Lemon Rosemary Baked Chicken

Marinated in fresh lemon and rosemary, this lemon rosemary baked chicken is packed with flavor and a weeknight favorite!

Easy chicken dinners are the name of the game around here! Even more so if we’re piling everything in a marinade and letting it make its own magic.

And this chicken is indeed magical. We’ve got tons of fresh lemon and rosemary goodness coming into play here and infusing all that fantastic flavor into the juicy chicken thighs.

The marinade for this chicken is seriously SO simple since it takes only minutes to prep in the morning and then you can forget about it until you’re ready to bake it.

And let me tell you, the fragrant herby lemon smells that are going to fill your kitchen are entirely unreal. Meet your new favorite chicken dinner, y’all!

This Lemon Rosemary Chicken features…

• Lots of flavorful fresh lemon and rosemary
• An insanely juicy and tender texture
• A quick marinade that comes together in minutes

Making the Lemon Rosemary Chicken

(scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe)

Ingredients You Will Need

• Lemon
• Honey
• Rosemary
• Garlic
• Olive oil
• Chicken thighs

Choosing Your Chicken

We recommend using boneless chicken thighs for this recipe. This cut of chicken is best suited for this dish because it cooks up fast with a very juicy texture.

Bone-in chicken thighs or boneless breasts may also be used in this recipe, however, they will likely take a bit longer to cook than boneless thighs. Use 25 minutes as a benchmark time to check the chicken and always test chicken with a meat thermometer to determine doneness.

Tips for Perfect Lemon Rosemary Chicken

1. Use fresh ingredients – it’s essential that you use fresh-squeezed lemon juice, rosemary, and garlic for this recipe to achieve the boldest flavor.
2. Marinate chicken at least 2 hours – a good rule of thumb with marinating is 2 hours if you’re in a hurry and up to 12 if you’ve got some extra time.
3. Marinate chicken on bottom shelf of fridge – it’s always a good idea to keep raw meats away from fresh produce and on the bottom shelf of your fridge to reduce risk of cross contamination.
4. Bake chicken in marinade – pour the marinade over the chicken for baking. This gives the chicken some extra flavor while it cooks.

Recipe Variations

Try these ideas for a different twist on this chicken.

• Use a different citrus – try lime or orange in place of the lemon.
• Grill chicken – remove chicken from marinade, pat dry, and grill over medium-high heat until chicken registers 165F.
• Try a different herb – try dill, parsley, or thyme in place of the rosemary.
• Add heat – try adding a few shakes of red pepper flakes for some heat.

Serving Suggestions

This chicken goes well alongside a variety of side dishes. It’s great alongside roast potatoes, veggies, salads, or buttered noodles. You can even chop up leftovers and use them in a wrap, sandwich, or salad!

There’s just no beating this chicken! The fresh lemon, rosemary, and garlic infuse all their amazing flavor into every inch of the chicken thighs and they cook up SO ridiculously juicy from the hours-long marinade.

Trust me, THIS is the recipe to pull out when you’re trying to impress but still want to keep it easy!

Save this recipe using the ‘save to recipe box’ button below. If you make it, please let us know! Leave a comment + star rating below, or take a photo and tag it on Instagram with #wholeandheavenlyoven.

More easy chicken dinners to make next!

• Sticky Honey Chipotle Chicken Thighs
• Skillet Caprese Chicken Bites
• Air Fryer Chicken Milanese

This post was updated with new recipe tips and photos on 4/4/24.