This easy Barefoot Contessa Lemon Chicken Breasts recipe is a quick, delicious meal perfect for any night. With juicy chicken, zesty lemon, and fragrant herbs, it’s full of flavour and perfect served with a simple side. Plus, you can easily adjust it with ingredients you already have on hand!
Ingredients Needed
- 60ml good olive oil
- 3 tablespoons minced garlic (9 cloves)
- 80ml dry white wine
- 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1½ teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 boneless chicken breasts, skin on (170–225g each)
- 1 lemon
How To Make Lemon Chicken Breasts
- Preheat the oven: Preheat to 200°C (180°C fan)/400°F.
- Warm the olive oil: Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, being careful not to let it brown.
- Remove from heat: Take the saucepan off the heat and stir in the white wine, lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, and 1 teaspoon salt.
- Pour the mixture: Pour the mixture into a 23 × 30 cm baking dish.
- Prepare the chicken: Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Place the chicken breasts skin-side up over the sauce.
- Brush the chicken: Brush the chicken with olive oil and season liberally with salt and pepper.
- Add lemon wedges: Cut the lemon into 8 wedges and tuck them among the pieces of chicken.
- Bake the chicken: Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken breasts, until the chicken is cooked through and the skin is lightly browned. If the chicken isn’t browned enough, put it under the grill for 2 minutes.
- Rest the chicken: Cover the pan tightly with aluminium foil and let the chicken rest for 10 minutes.
- Serve the chicken: Serve hot, spooning the pan juices over the chicken.

Recipe Tips
- Don’t overcook the chicken: Bake the chicken until it’s just cooked through to keep it juicy and tender.
- Use fresh lemon juice: FRefrigerate: Let the leftover lemon chicken cool to room temperature before storing it in an airtight container. It can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freeze: This recipe can be frozen. After cooling, wrap the chicken tightly in foil or plastic wrap and store it in an airtight container. Freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat, thaw in the fridge overnight and then warm in the oven at 180°C (350°F) for 10–15 minutes.resh lemon juice gives the best flavour, so avoid bottled lemon juice for this recipe.
- Brown the chicken: If the skin isn’t crispy enough, place it under the broiler for 2 minutes at the end of baking.
- Rest the chicken: Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes after baking to keep it moist and allow the juices to redistribute.
- Adjust seasonings: Feel free to add more salt, pepper, or herbs to suit your taste preferences.
How To Store & Reheat Leftovers
- Refrigerate: Store leftover lemon chicken in an airtight container. It can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freeze: Wrap leftover lemon chicken tightly in foil or plastic wrap and store it in an airtight container. Freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat, thaw in the fridge overnight and then warm.
- Reheating: Reheat leftover lemon chicken in the oven at 350°F for 10–15 minutes, until heated through.
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1 serving (1 chicken breast with sauce)
- Calories: 393 kcal
- Total Fat: 19.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 165 mg
- Sodium: 1,000 mg
- Potassium: 600 mg
- Total Carbohydrate: 3 g
- Dietary Fiber: 0 g
- Sugars: 0 g
- Protein: 49 g
Try More Recipes:

Barefoot Contessa Lemon Chicken Breasts
Description
This easy Barefoot Contessa Lemon Chicken Breasts recipe is a quick, delicious meal perfect for any night. With juicy chicken, zesty lemon, and fragrant herbs, it’s full of flavour and perfect served with a simple side. Plus, you can easily adjust it with ingredients you already have on hand!
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: Preheat to 200°C (180°C fan)/400°F.
- Warm the olive oil: Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, being careful not to let it brown.
- Remove from heat: Take the saucepan off the heat and stir in the white wine, lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, and 1 teaspoon salt.
- Pour the mixture: Pour the mixture into a 23 × 30 cm baking dish.
- Prepare the chicken: Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Place the chicken breasts skin-side up over the sauce.
- Brush the chicken: Brush the chicken with olive oil and season liberally with salt and pepper.
- Add lemon wedges: Cut the lemon into 8 wedges and tuck them among the pieces of chicken.
- Bake the chicken: Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken breasts, until the chicken is cooked through and the skin is lightly browned. If the chicken isn’t browned enough, put it under the grill for 2 minutes.
- Rest the chicken: Cover the pan tightly with aluminium foil and let the chicken rest for 10 minutes.
- Serve the chicken: Serve hot, spooning the pan juices over the chicken.
Notes
- Don’t overcook the chicken: Bake the chicken until it’s just cooked through to keep it juicy and tender.
- Use fresh lemon juice: FRefrigerate: Let the leftover lemon chicken cool to room temperature before storing it in an airtight container. It can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freeze: This recipe can be frozen. After cooling, wrap the chicken tightly in foil or plastic wrap and store it in an airtight container. Freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat, thaw in the fridge overnight and then warm in the oven at 180°C (350°F) for 10–15 minutes.resh lemon juice gives the best flavour, so avoid bottled lemon juice for this recipe.
- Brown the chicken: If the skin isn’t crispy enough, place it under the broiler for 2 minutes at the end of baking.
- Rest the chicken: Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes after baking to keep it moist and allow the juices to redistribute.
- Adjust seasonings: Feel free to add more salt, pepper, or herbs to suit your taste preferences.
Barefoot Contessa Lemon Chicken Breasts