Easy Baked Lemon Pepper Chicken

An easy recipe for baked lemon pepper chicken that only needs 6 simple ingredients! No chopping, no slicing, and made with a simple healthy DIY lemon pepper seasoning that is free from artificial ingredients. A zesty and light low carb, paleo, gluten-free, and Whole30 approved chicken dinner your whole family will love! 

I love the simplicity of this easy baked lemon pepper chicken recipe. Just chicken, lemon juice, and some spices and that’s about the sum of it. With 6 ingredients only,  this has become a go-to chicken dinner just based on the simple fact that there’s next to no real prep - no chopping, no slicing. If you are lazy today, go and buy a bag of veggies that are already pre-chopped and only need to be popped in the steamer or microwave!

However, if you wanna chop something, you can always go crazy with the side dishes and rustle up some veggie noodles or make a quick slaw. I listed a bunch of my favorite sides right in the end.

Talking about convenience: Yes, you can use ready-made lemon pepper for this recipe and it works perfectly well, but it tastes nothing like making your own lemon pepper seasoning.

Don't worry it is SO much easier than it sounds and you really only need lemon zest, pepper, and salt. As the recipe calls for fresh lemon juice, these are all things you already bought for this recipe either way.

Feel free to up the amount and you will have your own paleo lemon pepper that you can use to season anything from salmon and shrimp to veggie skewers!  Fresh ingredients and none of the artificial colorings or other quirky ingredients! WIN!

How to make Lemon Pepper Chicken:

Step 1 - Preheat oven to 360F/180C. In a small bowl, combine lemon pepper (see recipe below), garlic powder (if using), and salt. Set aside.

Step 2 & 3 - Place chicken breasts in a baking dish. Rub with olive oil all over and drizzle with lemon juice.

Step 4 -Rub chicken on all sides with the lemon pepper mixture.

Step 5  - Bake for 25-30 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink inside but still tender.

Step 6 - Spoon sauce over chicken and serve with fresh chopped parsley and lemon wedges, if desired.

How to make Lemon Pepper Seasoning from scratch:

The formula for DIY Lemon Pepper Seasoning is simple: 2 parts dried lemon zest, 1 part pepper, 1 part salt.

For zesting the lemon, I have found that some tools are better than others when it comes to making lemon pepper! While any handheld grater works, my FAVORITE way to zest lemons is to use a handheld Microplane. It zests the lemons perfectly! You don't want to use a regular box grater if possible as it tends to mush up the lemon zest which is not the best for this recipe.

So, for a small batch:

• 1 tbsp dried lemon zest, crushed (about 4 large lemons)
• ½ tbsp freshly cracked black pepper
• ½ tbsp sea salt (or kosher salt)

To dry lemon zest, spread on a lined baking sheet and bake on the lowest temperature for 20-30 minutes (exact timing will depend on your oven) or until it’s dried to the touch. Then, to crush, simply rub between your finger and the zest will crumble very easily.

What to serve baked lemon pepper chicken with?

This recipe goes well with all sort of vegetable sides! Green beans or asparagus are the perfect way to get some color onto your plate. Another great side would be mashed potatoes, mashed celeriac, or mashed cauliflower to soak up the delicious lemon sauce. And what about zucchini noodles, a slaw, or smashed potatoes? Grilled zucchini, glazed roasted carrots, baked or pan-fried summer squash, snap peas and green beans would also be amazing!

Tips & Variations:

• Different brands of lemon pepper seasoning will have a different amount of salt so it’s best to start with only ¼ teaspoon and add more when serving if needed.
• You can also use chicken thighs and drumsticks.
• Remove chicken meat from the refrigerator about 15 minutes before cooking to bring them closer to room temperature.
• Season the chicken breast just before cooking the meat to prevent drawing out moisture and drying out the meat. If you want to let it sit longer, omit seasoning the chicken with lemon pepper blend and garlic mixture, and add it just about 10 minutes before cooking. Yes, that means you should also omit the salt in the lemon pepper blend itself. If using store-bought, I do not recommend seasoning ahead of time.

5 from 6 votes

Print

Healthy Lemon Pepper Chicken

An easy recipe for baked lemon pepper chicken that only needs 6 simple ingredients! No chopping, no slicing and made with a simple healthy DIY lemon pepper seasoning that is free from artificial ingredients. A zesty and light low carb, paleo, gluten-free, and Whole30 approved chicken dinner your whole family will love! 

Course dinner, Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword baked lemon pepper chicken, lemon pepper chicken breast, lemon pepper chicken recipe

Prep Time 8 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 38 minutes

Servings 4

Calories 297 kcal

Ingredients

• 4 chicken breasts
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice about 3 lemons
• 1 tablespoon lemon pepper seasoning see my easy homemade recipe below
• ½ tsp garlic powder optional but recommended if your lemon pepper mix doesn’t contain garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• lemon wedges to serve
• parsley to serve

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 360F/180C.
2. In a small bowl, combine lemon pepper (see recipe in notes section), garlic powder (if using) and salt. Set aside.
3. Place chicken breasts in a baking dish. Rub with olive oil all over and drizzle with lemon juice.
4. Rub chicken on all sides with the lemon pepper mixture.
5. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until chicken is not longer pink inside but still tender.
6. Spoon sauce over chicken and serve with fresh chopped parsley and lemon wedges, if desired. Side ideas: green beans or asparagus + mashed potatoes/cauliflower to soak up the sauce.

Recipe Notes

• Different brands of lemon pepper seasoning will have a different amount of salt so it’s best to start with only ¼ teaspoon and add more when serving if needed.
• You can also use chicken thighs and drumsticks.
• Remove chicken meat from the refrigerator about 15 minutes before cooking to bring them closer to room temperature.
• Season the chicken breast just before cooking the meat to prevent drawing out moisture and drying out the meat. If you want to let it sit longer, omit the when seasoning the chicken with lemon pepper blend and garlic mixture, and add it just about 10 minutes before cooking. Yes, that means you should also omit the salt in the lemon pepper blend itsself. If using storebought, I do not recommend seasoning ahead of time.

Homemade lemon pepper seasoning:

The formula is simple: 2 parts dried lemon zest, 1 part pepper, 1 part salt

So for a small batch:

1 tbsp dried lemon zest, crushed (about 4 large lemons)
½ tbsp freshly cracked black pepper
½ tbsp sea salt (or kosher salt)

To dry lemon zest, spread on a lined baking sheet and bake on the lowest temperature for 20-30 minutes (exact timing will depend on your oven) or until it’s dried to the touch. To crush, simply rub between your finger and the zest will crumble very easily.

Nutrition Facts

Healthy Lemon Pepper Chicken

Amount Per Serving

Calories 297 Calories from Fat 81

% Daily Value*

Fat 9g14%

Saturated Fat 2g13%

Cholesterol 145mg48%

Sodium 408mg18%

Potassium 872mg25%

Carbohydrates 2g1%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 1g1%

Protein 48g96%

Vitamin A 68IU1%

Vitamin C 9mg11%

Calcium 18mg2%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

If you tried this Baked Lemon Pepper Chicken Recipe, don’t forget to rate the recipe below and let me know how it went in the comments – I love hearing from you! You can also follow me on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook for more deliciousness and behind-the-scenes!

More healthy chicken recipes:

• Healthy Chicken Parmesan
• Lemon Basil Chicken 
• 5 Spice Chicken with Vegetables Stir-Fry 
• Skinny Broccoli Chicken Fettuccine
• Clean Eating Thai Chicken Patties