From the Barefoot Contessa herself, Ina Garten’s Lemon Chicken is juicy, flavorful, and oh so easy!
Follow along with the video!
This chicken! This chicken! Ina Garten’s Lemon Chicken is the latest addition to our weeknight dinners. It’s a simple chicken cooked in a simple sauce and yet the result is remarkable! I think this is the dinner to cook when trying to win the heart of that special someone ;)
The sauce is bright, tangy, herby, earthy, and winey ;) all at the same time. At our house, not a drop of the sauce goes to waste. We use it to dip our bread, dress rice, and as a sauce to pour over store-bought rotisserie chicken. As for the chicken. It’s everything you’d want chicken to be. The meat is so juicy, regardless of using white or dark meat, and the skin is perfectly crisped.
Ina strikes again. With Ina Garten’s Lemon Chicken, it all begins with the sauce. Olive oil is warmed with freshly minced garlic. How can you go wrong with that?
Then, pour in a mixture of wine, fresh and dried herbs, and of course, lemon juice and zest.
Pour it over some pat-dried chicken, tuck in some lemon slices under the skin, and roast in the oven! To make it ahead of time, simply pour the sauce over the chicken, cover, and refrigerate until ready to go into the oven. Ina Garten’s Lemon Chicken will taste even better after that marinating time :D
For a no fuss entree that’s easy to throw together ahead of time or an hour before serving, Ina Garten’s Lemon Chicken is your answer. It’s rustic, comforting and familiar; perfect after a long day of work. Serve it over some greens or pair it with a side of greens. So satisfying!
Ina Garten’s Lemon Chicken
Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons minced garlic, 8-9 cloves
- ⅓ cup dry white wine
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest *, from about 2 lemons
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, about 1 lemon
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- Salt and pepper to taste (optional)
- 4 boneless, skin-on chicken breasts, 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, or 2 skin-on half chickens, patted dry
- slices Lemon, from remaining lemon after zesting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- In a small sauce pan, warm the oil over low heat. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant. Do not let the garlic brown. Remove from heat.
- In a small bowl, stir together the wine, lemon zest and juice, oregano, and thyme.
- Whisk the wine mixture into the warm oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- In an oven safe-baking dish, pour in about half of the wine and oil mixture. Place the chicken over the sauce, skin side up. Tuck the lemon slices under the chicken skin. Season the skin with salt and pepper, if using. Pour the remaining wine and oil mixture over the chicken.
- Follow the guide below for cook time. Bake until the juice from inside the chicken is no longer pink. If the skin has not browned, place the dish under the broiler for 1-2 minutes. Cover the chicken with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Boneless Skin-On Chicken Breasts: 30 – 40 minutes
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts: 25 – 35 minutes
Bone-in, Skin-On Chicken Thighs: 40 – 50 minutes
Skin-on half chickens: 45 – 55 minutes *After zesting, use 1 of the lemons to squeeze the juice needed in the recipe and slice discs from the second lemon. Adapted from Barefoot Contessa
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This sounds delicious. Is there a substitute for the wine though??
It’s not something we drink or ever have in the house.
Hi Stacey! Thank you for your sweet comment. Although I haven’t tested the recipe without wine, I would substitute it with an equal amount of either chicken or vegetable broth. I hope that helps! Let me know if you have any more questions :)
Grocery stores sell non alcoholic cooking wine, small bottle, enough for this recipe, not expensive.
1 Table spoon vinegar, (,white) to 1 cup of veg, ck or water. I’m going to use 1 teaspoon since only calls for 1/3 cup wine.
Sounds delish! Do you think I could add a little cream too? Thanks!
I’m not sure. It doesn’t hurt to add a little just to try :D I’d love to know how it turns out!
A little cream and freshly shredded parmesan puts it over the top…gotta try it!
Sounds delicious! :)
Do you add the cream to the garlic/herb oil sauce? How much did you add? Thanks in advance!
That’s where I would add it :) I haven’t tried it, but I would start with 3 tablespoons of cream and see how I like the taste and consistency and go from there!
Where can I find the recipe? I would love to try it.
Sharon, the recipe can be found at the end of the post. Just scroll all the way down :) You can also print the recipe too. Enjoy!
Do you think it would work in a slow cooker?
I’ve never tried. But I think it cooks too quickly to need a slow cooker :) If you’re worried about keeping it warm, I have marinated overnight and only popped it in the oven right before serving. Hope that helps!
seems like the 1/2 chicken cooking time is off, seems to me 1/2 a chic takes longer that a breast, might want to see if a typo in transcribing – ron
Thanks for the catch! It’s been fixed :)
If you marinate the chicken overnight…. won’t the lemon juice change the texture of the
chicken? Thank you, Sandra
Hi Sandra, I didn’t notice a significant change in the texture of the chicken. If anything, it tenderized the meat more, making it softer and more “fall off the bone” :) If you’re worried and you want to make it ahead of time, feel free to make the sauce first and store it until ready to cook. Hope that helps :)
Can you use skinless breasts with this recipe?? Never cooked with skin on so not sure if it makes a difference.
