This marinated chicken may be simple, but it packs plenty of luscious lemon-rosemary flavors! It’s easy enough for a weeknight dinner, but still fancy enough for a special occasion.
Hey. I like chicken.
I’ll take all kinds. Breaded, oven-baked, slow-cooked, covered in zee-sauce, NAME IT and I’ll eat it.
Marinated? Whooooole ‘nother ballpark of delicious.
ALL THE FLAVORS. They literally kick you in the tastebuds with their awesomenesss.
And I could swear this chicken just says. Eat me. All of me. Right now.
I can’t ignore….
Our superfood ingredient for Day #10? All the lemons. Full of ALL the antioxidants, tons of vitamin C, and SCORE! It can help you lose weight too.
When life gives ‘ya lemons…..make and eat ALL the Lemon-Rosemary Marinated Chicken.
The marinade for this chicken is seriously so.dang.good. Not so good that I’d want to drink it (uh, nooo)…..BUT it is the perfect marinade-bath for some chicken….
Mr. Lemon, meet your new girlfriend Ms. Rosemary. ♥
We’ve got tons of lemon flavor from the juice and zest of two whole lemons, a few garlic cloves, a whopping 1/2 cup fresh rosemary (fresh, fresh, fresh!) olive oil, and then just lots of salt and pepper.
I always puree my marinades in the food processor. It breaks everything down into a nice smooth marinade-sauce that will have maximum flavor.
I like to marinade this chicken overnight, and if you’ve got the time I would HIGHLY recommend it. The flavors just get better and better the longer the chicken sits in the citrus-y, herby marinade.
AT LEAST marinade this chicken for up to 4 hours though, PUH-LEEZE. Here’s whatcha can do if you’re running short on time: Before leaving for work in the morning just make the marinade. (literally takes 2 minutes) Dump it over your chicken..
Sidenote: I was just typing “chicken” and accidentally typed “kitchen.” I must still be remembering what happened last week when I put my chicken in a ziplock bag and then dumped the marinade inside only to unfortunately discover that there was a lovely hole in my marinading bag…..
So my kitchen counter and floor more or less ended up splattered with all that lucious marinade. It only took 2 days for the lemon smell to go away.
Oh, joy was that a fun day…
ANYWHO. Make sure the bag you put your chicken in is HOLE-LESS before you proceed to dump the marinade on top. Seal ‘er too unless you like marinade all over your fridge (yes, I’ve done that before too)
From there, just stick that bag in the fridge and forget about it for the rest of the day! Oh, but DON’T forget about it in there once dinnertime rolls around (yep, done that too) Stick that chicken in the oven….
30 minutes to faceplant time. Hooooo-yahhhhh!
Okay, so obviously we’ve covered the fact that this chicken is literally Flavor-City. Shall we discuss side dishes? No, that’s unnecessary with the amount of this chicken you’re probably gonna end up eating.
Just in case, though, lemme tell you that the pasta is my favorite side. Because the only thing I love almost as much as this chicken is ‘zee carbs.
This chicken is so simple yet SO elegant, your ho-hum weekday dinners are just begging for it. I promise you’ll love it!
In the rare event that you’ll have any leftovers, feel free to send ’em on over my way. Thank you for your cooperation in feeding my cravings. 🙂
Lemon-Rosemary Marinated Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 2 lemons juiced and zested (about 1/2 cup juice and 2 tablespoons zest)
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 cup fresh rosemary coarsely chopped
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
Instructions
- Place chicken thighs in a large resealable plastic bag. Set aside.
- Place lemon juice, zest, garlic, rosemary, oil, salt, and pepper in a food processor. Pulse several times until smooth (several chunks will still remain)
- Pour marinade over chicken in bag. Seal bag and turn several times to distribute marinade over chicken. Place chicken in refrigerator and let sit 4-6 hours or overnight for best results.
- Once chicken has marinated, remove from bag and discard marinade. Place chicken on a greased baking sheet. Bake chicken at 375F 30-35 minutes or until juices run clear. Serve chicken warm.
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Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice says
I like all kinds of chicken, too, but marinated it one of my favorite ways to prepare it! This lemon rosemary kind looks incredible, Sarah! I love the flavor combination and how juicy the chicken is. Definitely a perfect weeknight meal!
Sarah says
Winner-winner chicken dinner, right?! 😉 Thanks Gayle!!
Jen @ Baked by an Introvert says
You have officially made me hungry for dinner and I haven’t even had breakfast yet! This chicken is so succulent and juicy! The flavors are spot on as well! Pinning!
