work just fine!

  5. carolyn says:

    Ina’s recipe calls for chicken breasts with skin.
    Have you tried using skinless breasts; and does the chicken turn out the same?

    • Patty K-P says:

      Yes. I include a cook time guide at the bottom of the recipe card that you can reference for skinless chicken breast. You would just omit tucking the lemon slices under the skin. For best flavor, I would recommend using skin-on breasts so that you can tuck in the lemon slices and then discard the skin before serving.

  6. Terri S Greenwald says:

    made it yesterday for seder, let it marinate the entire day – used a split chicken. it was amazingly easy and delicious! i strained and boiled the marinade when it came out of the oven for the best gravy!!!

  7. Bonnie Lundgren says:

    What if I use bottled lemon juice? I won’t have any slices to tuck in. Will that ruin it? I do have dried lemon zest, so that’s all it would be missing. And I am not sure if my white wine is sweet or dry… I hope it’s ok if it turns out it’s a sweet wine!

    • Patty K-P says:

      Bottled lemon juice is fine in a pinch. Lemon slices would add some flavor, but it’s not going to be ruined if you don’t have any. I’ve only ever used dry white wine when cooking. I’d love to know how a sweet white wine turns out!

  8. Nina says:

    For times I need a quick dish.. Can I make the sauce on the stovetop and then pour it over a store bought rotisserie chicken?

    • Patty K-P says:

      I don’t think it will be the same if you make the sauce on the stove. A large component of the sauce comes from the chicken juices released while cooking in the oven.

  9. Lois says:

    5 stars
    Great recipe! I’ve made it several times now. I use about 1/3 of the marinade for the chicken, then save the rest for other dishes it would complement (fish, pasta, eg). I don’t notice any loss of flavor, and it saves time and calories.

  10. Zelda says:

    3 stars
    Boneless skinless chicken breasts do not work. This chicken was dry and rubbery. Use only those with skin and bones or thighs. Good flavor but that’s all. Sorry..

    • Patty K-P says:

      Thank you for your comment. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are easily overcooked in any situation. I find that if I take the chicken out when the center registers 150F, the radiant heat finishes cooking the chicken (to 155F) without overcooking it!

  11. Susan Hampton says:

    5 stars
    You can use dry sherry instead of white wine (Thank you Julia Child). I keep a bottle in the fridge/ it doesn’t go bad like other table wines.
    Made this many times. It’s wonderful. Used thighs or spatchcocked chicken.

  12. Sally says:

    5 stars
    This chicken is ridiculously moist! It’s my husband’s and my favorite chicken recipe.
    Thank you for sharing!

  13. Di McDowall says:

    5 stars
    I made this recipe for our dinner tonight and it was absolutely delicious.. Will now be a weekly staple.. The sauce flavour.. divine.. Thank you!…

  14. Liz Simpson says:

    5 stars
    Should I marinate the chicken first? It sounds like some people did but I didn’t see that the recipe called for it. Thanks!

    • Liz Simpson says:

      5 stars
      Never mind – I see now your comment about it being even better when marinated! We tried this last night and it was phenomenal!! We used a little less garlic (3 giant cloves crushed instead of 8-9) and it still came out fantastic! We made it with cheesy rice (basmati rice with butter, parmesan cheese and parsley) and green beans with crushed walnuts and everything was divine! There was enough yummy sauce for spooning over the chicken and the rice. Will definitely make this again!

  15. Joni says:

    Would love to try this, but cannot find any chicken breasts boneless and with skin on. I have even tried to buy the skin only…is this only in Florida ? Do others have access to chicken breast with skin ?

  16. joni says:

    Thank you, I realize I could use the thighs with skin…but I really would like to find breasts with skin…any ideas of where I should look ? I even tried a butcher – offered to buy skin…no, could not do that either.
    Thank you for responding!
    Joni

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