Best Lemon Thyme Chicken Recipes

ROASTED CHICKEN THIGHS WITH LEMON, THYME AND ROSEMARY

Steps:

• Pat chicken thighs dry and place, skin side up, in a single layer on a baking sheet. Place in refrigerator, uncovered, for 8 hours or overnight to dry skin. Remove chicken from refrigerator at least 45 minutes before cooking.
• Heat oven to 500 degrees. Spread onion slices and garlic cloves in a baking dish that can hold the chicken snugly in a single layer. Scatter lemon on the onion-garlic mixture and strew with thyme and rosemary sprigs.
• Remove chicken from baking sheet and place on several layers of paper towels, skin side down. Sprinkle with half the salt and pepper. Turn thighs over and season with remaining salt and pepper. Transfer to the baking dish skin side up. Use your hands to arrange the bed of onions and garlic so they're completely under the chicken.
• Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until juices run clear when chicken is pierced with a knife point. If skin is not a deep golden brown and crispy, turn on broiler and broil chicken close to heat a few minutes to crisp and brown it.
• To serve, move chicken off the bed of onions, garlic, lemon and herbs. Discard lemon and spoon the rest of the ingredients, along with pan juices, onto a serving platter. Place chicken on top and serve.

LEMON AND THYME GRILLED CHICKEN BREASTS

Steps:

• Place chicken breasts between two sheets of parchment or plastic wrap. Using a mallet or rolling pin, pound each to an even thickness of 1/2 inch. Do not make them any thinner or they could dry out.
• Place chicken in a large bowl and toss with salt, pepper, thyme, garlic and the zest and juice of 1 lemon. Mix in olive oil. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours. Remove chicken from fridge while you heat the grill.
• Light the grill, building a hot fire, or heat your gas grill to high. Once grill is fully heated, brush breasts lightly with olive oil and place chicken on the grill. Cook until undersides are browned and chicken is about halfway cooked, 3 to 5 minutes. Flip breasts and grill until cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes more.
• Transfer chicken to a platter. Drizzle with oil and garnish with additional lemon juice, olive oil and basil or mint leaves.

BUTTERFLIED CHICKEN WITH THYME, LEMON AND GARLIC

Steps:

• Whisk together the oil, 2 tablespoons of the garlic, 2 tablespoons of the thyme, 1 tablespoon of the lemon zest and 1 tablespoon of onion in a large baking dish. Add the chicken and turn to coat in the oil. Cover and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours and up to 8 hours.
• Preheat the grill to medium. Remove the chicken from the marinade and season both sides with salt and pepper. Place the chicken on the grill, skin side down and slowly grill until the fat renders and the skin becomes golden brown and crisp, about 15 minutes. Turn the chicken over, close the cover and continue grilling until just cooked through, about 20 minutes longer. Remove from the grill, loosely tent with foil and let rest 10 minutes before cutting.
• Mix together the remaining garlic, thyme and 1 tablespoon of lemon zest and sprinkle over the cut chicken.

GRILLED CHICKEN BREASTS WITH LEMON-THYME SAUCE

Steps:

• Place chicken breasts between two layers of plastic wrap and lightly pound them to an even thickness (about 1/2 inch). Let stand at room temperature about 30 minutes.
• While chicken rests, whisk together lemon juice, thyme, sugar, red-pepper flakes, oil, and 2 teaspoons salt.
• Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper. Prepare grill for direct-heat cooking; let grates get very hot (this ensures a good sear without drying out meat).
• Oil grates and cook chicken, turning occasionally, until charred in places and cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes total. Transfer to a serving dish. Pour or spoon sauce over pieces while still warm; serve.

ROASTED CHICKEN WITH LEMON, GARLIC, AND THYME

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Rinse the chicken and pat it dry.
• In a small bowl, make a compound butter by combining the softened butter, minced thyme, garlic cloves, lemon zest, salt, and pepper.
• Season the cavity of the chicken generously with salt, and pepper. Stuff the cavity with the lemon quarters, a handful of fresh thyme leaves, and the quartered onion. Place the carrot, celery and onion in the bottom of a roasting pan and place the chicken on top of the vegetables. Cross the legs and tie with kitchen twine.
• Gently lift the skin away from the chicken and spread 2 tablespoons of the softened butter mixture underneath the skin, distributing it evenly. Spread the remaining butter over the entire surface of the chicken and season generously with salt, and pepper.
• Place the chicken in the oven and roast for 20 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F and roast the chicken until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the inner thigh, not touching the bone registers 160 to 165 degrees F, about 45 minutes. Transfer the chicken and vegetables to a cutting board to rest for about 15 minutes. Tent the chicken with aluminum foil to keep warm.
• Pour the pan juices into a large glass measuring cup. Spoon the fat off the top. Add the chicken broth to the roasting pan and place over high heat. Bring to boil, scraping up any browned bits. Return the pan juices to the pan. Whisk the flour into the broth mixture and bring to a boil until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Season the sauce to taste with salt, and pepper. Serve alongside the roast chicken.
• Roasted Chicken Variations:
• Honey-Glazed Chicken: Season the butter with 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, and 2 tablespoons honey.
• Soy-Ginger Chicken: Season the butter with 1 tablespoon minced garlic, 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, and 2 teaspoons soy sauce.

