This lip-smackin' good Baked Breaded Lemon Chicken has a bright, lemony flavor and a crispy breadcrumb coating, giving you a super-easy weeknight meal that will have your family clamoring for more!
Best of all, you only need 5 ingredients and 35 minutes to make this main dish! Don't have prepared breadcrumbs on hand? There's a bonus recipe in this post to make your own with leftover bread!
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👩🏻🍳 Why You'll Love This Recipe
When I want something super easy to prepare but with lots of flavor, I reach for this oven fried lemon chicken recipe. It's ideal for a quick weeknight meal and sure to please the whole family!
With just 6 ingredients and only 35 minutes, you can prepare this tender and juicy panko crusted chicken. Best of all, it's baked instead of fried, which makes for a much healthier option that you'll feel great about serving.
Recipes like this breaded lemon chicken and my Chicken Potato Bake are great for hearty but simple weeknight meals that are sure to be crowd pleasers. Other contenders are these Easy Skillet Chicken Fajitas, or Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs!
🥘 Ingredients Needed
- butter - helps form a flavorful coating for the breadcrumbs to stick to.
- lemon juice - gives your panko breaded chicken a boost of citrus flavor.
- garlic salt & pepper - simple but classic seasonings that enhance the lemon butter coating.
- seasoned bread crumbs - you can use Panko or regular; I like to use Panko because the results turn out extra crispy.
- chicken - I like to use boneless skinless chicken thighs for this recipe, but use whatever cut you like best!
🔪 Instructions
- Melt the butter and combine with the lemon juice, garlic salt, and pepper.
- Place the breadcrumbs in a separate dish.
- Dip the chicken first in the lemon butter mixture.
- Then dip in the breadcrumbs and ensure the chicken is well coated.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees F, or until chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
👪 FAQs
Yes, this is a great way to get any kind of breaded coating to stick to your chicken while also adding extra flavor. This is a great substitute for using egg.
Panko is a kind of Japanese breadcrumb that is crunchy and tend to absorb less oil than classic breadcrumbs, which yields baked or fried foods that have an extra crunchy coating.
One way to avoid sogginess is to cook on a wire rack, which will allow for drainage of any excess moisture as the chicken cooks. Using Panko breadcrumbs specifically also leads to less sogginess, as they don't absorb liquids like typical breadcrumbs might.
💭 Expert Tips and Tricks
- This is a great option for a savory recipe using leftover bread--you can make your own breadcrumbs! Cut up some bread, and if it isn't stale, dry it out in the oven (at 325 degrees F) for about 10 minutes. Then toss in the food processor with some seasonings (I like to use garlic powder, onion powder, parsley, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper) and you've got homemade breadcrumbs.
- Fresh lemon juice is ideal for this breaded lemon chicken, but bottled lemon juice works great if you already have it in your fridge.
- If you'd like some extra crispiness from your breading, finish cooking under the broiler for a couple of minutes. Just be sure to keep an eye on your chicken as this can lead to burning.
You'll love this baked breaded chicken recipe for its simplicity and versatility. A great staple recipe, panko chicken is perfect to customize to your own tastes!
📖 Substitutions and Variations
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts can be substituted for thighs. cut them in half before coating and baking for a more even cook.
- If you prefer, you can pan fry your chicken in some vegetable oil. I just prefer to oven "fry" to eliminate extra oils!
- You can mix in any number of seasonings to the lemon butter sauce to customize your breaded lemon chicken. Cayenne, chili powder, paprika, red pepper flakes, or whatever you like!
🥫 Storage and Reheating
Store your breaded lemon chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheating can be done in the microwave, or you can use your oven. Just be sure not to dry out your chicken while you reheat.
This chicken can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Let it defrost in the fridge for a while before reheating.
⏲️ Make Ahead Instructions
You can make your breadcrumbs from scratch ahead of time if you want to save time on prep when making your oven fried lemon chicken.
💡 What To Serve With This Dish
Serve your lemon breaded chicken with another oven fried side and serve these Oven Fried Crispy Green Beans. Or, try pairing with Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts, this easy Garlic Butter Microwave Broccoli, or some Air Fryer Zucchini Fritters.
🍗 More Chicken Recipes You'll Love
- Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese - Only 5 ingredients are needed for this flavorful and savory pasta dish!
- Baked Pesto Chicken - You'll love the ease of preparing this meal all in one dish.
- Slow Cooker Cranberry Chicken - Tender juicy chicken with a sweet and tangy cranberry sauce.
- Chicken Parmesan Sandwiches - This recipe from Miss in the Kitchen yields delicious sandwiches with fried chicken topped with sauce and cheese.
Oven Fried Lemon Chicken
Love this recipe? Awesome! Please give it a 5 star ⭐ rating below! And if you make this, snap a photo and tag me on Instagram. You can find me at DizzyBusyandHungry or #dizzybusyandhungry!
📋 Recipe Card
Baked Breaded Lemon Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon garlic salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup seasoned bread crumbs, Panko or regular (see NOTES to make your own)
- 1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick spray.
- Melt the butter on the stovetop or microwave about 30 seconds on 50% power.3 tablespoons butter
- In a shallow dish, combine the butter, lemon juice, garlic salt, and pepper.3 tablespoons lemon juice, ½ teaspoon garlic salt, ½ teaspoon pepper
- Place the bread crumbs in another dish.1 cup seasoned bread crumbs, Panko or regular
- Dip the chicken in the lemon-butter, then coat with the crumbs.1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- Place each piece of chicken in the baking dish. Drizzle with any remaining lemon-butter.
- Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes, or until the chicken is done.
Notes
- You can substitute boneless skinless chicken breasts. Cut them in half before dipping them in the lemon juice mixture and bread crumbs for more even cooking.
- If your breading doesn't quite crisp up the way you would like, place the chicken under the broil for a few minutes. Watch it carefully to prevent burning!
- Fresh lemon juice tastes best but I admit that I mostly use bottled just because I always have it handy in the fridge.
- Out of seasoned breadcrumbs? Make your own using leftover bread.
- Use about 6-7 slices of bread, cut into pieces. If they aren't very stale, dry them in the oven at 325 degrees for about 10 minutes, then allow them to cool.
- Place them in a food processor with the following seasonings and pulse until finely crushed: ½ teaspoon parsley flakes, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning, 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper, ½ teaspoon salt
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Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate. The nutritional values for your final dish may vary based on measuring differences and products used.
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Happy cooking!
Cambrea
What a perfect and easy weeknight dinner! The coating looks so perfect and crispy, how could you resist!