Baked Lemon Rosemary Chicken — Just five basic ingredients are all you need to make this EASY recipe! Chicken thighs are seared until golden, then coated with a zingy lemon rosemary marinade and baked. The skin crisps up in the oven while the chicken remains moist and tender! Serve with a side salad, roasted veggies, or mashed potatoes for a full meal!
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Easy Lemon and Rosemary Chicken Thighs
Baked lemon rosemary chicken is so simple to prepare, with an extremely short ingredients list of just 5 essential ingredients, AND it gets rave reviews every time! That’s a triple win for me 🙌🏻 And no, I don’t count olive oil and S&P as ‘unique’ enough ingredients to be worth mentioning, but if you do, we’re only talking 8 ingredients.
For maximum flavor, chicken thighs are seared just until browned on both sides, then topped with a mixture of lemon juice and zest, garlic, and fresh rosemary before being finished in the oven.
The combination of pan searing and roasting makes the skin super crispy while keeping the meat itself juicy and tender. Since there are so few ingredients in the recipe, searing is essential because it lends so much flavor to the chicken without the need for extra seasonings or spices.
Using both lemon juice and zest makes the baked chicken thighs taste distinctly lemony, but in a balanced way and not so much your mouth will pucker. If you prefer an even stronger lemon flavor, amp up the amount of zest.
Ingredients for Lemon Rosemary Chicken
The ingredients list for the lemon and rosemary chicken is very short, sweet, and simple:
- Olive oil
- Chicken thighs (bone-in, skin-on)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Garlic
- Lemon juice and zest
- Fresh rosemary
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
Can Chicken Breasts Be Used Instead of Thighs?
Yes, the lemon rosemary sauce can be paired with chicken breasts instead of thighs.
I recommend bone-in chicken breasts with the skin on rather than boneless skinless breasts for the simple ease that you can essentially follow the same overall gist of the recipe
Note that chicken breasts cook a bit quicker than thighs, so you’ll likely pull it from the oven a few minutes sooner (maybe 5 minutes or so but of course you can be the judge of that based on if it’s done or not!).
How to Make Lemon Rosemary Chicken
Lemon garlic rosemary chicken requires around 15 minutes of hands-on prep, and then your oven finishes the job for you. Searing the chicken takes less than 10 minutes and makes the chicken thighs taste like you ordered them in a restaurant, so don’t skip this essential step!
- Pat the chicken thighs with paper towels to remove any excess moisture. Season with salt and pepper.
- Heat a little olive oil in a skillet over high heat. Sear the chicken thighs on both sides until golden brown (about 4 minutes per side).
- Transfer the seared chicken to a baking dish – or if you have an oven-safe skillet, use it from the beginning to sear and skip the need to transfer.
- Top with a mixture of olive oil, lemon juice and zest, garlic, and rosemary.
- Bake at 400ºF for 25 minutes, check the internal temperature of the chicken, rest the chicken out of the oven, slice, and serve!
How Do You Know If Baked Chicken Thighs Are Done?
Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs should no longer be pink inside, and when pierced with a fork the juices should run clear. I always use a meat thermometer to test the doneness of my chicken because it’s the only way to be 100% positive that the chicken thighs are done.
Insert the meat thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh. If the temperature registers 170-175ºF, it’s done.
Technically speaking, thighs are safe to consume after being cooked to 165ºF, but they’re better at 170-175ºF. That’s because thigh meat (leg muscles) are worked harder and it takes a bit of a higher temperature to tenderize the meat compared to chicken breast.
You can probably pull it at 165-170ºF and let the thighs rest for 5 minutes. Because in those 5 minutes, the carry-over heat from the oven will bring the internal temperature up to 170-175ºF. This is a great way to ensure your chicken thighs are properly baked without them accidentally drying out in the oven!
Recipe Tips
Pat chicken thighs with a paper towel before searing. This removes any excess moisture and ensures maximum crispness after being seared and baked.
Sear the chicken for best results. Searing chicken thighs adds color, flavor, and crispness. It completely transforms the dish!
