What Makes This Recipe So Good
The lemon pepper butter sauce gives the chicken that perfect touch of flavor without being too bright or sour. The chicken stays nice and juicy, too, not at all bland or dry like some baked chicken can be. It’s delicious on its own, or serve it over couscous or mashed potatoes with a side of air fryer asparagus for a super easy meal that covers all the bases! You could even enjoy a lemon pepper chicken breast on a bed of leafy spinach – a super easy meal prep option! Speaking of meal prep, the baked chicken will keep for 4 days after cooking! Just refrigerate it in an airtight container for maximum freshness. This recipe isn’t just for chicken – no, no! The lemon pepper butter sauce would be great on fish, pasta, or vegetables, too!
Key Ingredients
Chicken – Use either boneless, skinless chicken breasts or bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs for this recipe – they’ll both turn out delicious! You can also use bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts for your lemon pepper chicken, if you prefer. Just make sure to check the cook times for each cut of chicken on the recipe card below.Lemon Pepper Seasoning – For the best flavor, try to find a lemon pepper that has minimal ingredients, and opt for one that uses actual lemon peel over one that uses citric acid. You can actually make your own lemon pepper seasoning if you want, too! In general, mix together 2 parts lemon zest (fresh or dried), 1 part freshly cracked black pepper, and 1 part salt (optional). You can adjust those ratios to your preference. You might also like to include a little onion powder and garlic powder in your homemade lemon pepper seasoning.
Chef’s Tips
Do not skip the 5 minute rest period after you take the chicken out of the oven. If you cut into it right away, all the amazing juices will run out and you’ll be stuck with dry, tough chicken. Plus, the 5 minute rest is crucial to the cooking process! Since you’re taking the lemon pepper chicken out of the oven at 161° Fahrenheit, it won’t be quite ready to eat immediately. It’ll finish cooking while it rests, though. Be sure to stop halfway through the cook time to baste the chicken! It’ll help prevent the top of the chicken drying out, so set an alarm if you need to. You can use a baster to squeeze some of the melted lemon pepper butter back onto the chicken, or you can just use a spoon. Wait to season the chicken until just before you put the dish in the oven. This’ll keep the seasoning from pulling the moisture out of the meat, which is especially important for boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
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