LEMON THYME CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine flour, salt and pepper. Set aside 4-1/2 teaspoons for sauce. Sprinkle remaining flour mixture over both sides of chicken. , In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add chicken; cook until juices run clear, 7-9 minutes on each side. Remove and keep warm. , In the same pan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook and stir until tender, 3-5 minutes. Stir in thyme and reserved flour mixture until blended. Gradually stir in broth and lemon juice, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until thickened, about 2 minutes. Serve over chicken. Sprinkle with thyme.

LEMON & THYME ROASTED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Mix minced thyme, salt, garlic powder and pepper. Place chicken on a rack in a shallow roasting pan, breast side up. Tuck wings under chicken; tie drumsticks together. Squeeze juice from lemon halves over chicken; sprinkle with thyme mixture., Loosely stuff chicken with squeezed lemon halves, onion, thyme sprigs and garlic. Roast 1-1/2 to 2 hours or until a thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh reads 170°-175°. (Cover loosely with foil if chicken browns too quickly.), Remove chicken from oven; tent with foil. Let stand 15 minutes before carving. Serve with lemon wedges.

LEMON-THYME CHICKEN BREASTS

Steps:

• Combine lemon juice, chicken broth, 2 tablespoons olive oil, Dijon mustard, lemon zest, garlic, chicken bouillon, and thyme in a small bowl. Mix together thoroughly.
• Combine flour and salt on a small dish. Coat chicken with flour on both sides.
• Heat butter and remaining olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Cook chicken until lightly browned, about 3 minutes per side. Reduce heat to low and pour broth mixture and lemon slices over chicken. Cover and simmer until no longer pink in the centers, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and serve with lemon slices on top, spooning the broth over the chicken.

LEMON THYME CHICKEN TENDERS

Steps:

• Combine the olive oil, garlic, chopped thyme, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a large mixing bowl. Season the chicken tenders with salt and pepper. Toss chicken with the olive oil mixture; allow to marinate for 5 minutes.
• Spray a non-stick skillet with cooking spray, and place over medium-high heat. Cook chicken tenders in the hot pan until lightly browned and cooked through, about 4 minutes per side.

GRIDDLED CHICKEN WITH LEMON & THYME

Steps:

• Mix the chicken breasts with the lemon zest, 2 tbsp lemon juice, the olive oil, garlic and thyme.
• Season, then cook on a heated griddle or on a barbecue for 4-5 mins each side. Serve the chicken with a generous dollop of hummus, a drizzle of olive oil, plus the olives and lemon wedges.

ROAST CHICKEN WITH BELL PEPPERS, LEMON, AND THYME

Steps:

• Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 425°F. Heat a large ovenproof skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium-high. Cook bell peppers in skillet, turning every minute or two, until blistered in several spots, about 5 minutes. (You aren't trying to cook them, just get some color on them.) Transfer bell peppers to a cutting board and let cool slightly; reserve skillet. Stand a pepper upright and slice off sides, working your way around stem in 3 or 4 cuts. Pull out ribs and seeds; discard along with stems. Repeat with remaining peppers.
• Return peppers to skillet and add shallot, chile, and 3 thyme sprigs. Season generously with salt and black pepper and drizzle 1/4 cup oil over. Season chicken all over with salt and black pepper and set on top of peppers. Place a lemon half and remaining 2 thyme sprigs in chicken cavity and rub skin all over with remaining 1 Tbsp. oil. Roast in oven until skin is golden brown and crisp all over and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of breast registers 160°F, 60-80 minutes. Remove from oven (be careful; handle is hot!) and let rest 15 minutes before transferring chicken to a cutting board and carving.
• Just before serving, squeeze remaining lemon half over chicken and bell peppers.