Use a meat thermometer to check doneness. Make sure to read the above section about temperatures and that you can pull it when it’s just barely reached the threshold of doneness since carryover cooking will happen even out of the oven while the meat rests.
Fresh rosemary is a must! Dried rosemary is more potent in flavor, but is also crunchy in texture. I don’t love using it in marinades for that reason, but it works great in soup and sauces where it has time to soften up!
Fresh lemon juice is best. You’ll be using the lemon zest as well, so you might as well buy an actual lemon versus using bottled juice. But of course, if bottled lemon juice is what you have on hand then go ahead and use it.
Add additional herbs and spices, if desired. This recipe is perfect as is, but you’re welcome to mix and match herbs if you have more that need to be used up. Oregano, sage, and thyme would all work very well in this recipe. Cumin, paprika or smoked paprika, and cardamom are other options that work nicely, too.
Repurpose the leftovers. Leftover lemon and rosemary chicken thighs can be sliced or chopped and added to salads, wraps, sandwiches, soups, and more!
Recipe FAQs
Searing the chicken does a few key things in this recipe. It browns the skin, which adds flavor and crispness; it also helps lock in the moisture and keeps the chicken tender and juicy even after being baked.
Chicken thighs should reach an internal temperature of 165ºF before being served. But it’s better to let the temperature get to 170-175ºF since the meat will be more tender. I take mine out of the oven when they’re around 165-170ºF and let the carry-over heat finish bringing them up to 175ºF on my counter (this takes about 5 minutes).
I’m sure you could use boneless, skinless chicken thighs, but I haven’t tested the recipe this way. I have this recipe for Lime Cilantro Chicken which uses boneless thighs and it starts out by searing on the stove and finishes in the oven. It’s a good recipe to reference for cooking times. Remember, boneless cuts will cook more quickly than bone-in cuts.
Yes, but you’d need to use about half the amount of fresh since dried herbs tend to be more potent or intense. However, I don’t love using dried rosemary in this recipe because it’s already such a simple recipe! And you really need to combination of fresh rosemary, garlic, and fresh lemon to make the chicken taste restaurant-quality.
Sure! You could experiment with other hearty herbs like oregano, thyme, and sage. More delicate herbs like parsley and basil should be added after the chicken has finished baking.
What to Serve with Lemon and Rosemary Chicken
This baked lemon rosemary chicken recipe pairs well with roasted veggies, including roasted broccoli, or steamed veggies like green beans, rice, quinoa, mashed potatoes, or an easy green salad.
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Baked Lemon Rosemary Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 pounds skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs (about 6 to 8 thighs; skin-on, bone-in breasts may be substituted)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
- Juice of 2 lemons, about 1/3 cup juice
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary, I do not recommend dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F and pat the chicken dry with paper towels.
- To a large skillet, add 2 tablespoons olive oil, add chicken thighs with the skin side up, and evenly season the chicken with salt and pepper. If you prefer more or less, adjust seasoning amounts to taste. Tip – If you have an ovenproof skillet, use it now and you'll save the step of needing the transfer the chicken to a baking dish later.
- Over medium-high heat, sear the chicken on the first side for about 3-4 minutes, flip and sear the second side for about 3-4 minutes. Tip – The chicken does not need to be fully cooked through when you're done searing it. The goal of searing is to add color, crisp up the skin, and lock in moisture – not to actually fully cook it through.
- After the chicken is seared, spray a 9×13-inch glass, ceramic, or porcelain baking dish (avoid metal if possible as it cooks differently), spray it with cooking spray, and place the chicken in the baking dish with the skin side up. If you're using an oven-safe skillet, just leave it in the skillet; set aside momentarily.
- To a 2-cup glass measuring cup or small bowl, add all remaining ingredients, and whisk to combine.
- Evenly pour the mixture over the chicken and bake uncovered for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until chicken is done* (See Notes).
- Allow chicken to rest, in the pan, for about 5 minutes after pulling it from the oven. Garnish with fresh lemon slices and/or extra rosemary, if desired before serving. Leftover chicken will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat gently in the microwave. Leftover chicken is perfect in salads, wraps, pasta salads, soups, sandwiches, sliders, and more.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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