This lemon pepper chicken thighs are crispy, citrusy, garlicky, peppery and an absolute cinch to make! There's no doubt it's a tried and true winner, winner lemon pepper chicken dinner. 

Lemon lovers unite! Succulent, homemade baked lemon pepper chicken without a store bought mix in site.

No ma'am.

Dusted with tart meyer lemon zest, freshly cracked pepper, sweet paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and a few other blended seasonings, it's easy to eat 1, 2, or maybe even three of these lemon pepper chicken thighs in one sitting.

How to make Baked Lemon Pepper Chicken

Making these lemon pepper chicken thighs is quite easy, but it does need to be done in steps. The first bake cooks the chicken, the second bake cooks the garlic and lemon, and the 5 minute rest of the meat allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat so it remains juicy and succulent:

1. Preheat the oven and prepare your baking sheet.
2. Pat chicken dry with a paper towel and place on the prepared baking sheet.
3. Combined all of the lemon pepper seasoning ingredients together in a small bowl and stir until thoroughly mixed.
4. Heavily sprinkle chicken with lemon pepper seasoning and drizzle with olive oil.
5. Bake for 30-35 minutes. After the first bake, add fresh lemon and garlic slices, and continue to cook for an additional 5 minutes or until the internal temp of chicken reaches 165 degrees F.
6. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Make the meal a whole lemon pepper party and serve it alongside some lemon parmesan roasted vegetables and these tasty lemon poppyseed cookies.

Baked Lemon Pepper Chicken

Baking chicken in the oven keeps the chicken moist and tender, and roasts the skin so it turns dark, rich, and delicious.

Chicken thighs are my favorite cut of meat, but you could choose bone-in or boneless chicken breasts, chicken leg quarters, or even make lemon pepper wings. In fact, pork tenderloin would be awesome in the marinade too.

Baked Lemon Pepper Chicken

Amber

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. 

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Course Entree

Calories

Ingredients

  

• 2 lbs chicken thighs
• 3 tablespoon fresh lemon zest zest from 3 small lemons
• 1 ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning or poultry seasoning
• ¼ tsp garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon 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 (℉) and spritz or brush a medium baking sheet with ½ tablespoon of olive oil. Dry chicken w/ a paper towel and place on prepared baking sheet. 

  2. In a small bowl, combine lemon zest, pepper, salt, paprika, Italian seasoning, garlic, and onion powder and stir until combined. 

  3. Sprinkle chicken thighs w/ lemon pepper seasoning and drizzle w/ 1 tablespoon olive oil. Flip and move chicken around and coat both sides w/ lemon pepper mix. 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 allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving. 

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