Sarah says
Haha! I guess brinner can work both ways right?! 😀 LOL. Thanks for the pin, Jen!
Sarah @ The Gold Lining Girl says
This is like…. the most gorgeous chicken. LOVE the flavors of lemon and rosemary. So simple to make, but knockout flavors. Love!
Sarah says
Thanks for the sweet words, Sarah! This is definitely my new fav dinner item. 🙂
Kathy @ Olives & Garlic says
I like all kinds of chicken as well. Lemon and rosemary are some of my favorite ingredients to use with chicken. Not only does it look delicious, the pictures just make me want to reach through the screen.
Sarah says
Thanks for the photography compliments, Kathy! You’re too kind. 🙂
Natalie @ Tastes Lovely says
I love chicken roasted with lemon! So bright and fresh! And this is paleo too, yea!
Sarah says
Thanks Nat! Yay for paleo yummies! 😉
Rachael | Spache the Spatula says
OH man, lemon with chicken is so good! This looks amazing!
I’ve totally done the same thing with having a hole in your bag. I’ve also broken an entire glass container of sticky, ooey-gooey maple syrup all over my kitchen. That was exactly no fun to clean up, haha
Sarah says
Oh, maaaaan I feel your pain, girlfriend! Kitchen messes are the worst, I rest my case. 😉
Ashley says
One, this chicken looks awesomeeee! Lemon and rosemary are just so so good together!
And two, oh my gosh what a mess!! I’ve done stuff like that before too … the clean up stinks!
Sarah says
Thanks Ashley! And right?! Huge kitchen messes like that are the absolute worst!
Erin@WellPlated says
Such a lovely flavor combo! <3 rosemary, especially in the winter.
Sarah says
Thanks Erin!! 🙂
Kelly - Life Made Sweeter says
Eeks oh no. I’ve totally done something similar – definitely no fun 🙁 This chicken on the other hand is amazing! I love the lemon and rosemary together! It looks incredible!
Sarah says
Thank you Kelly! xoxoxo
Momma Baker says
I love the flavor combination of lemon and rosemary!I also love that this recipe is simple to make .I have forgotten to bake the chicken before too 😉 Glad I’m not the only one!
Sarah says
Thanks so much!! haha
Sarah @ SnixyKitchen says
DUUUUDEE – I’m totally with you! Lemon-marinated chicken is where it’s at – so much moisture and delicious flavors. I’ve never paired lemon chicken with rosemary before, but I’m definitely going to be trying this soon!
Sarah says
Right?! It seriously makes for the best-ever chicken!! Thanks Sarah. 🙂
Joanne says
Marinading is such magic. It turns flavorless food into heavenly bites! Case in point.
Sarah says
Eeee! So true! 🙂
Kelly // The Pretty Bee: Cooking & Creating says
I love an easy chicken recipe with lots of flavor! What a perfect Sunday dinner!
Sarah says
Thanks Kelly! This chicken would be perfect for Sunday dinner. 🙂
Jess @ whatjessicabakednext says
This has to be my dream chicken recipe! With lemon and rosemary is just the way my Mum roasts chicken for dinner! I cannot wait to try your recipe! 😀
Sarah says
I love that this chicken sounds like how your mother makes it! LMK if my recipe even compares, Jess! 🙂
Keri says
Lemon and rosemary are one of my favorite ways to flavor up chicken! Your photos are making my mouth water!
Sarah says
Thank you so much Keri! 🙂
Aimee @ Like mother like daughter says
I LOVE lemon and rosemary together. So this chicken sounds absolutely amazing. (In fact I have a rosemary lemonade recipe on my blog that is to die for!) I need to make this chicken and serve it with a big pitcher of my lemonade. Perfection.
Sarah says
I just love the sound of a rosemary lemonade! It would definitely go perfectly with this chicken. 🙂 Thanks Aimee!
Stacey @ Bake.Eat.Repeat. says
That chicken looks amazing Sarah! I love rosemary and lemon together, so I know I would love this!
Sarah says
Thank you Stacey! This chicken definitely sounds right up your alley. 😉
Jess @ Flying on Jess Fuel says
Marinated chicken is definitely the best!! And this lemon and rosemary combo sounds so bright, fresh and flavorful!! YUMM!!
Sarah says
Agreed! You can’t beat the flavors of marinated chicken! 😉 Thanks Jess!
Amber @ Dessert Now, Dinner Later! says
I’ve never been a fan of lemon pepper chicken, but I can definitely get on board with this lemon rosemary chicken!
Sarah says
Thank you Amber! I’m positive you would love this chicken!