Why I love this lemon rosemary chicken
I haven’t always been a fan of chicken for dinner. It’s just so hard to cook a good chicken breast, but this simple lemon rosemary chicken marinade really livens up a boring chicken breast.
It’s packed full of flavor – zippy, citrusy lemon balanced by earthy, herbaceous rosemary – and broiled to perfection in the oven.
If you’ve never broiled chicken before, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by just how great it is – perfect charred on the outside and juicy on the inside – without much effort at all.
Serve this with some microwave steamed broccoli and easy garlic rice. Or, learn how to cook frozen peas and serve them with some dairy free mashed potatoes.
Here’s what you’ll need to make it
- Chef’s knife
- Cutting board
- Glass storage container
- Baking sheet
- Meat mallet (optional)
How to pound chicken
To help the chicken cook in the oven, it’s important to pound it to an even thickness. I always do that before marinating it and it doesn’t take long at all.
Simply cover the uncooked chicken with plastic wrap and use a meat mallet – or my favorite, the bottom of a small saucepan – to pound the thicker part of the chicken breast until it’s close to the size of the thinner part.
Repeat until you’re done with all pieces. When done, they should be less than 1 inch in thickness.
Make the lemon chicken marinade
Make the marinade. Combine the marinade ingredients in a large bowl, or the container you’re going to marinate the chicken in, and whisk to combine them.
Marinate the chicken. Put the chicken in an airtight container or zip-top bag and add the marinade. Make sure the chicken is submerged in the liquid and cover or seal.
Place the chicken into the fridge and let it marinate for at least an hour, but the longer the better. I normally do it overnight.
If you’re chicken isn’t completely submerged, try to rotate or move it around at some point to redistribute the marinade.
How to broil chicken breast
Start your oven broiler and give the oven some time to heat up, and make sure your oven rack is about 4″ from the broiler.
When the oven is heated, put the chicken onto a pan – I like to use a foil lined baking sheet – and put it in the oven.
Allow the chicken to broil for about 10 minutes total – or 5 minutes per side. I like to turn my chicken once to help it cook evenly, but you don’t have to as long as you make sure you’re cooking the chicken until it reaches 165˚F.
FAQs and tips about broiled chicken breast
No. You don’t need to wash marinade off before cooking. In some cases, you might want to pat the meat dry before cooking to help the meat brown.
You should marinate chicken for at least one hour, but not longer than 24 hours.
I think it’s best to broil chicken breast because it cooks the chicken quickly and it allows the chicken to brown more creating a more intense, flavorful chicken breast.
Chicken breast should be broiled for about 10 minutes total, or 5 minutes per side. This is based on a 1-inch thick piece of boneless, skinless chicken breast, but can vary based on the thickness of each piece.
Absolutely. I used to think you needed one of those weird broiler pans that comes with your oven, but I hated cleaning them so I switched to a foil lined baking sheet and it works just as well.
More chicken recipes you’ll love
- Grilled chicken thighs
- Baked pineapple chicken
- Spinach artichoke chicken
- Hot honey lemon pepper wings
- Baked chicken wings
- Honey mustard chicken thighs
More dairy free dinner ideas
- Pasta carbonara
- Sweet chili salmon
- Baked stuffed pork chops
- Instant Pot Mississippi pot roast
- Ham fried rice
Lemon Rosemary Broiled Chicken Breast
Ingredients
- 1 lemon, juiced and zested
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 sprig rosemary, chopped leaves only
- 1 sprig fresh thyme, leaves only
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast, pounded to 1-inch thickness
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk the marinade ingredients until combined.
- Place chicken breast into a container and over with marinade. Cover and allow the chicken to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat broiler to 550˚F and line a baking sheet with foil.
- Remove chicken from marinade and place onto prepared baking sheet. Broil for 10 minutes, turning once, or until chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165˚F.
- Remove from oven and allow chicken to rest for a few minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
Good morning Melissa, I am excited to make your Lemon Chicken recipe this week. I’m also looking to make meals that freeze well. What are your thoughts on freezing these chicken breast? Thanks 😊
Hi Barb! I think they would freeze really well. Make sure you wrap them with freezer paper or use freezer bags and they should be just fine!
Thank you for the recipe. I’ll be making this for company next Thursday. 😋
Do you think that this recipe could be made in an instant pot? My oven is old and unreliable for high temps.
I haven’t tried it in the Instant Pot, but I would think you can use the marinade for any method. I can’t guarantee the results, but I’d love to know how it works if you try it!
Is there any reason for using aluminum foil other than to avoid cleaning the broiler pan? Seems like every cooking blog promotes this waste. Just wondering if I am missing something. Thanks
Yes. You don’t have to use it if you don’t want to, we normally use parchment paper, but when we broil it’s safer to use aluminum foil, which is why I listed it.
This was so good! The marinade was light, fresh and delicious! Even my teenagers gobbled it up. Perfect for summer and so easy to make!
I use chicken tenders. Delicious!
Serve with cantaloupe slices, blackened pea salad, and Italian bread.