Absolutely! Just adjust the cook time until the internal temperature is 165°F, 20 to 30 minutes.
Would it be okay to sub chicken broth for the wine?
Go for it!
Please share which dry white wine you used.
I just use whatever I have on hand, usually Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio :)
I need to print
Enjoy!
Hi. Is it ok if I use the dried thyme instead of the fresh one? I never see any fresh thyme to my usual stores. And also, i dont have dry white wine what can i use? Chicken broth with the same measurements? Thanks.
Sure, Maria! Dried herbs are more concentrated than fresh ones, so go ahead and use half the amount of dried thyme called for in the recipe. Instead of wine, chicken broth will work just fine!
Hi! If I wanted to make this without wine, what could be used in its place? Thanks!
You can use chicken broth instead! :)
Ina’s recipe calls for chicken breasts with skin.
Have you tried using skinless breasts; and does the chicken turn out the same?
Yes. I include a cook time guide at the bottom of the recipe card that you can reference for skinless chicken breast. You would just omit tucking the lemon slices under the skin. For best flavor, I would recommend using skin-on breasts so that you can tuck in the lemon slices and then discard the skin before serving.
I think it is impossible to find boneless chicken with the skin on?
I can only find breast with the bone and skin.
You could buy bone-in chicken and de-bone it. Super simple plus savings on the chicken costs.
Can I put together a day ahead?
Yes! To make it ahead of time, simply pour the sauce over the chicken, cover, and refrigerate until ready to go into the oven.
made it yesterday for seder, let it marinate the entire day – used a split chicken. it was amazingly easy and delicious! i strained and boiled the marinade when it came out of the oven for the best gravy!!!
So glad you enjoyed it! Yes, the sauce is divine…sometimes I even dip my veggies in the sauce :)
Great idea! I did not make rice or potatoes. I just served the chicken with steamed asparagus and freshly sliced garden tomatoes w some fresh basil. The sauce on the veggies is to die for!
We always save the sauce to accompany different meals throughout the week too :D
This was sooo good! I made it exactly as directed and served it with rice. So yummy.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! It’s one of our faves :)
I would like to join your mailing list. Thank you.
I just made it tonight and it turned out delish!!!
So glad you enjoyed it! It’s one of our faves :D
I added a half a teaspoon of sage and used Rosemary sprigs instead of Thyme. Absolutely fantastic!
I love playing around with different herb combinations too! So glad you enjoyed it :)
Thanks for the suggestion. I don’t have thyme but my rosemary is a shrub , almost 4 feet high and badly needs a trim. I am getting it ready for the oven now!
It’s delicious with rosemary!
Have you tried this in the instant pot!? I’m curious how the flavors would be affected.
I have not, but I’d love to know how it turns out :)
What if I use bottled lemon juice? I won’t have any slices to tuck in. Will that ruin it? I do have dried lemon zest, so that’s all it would be missing. And I am not sure if my white wine is sweet or dry… I hope it’s ok if it turns out it’s a sweet wine!
Bottled lemon juice is fine in a pinch. Lemon slices would add some flavor, but it’s not going to be ruined if you don’t have any. I’ve only ever used dry white wine when cooking. I’d love to know how a sweet white wine turns out!
For times I need a quick dish.. Can I make the sauce on the stovetop and then pour it over a store bought rotisserie chicken?
I don’t think it will be the same if you make the sauce on the stove. A large component of the sauce comes from the chicken juices released while cooking in the oven.
I have boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Would that work.
Absolutely! Instead of tucking the lemon slices, just place them on top of the thighs. Or, you can omit the lemon slices altogether :)
Thank You so much. How long would it take to bake with boneless, skinless chicken thighs.
Start checking the thighs with a meat thermometer at about 25 minutes. The thighs are done when the temperature reaches 155F.
Thanks so much. Trying this tomorrow
How can I thicken the sauce slightly as it turned out very watery
Great recipe! I’ve made it several times now. I use about 1/3 of the marinade for the chicken, then save the rest for other dishes it would complement (fish, pasta, eg). I don’t notice any loss of flavor, and it saves time and calories.
Thank you for your sweet comment :D It’s one of our favorites and is a part of our dinner rotation!
Boneless skinless chicken breasts do not work. This chicken was dry and rubbery. Use only those with skin and bones or thighs. Good flavor but that’s all. Sorry..
Thank you for your comment. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are easily overcooked in any situation. I find that if I take the chicken out when the center registers 150F, the radiant heat finishes cooking the chicken (to 155F) without overcooking it!
Hi, can I use a cast iron skillet to cook this? Thanks!
I wouldn’t. The lemon and wine can react with the cast iron, causing metallic flavors in the dish and possibly damaging your pan!
Can I make the marinade pour over chicken and freeze? Then thought in the refrigerator and cook?
Yes! Or just cook it longer straight from the freezer. Whichever method you choose, just make sure the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 155F.