ROAST CHICKEN WITH LEMON AND THYME

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°F. Mix first 4 ingredients in bowl. Rinse chicken; pat dry. Place chicken in roasting pan. Rub all but 1 tablespoon garlic-thyme oil over. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place lemon in cavity of chicken. Tie legs with string.
• Roast chicken 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F. Roast chicken until meat thermometer inserted into thickest part of inner thigh registers 180°F, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Lift chicken and tilt slightly, emptying juices from cavity into pan. Transfer chicken to serving platter. Tent chicken with aluminum foil to keep warm.
• Pour pan juices into large glass measuring cup. Spoon fat off top. Add wine to pan; place over high heat. Bring to boil, scraping up any browned bits. Pour wine mixture into measuring cup with pan juices (do not clean roasting pan). Add enough chicken broth to cup to measure 1 1/2 cups. Return broth mixture to same roasting pan. Mix flour into reserved 1 tablespoon garlic-thyme oil. Whisk into broth mixture. Boil broth mixture in roasting pan set over 2 burners until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Season pan-juice mixture to taste with salt and pepper. Pour into sauceboat. Serve chicken, passing pan-juice mixture separately.

GRILLED CHICKEN WITH LEMON AND THYME

Steps:

• Prepare a grill for 2-zone heat (for a gas grill, set one burner to medium-high and one or two burners to low; for a charcoal grill, bank most of the coals on one side). Lightly oil grate. Pat chicken breasts dry; season generously all over with salt and pepper. Place on a rimmed baking sheet; let sit at room temperature at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.
• Thinly slice 1 lemon crosswise into rounds; pluck out seeds. Place half of lemon slices in a small bowl. Add garlic and 1 Tbsp. oil and toss to coat; season with salt and pepper. Set remaining lemon slices aside for serving. Slice remaining lemon in half and squeeze juice into another small bowl (you should have about 1/4 cup). Set aside.
• Pat chicken dry again (the salt will have drawn out more moisture) and rub with 2 Tbsp. oil. Grill oiled lemon slices over hot side of grill, turning once, until charred in spots, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Grill chicken on cooler side of grill, skin side down, until skin is browned and starting to crisp, 15-20 minutes. Turn chicken over, cover, and continue to grill until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of breasts registers 160°F, 8-10 minutes longer. If desired, uncover grill, move chicken over to hotter side, and lightly char a minute or two. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 10-15 minutes.
• Pull chicken meat from bones and slice 1/2" thick. Place on a rimmed platter, shingling slices. Scatter thyme sprigs, olives, grilled lemon slices, and reserved fresh lemon slices over. Season with more salt and pepper; drizzle reserved lemon juice and remaining 1/2 cup oil over. Let sit at least 15 minutes and up to 1 hour before serving.

ROAST CHICKEN LEGS WITH LEMON AND THYME

Steps:

• Put oven rack in upper third of oven and preheat oven to 500°F.
• Toss chicken with oil, thyme sprigs, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large bowl, then transfer to a large (17- by 12-inch) shallow heavy baking pan (1 inch deep).
• Bake chicken 10 minutes, then add lemon slices to pan. Continue to bake until chicken is golden and cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes more. Serve chicken with lemon slices.

ROASTED CHICKEN WITH LEMON, GARLIC AND THYME

Steps:

• Let the butter and chicken stand at room temperature for 3o minutes or so.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Remove and discard any giblets, excess fat, and plastic pop-up timer, if there is one.
• To prevent burning, tuck the chicken's wing tips under the body.
• Season the cavity of the chicken, liberally, with salt and pepper.
• Roll the lemon back and forth on the counter to get the juices going. Pierce the entire surface of the lemon with the fork.
• Smash up the garlic cloves- the side of a knife does this well.
• Insert lemon, garlic and thyme into the cavity of the bird.
• Arrange the onion slices in the center of a heavy-duty roasting pan. (Arranging the onions in overlapping rows works great) Place the chicken on top with the breast side up. Tie the chicken legs together with kitchen twine.
• Spread the softened butter over the entire surface of the chicken. Season generously with salt and pepper.
• Roast the chicken until skin is crisp and the skin is a nice golden brown. The juices should run clear when the chicken is pierced with a fork- about 1 1/2 hours. The chicken will be cooked perfectly when an instant-read thermometer (inserted into the breast- then thigh) will read 165 degrees.
• Garnish with sprigs of thyme.

CHICKEN THIGHS BAKED WITH LEMON, SAGE, ROSEMARY & THYME

Steps:

• Using a mortar and pestle, mash the garlic with a large pinch of salt to create a coarse paste (or use a small mixing bowl and the back of a spoon, or mince the garlic very finely on a cutting board). Add the oil very slowly in drops while pounding and grinding the paste, continuing until the allioli is thick, creamy, and emulsified. Put the chicken in a bowl. Rub the allioli all over, including under the skin. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.
• Heat the oven to 425°F and set an oven rack in the middle of the oven. Arrange the lemon slices in one layer in a large shallow roasting pan or baking dish (9x13x2 inches is good). Top each slice with a piece of rosemary and thyme and a sage leaf. Set the chicken thighs, skin side up, on top; sprinkle them generously with salt and pepper. Bake until the skin is golden and the juices are clear, 45 minute to 1 hour.
• Sometimes the lemons and chicken produce a lot of juices, in which case you can make a delicious pan sauce. Transfer the chicken (keeping the herbs and lemon slices underneath) to a plate and cover loosely with foil. Tilt the pan to pool the juices in one corner. Spoon off the fat that rises to the top. Set the pan over medium heat (if the pan isn't flameproof, pour the juices into a small skillet) and scrape up any stuck-on juices. Let the juices boil and reduce so they thicken to a saucy consistency. Drizzle the sauce around, not on, the chicken to maintain the crisp skin.

