Go Back

Baked Greek Lemon Chicken

Baked Greek lemon chicken with a garlic-oregano herb marinade and roasted lemon slices for glossy, caramelized pan drippings. Bone-in pieces bake until deeply golden and juicy, with a quick baste halfway through for classic Mediterranean baked chicken texture.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
marinating 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Greek
Calories: 650
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken and marinade
  • 1 whole chicken, cut into pieces About 3-4 lb; bone-in pieces preferred
  • 0.3333333333 cup olive oil
  • 0.3333333333 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp lemon zest
  • 6 garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • salt and cracked black pepper To taste
Roasting additions
  • 2 lemons, thinly sliced
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 fresh oregano for garnish

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Marinate the chicken
  1. Whisk olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, dried oregano, dried thyme, smoked paprika, salt, and cracked black pepper until well combined. The mixture should look evenly speckled with herbs and garlic.
  2. Add the chicken pieces and toss to coat, then cover and marinate for at least 30 minutes. Let it rest until the chicken looks glossy from the lemon-oregano marinade.
Roast with lemon and broth
  1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Confirm it fully heats before baking for deep browning.
  2. Arrange the marinated chicken skin-side up in a large roasting pan or baking dish. Make sure pieces have space so the skin can crisp and caramelize.
  3. Pour the chicken broth around the chicken and tuck the lemon slices around and under the pieces. The lemons should sit in the pan to roast against the drippings.
  4. Roast for 40-45 minutes, basting with pan juices once halfway through. Cook until the skin is deeply golden and the internal temperature reaches 165°F, and the pan drippings look glossy and caramelized.
Finish and serve
  1. Spoon the caramelized pan drippings over the chicken before serving. This should glaze the chicken so it shines.
  2. Garnish with fresh oregano. Scatter it right at the end so the leaves look bright and fragrant.

Notes

Pro tip: If your lemons start browning too fast, loosely tent the dish with foil for the second half of roasting while still basting. Refrigerate leftovers in a covered container for up to 4 days; reheat gently in a 350°F oven until warmed through. Freezing is not recommended because lemon-garlic pan drippings can lose texture after thawing. For a lower-sodium option, use reduced-sodium chicken broth and add salt gradually to taste.