I love to serve with Toum Garlic Sauce and Grilled Vegetables or Greek salad. You’ll find many more ideas in the post below. Video and step-by-step tutorial included! There are some recipes that are so darn easy, I can’t help but serve them on repeat. Case in point: lemon chicken! Don’t let the grill marks fool you, I did not even consider firing up the grill this time. (Watch the video toward the bottom of this post, an amusing grilling argument takes place between me and a friend Adam who’s a grill master!)
Why this recipe works?
This lemon chicken recipe hits all the notes for a busy home cook. It’s ready in just over 20 minutes; healthy (if you need something with a little butter, try chicken piccata); and packed with flavor!
The star flavor maker is obviously lemon juice, but before the citrus even hits the chicken, we coat the chicken with a mixture of Mediterranean spices–dried oregano, coriander, cumin, and a little nutmeg. Then we combine lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, and lots of fresh garlic and onions and pour that all over the chicken!
Big tip! Even if you only leave the chicken in the marinade for just a few minutes, it will be enough for all the flavors to marry! And if you have the time, by all means, cover and refrigerate the chicken for a couple of hours.
When you’re ready, this chicken will take about 12 minutes in total to cook either on an outdoor grill or an indoor griddle like this one. I love using chicken thighs here, you simply can’t mess them up if you let them cook a couple extra minutes while you make a big salad or a quick side.
How to make lemon chicken (Step-by-step):
Definitely check out the video in the recipe box below also, but here’s how it goes…
Season and marinate the chicken briefly. Give the chicken a sprinkle of kosher salt and black pepper, followed by a spice mixture of oregano, cumin, coriander, and a pinch of nutmeg. Place the chicken with some onions in a bowl or dish, add in the marinade, which is basically extra virgin olive oil, lots of lemon juice and garlic. Leave it be fore 20 minutes or cover and refrigerate for a couple of hours if you have time.
Grill! Heat an indoor griddle or a gas grill over medium-high. Before adding the chicken, grill some lemon halves (flesh side down), these are great to serve along. Lightly oil the griddle or gas grill and cook the chicken for about 6 minutes or so on each side (or until its internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F).
What to serve with lemon chicken thighs?
This chicken makes a great addition to my simple Pasta Primavera. Or try serving it with one of these awesome Mediterranean sides: Greek green beans, roasted Greek potatoes, or Lebanese rice. I mentioned Greek salad earlier, but this loaded Balela Salad is a great option as well. And I always add a little Toum (garlic sauce) for dipping.
Can I use Chicken Breast Instead?
Yes, if you prefer to use chicken breast in this recipe, you will need about 3 large chicken breast halves (boneless, skinless). Be sure to cut the chicken breast pieces horizontally through the middle to create thinner cutlets (ending with 6 cutlets here.) I also like to use a kitchen mallet to help tenderize the chicken breasts (this is a trick I use often to tenderize chicken breasts and prepare them for even and quick cooking. You can see how I do it in this Italian Baked Chicken Recipe.) More chicken recipes we love: Grilled Chicken Wings, Chicken Schnitzel, Pesto Chicken, Spanish Chicken and Rice Recent recipes you may like: Homemade pita chips, Shrimp Kabobs, pesto pasta, steamed clams You may also enjoy 50+ Top Mediterranean diet recipes. For all recipes, visit us here. JOIN MY FREE E-MAIL LIST HERE. *This post has been recently updated with new media and information for readers’ benefit.