CHICKEN FLORENTINE ROLL-UPS WITH LEMON-THYME ORZO PILAF

Steps:

• For the chicken Florentine roll-ups: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Thaw the spinach in the microwave or on the stove as per the directions on the package, then place it in a strainer and squeeze out as much liquid as possible, discarding the liquid.
• Chop the sun-dried tomatoes, grate the Parmesan cheese, and chop the basil, and place them in a medium bowl with 2/3 cup of the spinach, the goat cheese, egg white, 1/8 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper. Stir with a fork until well incorporated.
• Spread 3 tablespoons of the filling on the top half of each chicken breast, roll up, and secure with 2 toothpicks. (See Cook's Note.) Sprinkle the chicken rolls with the remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
• Heat the oil in a large ovenproof skillet with a cover over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken rolls until golden, 2 minutes per side. Pour the chicken broth over the rolls, cover, and transfer the skillet to the oven. Bake until the chicken is cooked through, 12 to 14 minutes.
• For the lemon-thyme orzo pilaf: Peel and chop the shallots. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring, until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the orzo and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the broth, bring to a boil over high heat, then decrease the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the orzo is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, 8 to 9 minutes.
• Meanwhile, halve the tomatoes, grate the cheese, chop the thyme, and zest and juice the lemon (1 teaspoon zest and 1 1/2 tablespoons juice). When the orzo is done, stir in the tomatoes, thyme, lemon zest and juice, cheese, salt, and pepper. Cover and let sit off the heat for 5 minutes before serving.
• To serve, drizzle the roll-ups with the liquid from the skillet and serve with the orzo.

GRILLED LEMON PEPPER CHICKEN BREASTS WITH THYME GREMOLATA

Steps:

• In a bowl whisk together lemon juice, pepper, and salt to taste and add oil in a stream, whisking until marinade is emulsified. With a rolling pin or smooth side of a meat pounder flatten chicken 1/4 inch thick between sheets of plastic wrap. In a large resealable plastic bag marinate chicken in marinade, chilled, 30 minutes.
• Prepare grill.
• Grill chicken on an oiled rack set 5 to 6 inches over glowing coals until just cooked through, about 2 minutes on each side.
• Serve chicken sprinkled with gremolata and garnished with lemon and thyme.
• Make gremolata:
• In a small bowl stir together gremolata ingredients.

LEMON-THYME CHICKEN PAILLARDS

Steps:

• Lay a chicken breast on parchment paper. Starting on 1 long side, cut horizontally into breast but not completely through. Open cut breast like a book. Top with another sheet of parchment. Flatten to an even thickness, about 1/3 inch thick. Repeat with remaining breasts.
• Rub both sides of each breast with garlic; transfer chicken and garlic to a large resealable plastic bag. Squeeze 2 lemon halves over chicken; add rinds to bag. Thinly slice remaining lemon halves crosswise. Top each breast with a lemon slice and thyme sprig; season with pepper. Drizzle chicken with oil. Marinate in the refrigerator, flipping occasionally, at least 2 hours (up to overnight).
• Preheat a grill or grill pan to high. Discard marinade, lemon, and thyme. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Grill, flipping once, until cooked through, 2 minutes per side. Serve chicken warm, at room temperature, or cold. Top each breast with salad, dividing evenly, and serve with lemon wedges.

LEMON-THYME SHEET PAN CHICKEN AND POTATOES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Whisk the olive oil, salt, thyme, pepper, garlic, lemon zest and lemon juice together in a large bowl.
• Add the chicken, potatoes, red onion and lemon wedges to a sheet pan.
• Pour the olive oil mixture over the sheet pan and toss so that everything is evenly coated. Turn the chicken skin-side up and space the pieces evenly apart.
• Roast on the middle oven rack, rotating the pan halfway through, until the chicken is golden brown and registers 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer (avoiding bone), 45 to 50 minutes.
• Remove to a platter and sprinkle with the parsley. Drizzle with any juices from the sheet pan and squeeze the roasted lemon wedges over the chicken.