Last Updated on March 6, 2021 by Slow The Cook Down
Quick and easy to make with a few simple ingredients, this lemon oregano chicken is perfect for an tasty weeknight meal. Quick to prep and bursting with flavor.
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Add some flavor to your chicken breasts with this simple lemon and oregano marinade.
Fresh, zingy and herby, it takes minutes to prep and cook this lemon oregano chicken, so it's a great option for an easy weeknight meal.
Made with a few simple ingredients, they can be cooked on the stovetop or in the oven and served with all your favorite sides.
Low carb and high in protein, this is an easy and healthy way to jazz up your meal times!
For more simple weeknight recipes, be sure to check out my lemon and herb chicken salad and honey mustard chicken.
Ingredients
- Chicken breasts: I used boneless skinless chicken breasts, but any cut will work well. Use organic and air chilled chicken for the best flavor and quality.
- Oregano: Oregano is slightly peppery herb and it has a strong bold flavor. For this recipe it's best to use dried rather than fresh.
- Lemon: We use both the juice and zest of a lemon in this recipe for a really zingy flavor.
- Garlic: Use freshly minced garlic in the marinade.
- Oil: I use olive oil to marinate and cooke the chicken, vegetable, canola or avocado will all work well.
- Butter: I like to add a bit of butter to the pan to cook the chicken. It's optional, but it adds a nice rich flavor.
How to make lemon oregano chicken
Be sure to scroll down for the full recipe!
- Marinate the chicken breasts (photo 1).
- Cook in a skillet on both sides until cooked through (photo 2).
Oven baked chicken breasts
I like to cook chicken breasts on the stovetop, it's a little quicker and I like the color that you get form cooking it in a skillet.
If you prefer, you can also oven bake this chicken recipe.
- Preheat the oven to 375F.
- Place the marinated chicken breasts onto a lined baking sheet.
- Bake for around 30 minutes until cooked through.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! You can pretty much use any cut of chicken with this marinade. Wings, thighs, skin on, bone in, it's all good in this recipe.
Just be aware that different cuts of chicken will require different cooking times.
These lemon oregano chicken breasts only need 20 to 30 minutes of marinading time.
Because there is acid in the lemon juice, it's best not to marinate them for more than 2 hours as the acid can start to break down the fibers and the chicken will become tough.
Lemon and oregano work together super well, but you can easily swap the oregano for something else like my lemon and rosemary marinade. Dried parsley, cilantro or thyme all work great.
Serving Suggestions
This lemon oregano chicken is great served alongside all your favorite sides; salads, veggies, potatoes, there's no wrong answer here. Try it with:
Leftovers
If you have leftovers, or want to make this for meal prep, it will keep well in the fridge for up to 4 days. The chicken can then be sliced and served cold in salads and sandwiches, or reheat in the oven at 325F for around 20 minutes.
Recipe Notes and Tips
- Cooking time may vary slightly depending on the thickness of your chicken. Use an instant read thermometer to check that they are cooked through. They should register at 165F.
- Let the chicken come up to room temperature before cooking. If you are marinating it for less than 1 hour, you can let it sit at room temperature.
More Easy Chicken Recipes
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Lemon Oregano Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts
- ½ teaspoon salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- juice and zest of 1 lemon
- 1 garlic clove (minced)
- 1 tablespoon oil for cooking
- 1 tablespoon butter
Instructions
- Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper.
- Mix together the olive oil, oregano, lemon zest and juice.
- Pour the marinade over the chicken, using your hands to coat. Alternatively you can place everything in a ziplock bag. Let marinate for 30 minutes.
- Heat the oil and butter on a medium high heat.
- Add the marinated chicken breasts and cook on each side for 6 to 8 minutes until cooked through.
- Rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Don't marinate the chicken for more than two hours as the acid in the lemon juice will start to break down the chicken.
- Let the chicken come up to room temperature before cooking. If you are marinating it for less than 1 hour, you can let it sit at room temperature.
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