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Need a hands-off dinner that delivers big flavor? Make these baked lemon herb chicken pieces with minimal effort!
Roasted Lemon Herb Chicken Pieces
The flavors of the lemon, garlic, and herbs do the heavy lifting in this roasted lemon herb chicken recipe, and my method for baking it? It delivers a chicken that’s exciting to eat.
It’s the perfect way to skip on roasting a whole chicken again and get a flavor boost from basic juicy baked chicken pieces. You can buy a whole chicken and chop it into pieces or the mixed tray, you decide.
How to Bake Lemon Chicken Pieces
Check the simple process to make delicious baked lemon herb chicken pieces that melt in your mouth:
- Prep the oven
Place the oven rack on the top third for crispy chicken skin. Preheat it to 400F and grease a baking dish. - Prep the chicken
Remove any excess fat and season with salt and a mixture of oil, lemon, and herbs. - Bake
Bake the chicken pieces covered with foil for 30 minutes. Then, remove the foil, reduce the temperature to 375F, and keep cooking for an additional 20 minutes. Dark meat is ready when its internal temperature reaches 175F, while white meat (chicken breasts) is done at 165F. - Serve
Squeeze lemon over the baked chicken pieces and serve with your favorite chicken sides!
Perfect Crispy Skin
For crispy skin, position the oven rack in the top third of the oven and always roast at 400F or highter. Cook the chicken pieces covered to retain heat, and cook the meat for the first half. Then, remove the foil for the remaining time to crisp the skin.
What to Serve with Baked Chicken Pieces
My favorite sides for these chicken pieces are cilantro lime rice, cottage cheese mashed potatoes, roasted asparagus with Parmesan, and lemon garlic asparagus.
Baked Lemon Herb Chicken (Pieces)
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken cut into parts, or 8 mixed pieces of bone-in chicken, thighs, legs, wings, breasts
- Salt, for seasoning
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 2 lemons
Instructions
Prep:
- Preheat the oven to 400F (205C), and position the oven rack one level up from the middle position (top third). Grease a baking tray with oil.
- Trim the chicken pieces of any excess fat and pat dry with a paper towel. Generously season the chicken pieces with salt and place them in the baking tray, skin-side up.
- In a small bowl, combine olive oil, garlic, Italian seasoning, and the juice of 1 lemon. Distribute the mixture generously over the chicken pieces. Cover with foil.
Bake:
- Once the oven is preheated, add the covered chicken pieces and bake for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, remove the foil and reduce the oven temperature to 375F (190C). Cook for an additional 20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven to test the internal temperature, where dark chicken pieces have reached 175F (80 C) and white (breast) 165F (74C). If ready, remove from the oven.
Serve:
- Remove the chicken pieces from the baking tray onto a serving dish and squeeze the remaining lemon over the top of the hot chicken pieces.
Maddie says
I made these lemon herb chicken pieces for dinner tonight and knew immediately I needed to come back and leave a comment raving about them. Oh my gosh, best chicken I’ve ever made!