How to Make Delicious Lemon Pepper Chicken from Scratch

This dish, lemon pepper chicken, is surprisingly easy to make at home. It’s sour and tasty. With just a few simple ingredients and easy steps, you can quickly make lemon pepper chicken that tastes like it came from a restaurant. This is the best way for me to make lemon pepper chicken from scratch.

Ingredients You’ll Need

To make lemon pepper chicken for 4-6 servings, you’ll need:

• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 2-3 lemons)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley
• 2 tablespoons lemon pepper seasoning
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Step 1: Pound the Chicken

Start by placing the chicken breasts between two sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap. Using a meat mallet, rolling pin, or heavy pot, pound the chicken to a 1/2-inch thickness. This helps the chicken cook faster and allows the flavors to penetrate deeper into the meat.

Step 2: Mix the Marinade

Mix the garlic, parsley, lemon pepper seasoning, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl with a whisk.

Step 3: Marinate the Chicken

Place the pounded chicken breasts in a baking dish or ziploc bag. Pour the marinade over the top and flip to coat both sides. Let the chicken marinate for 30 minutes up to overnight in the fridge. The longer it marinates, the more flavor it will have.

Step 4: Cook the Chicken

Preheat your oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Remove the chicken from the marinade and place on the prepared baking sheet Discard any leftover marinade

Bake for 15-18 minutes flipping chicken halfway through until the juices run clear and the chicken is cooked through.

Step 5: Finish with a Broil

For crispy, golden brown chicken, switch your oven to broil for 2-3 minutes at the end of the cooking time. Keep a close eye to avoid burning.

Serving Suggestions

Lemon pepper chicken is delicious served over rice, pasta, or a fresh salad. Here are some of my favorite ways to serve it:

• Over brown rice with steamed broccoli
• In a whole wheat pasta salad with diced tomatoes, cucumbers, and feta cheese
• On top of a bed of leafy greens, red onion, avocado, and lemon vinaigrette
• Shredded for chicken tacos or sandwiches with cheese, lettuce, and tomato

Make it a Meal

Round out your lemon pepper chicken dinner with these easy sides:

• Baked potatoes: Mix cubed potatoes with rosemary, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast at 400°F until the outside is golden and the inside is soft.

• Sautéed zucchini: Cut the zucchini into thin slices and cook them in olive oil with red pepper flakes and minced garlic.

• Dinner rolls – Warm up store-bought rolls or make no-knead rolls for fresh, hot bread.

• Rice pilaf – Sauté onion, garlic, and orzo or rice in olive oil or broth for a few minutes before adding liquid to cook.

Tips for the Best Lemon Pepper Chicken

• Use fresh, juicy lemons for the most flavor and tang

• Let the chicken marinate as long as possible – the longer the better

• Don’t overcrowd the pan when cooking – this will lead to steaming versus browning

• Bake at a high temp until chicken is cooked through and juicy

• Finish under the broiler if you want crispy, charred chicken

• Make extra – lemon pepper chicken tastes amazing as leftovers too!

So there you have my easy, step-by-step method for making incredibly flavorful lemon pepper chicken from scratch. With just a few basic ingredients and a bit of marinating time, you can have a delicious, impressive chicken dinner ready in under an hour. Adjust the quantities to cook for a family or scale it down for a romantic meal for two. Serve it up with your favorite sides and get ready to enjoy tender, zesty lemon pepper chicken anytime.