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Baked Greek Lemon Chicken

Baked Greek lemon chicken with a garlic-oregano marinade and a glossy pan-drippings glaze for deeply golden roasted chicken. This Mediterranean baked chicken bakes alongside caramelized lemon slices and tender roasted garlic in the same roasting pan.
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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: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken
  • 1 whole chicken, cut into pieces (or 3-4 pounds bone-in chicken parts)
Lemon herb marinade
  • 0.3333333333 cup olive oil
  • 0.3333333333 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp lemon zest
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 Salt and cracked black pepper to taste
Roasting aromatics
  • 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 combined. Marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes, turning once if possible for even coating.
Roast with lemons and broth
  1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Arrange the marinated chicken skin-side up in a large roasting pan or baking dish.
  2. Pour the chicken broth around the chicken. Tuck the thinly sliced lemon slices around and under the pieces so they steam and caramelize in the drippings.
Bake until deeply golden
  1. Roast for 40-45 minutes total at 425°F. Baste with the pan juices once halfway through using a spoon, keeping the skin facing up.
  2. Continue roasting until the chicken skin is deeply golden and the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Spoon the caramelized pan drippings over the chicken right before serving.
Finish and serve
  1. Garnish with fresh oregano. Serve immediately while the lemon slices and drippings are glossy.

Notes

For best browning, pat chicken pieces dry before marinating so the skin crisps in the hot oven. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container up to 3 days; reheat in a 375°F oven until hot. Freezing is okay for up to 2 months, but lemon slices may soften after thawing. For a lighter option, use skinless bone-in pieces and reduce olive oil slightly while keeping the lemon-garlic herb seasoning.