Go Back

Baked Greek Lemon Chicken

Baked Greek lemon chicken with a garlicky lemon-oregano marinade, roasted until the skin is deeply golden. Juicy chicken is baked with lemon slices and broth, then finished with glossy caramelized pan drippings.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
marinating 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Greek
Calories: 570
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

whole chicken, cut into pieces (or 3-4 pounds bone-in chicken parts)
  • 1 whole chicken, cut into pieces (or 3-4 pounds bone-in chicken parts)
olive oil
  • 0.33 cup olive oil
fresh lemon juice
  • 0.33 cup fresh lemon juice
lemon zest
  • 1 tbsp lemon zest
garlic, minced
  • 6 clove garlic, minced
dried oregano
  • 2 tsp dried oregano
dried thyme
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
salt
  • 1 salt to taste
cracked black pepper
  • 1 cracked black pepper to taste
lemons, thinly sliced
  • 2 lemons, thinly sliced
chicken broth
  • 1 cup chicken broth
fresh oregano for garnish
  • 1 fresh oregano for garnish

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Marinate the chicken
  1. Whisk together olive oil, fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, dried oregano, dried thyme, smoked paprika, salt, and cracked black pepper until evenly combined. Add the chicken pieces and marinate for at least 30 minutes.
Roast
  1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Arrange the marinated chicken skin-side up in a large roasting pan or baking dish so the pieces have space for browning.
  2. Pour the chicken broth around the chicken. Tuck lemon slices around and under the pieces so they roast in the pan juices.
  3. Roast at 425°F for 40-45 minutes, basting with pan juices once halfway through. Continue until the skin is deeply golden and the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
Finish and serve
  1. Spoon the caramelized pan drippings over the chicken right before serving to coat the roasted pieces. Garnish with fresh oregano.

Notes

For best browning, pat the chicken pieces dry before marinating so the skin crisps in the oven. Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container for up to 3 days; reheat in a 375°F oven until warmed through. Freezing is not recommended due to texture changes in the roasted lemon and chicken skin. For a lighter option, use skinless chicken pieces and reduce olive oil by half, keeping the same lemon-herb flavor.