Baked Lemon Pepper Chicken
This fantastic baked lemon pepper chicken is crispy, citrusy, garlicky, peppery and an absolute cinch to make! There's no doubt it's a tried and true winner, winner chicken dinner.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken thighs
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon zest zest from 3 small lemons
- 1 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning or poultry seasoning
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 4 fresh cloves garlic thinly sliced
- 3 small lemons thinly sliced
- freshly chopped parsley to garnish
Instructions
-
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees (F) and spritz or brush a medium baking sheet with 1/2 tbsp of olive oil. Dry chicken w/ a paper towel.
2. In a small bowl, combine lemon zest, pepper, salt, paprika, Italian seasoning, garlic, and onion powder and stir until combined.
3. Place the chicken on the baking sheet and heavily sprinkle w/ lemon pepper seasoning and drizzle w/ 1 tbsp olive oil. Flip and move chicken around to coat both sides w/ lemon pepper. Bake, skin side up, for 30-35 minutes.
4. Remove pan from oven, add sliced garlic and lemons around the chicken, drizzle garlic and lemons with remaining olive oil, and continue to roast for 5 more minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Make sure the garlic doesn't burn!
5. Remove chicken from oven, sprinkle with fresh parsley, and serve!