Roasted Chicken with Lemon And Thyme

Buttery seasonings and fresh lemon slices hidden under the skin melt into the chicken lending a burst of flavor to every bite of our Roasted Chicken with Lemon And Thyme!

Drizzle the buttery drippings over the chicken before serving for a light and flavorful mouthwatering sauce.

Roasted Chicken with Lemon And Thyme

When is a roasted chicken recipe easy enough for a weeknight dinner and also oh-so-stunning for an evening of entertaining or a Sunday supper?

When the recipe is a lemon thyme roasted chicken recipe, of course!

Our baked lemon thyme chicken will surely make an impressive statement on your dinner table!

Seasoned butter and fresh lemon slices under the skin infuse a citrus and herb flavor deep into the chicken.

An added bonus is when the seasoned butter makes it’s own light buttery sauce as the chicken roasts to perfection. A drizzle of this buttery lemon sauce will make your mouth water.

Feel free to also make this recipe with bone-in chicken thighs. Place the lemon and seasoned butter under the skin and roast until the juices run clear.

I have another thought. You can make this recipe with a whole chicken too. Just place the lemon slices and flavored butter under the skin of a whole chicken and roast. Just be sure to adjust the roasting time and roast until the chicken is cooked through.

A delicious lemon and thyme chicken dinner that also makes a gorgeous presentation on the platter. You must add fresh lemon slices when you serve your lemon chicken, of course! So pretty!

Ok, you've got yourself a winner winner chicken dinner. Now get ready for all those compliments for the chef! I can hear them already!

Looking for more chicken recipes? Be sure to give our Mexican Chicken Casserole and Crockpot Moroccan Chicken both a try. You'll be happy you did!

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How to make Roasted Lemon Thyme Chicken

Scroll down for the full recipe instructions and ingredient amounts in the recipe card below

1. Preheat oven to 425F.
2. In a small bowl combine butter, garlic powder, kosher salt, thyme and cracked black pepper; reserve 2 tsp. butter mixture.
3. Arrange chicken on a baking sheet with shallow sides. Gently loosen skin-on chicken pieces and spread remaining butter mixture evenly under the skin of each chicken piece, top each with 2 lemon slices and cover with skin.
4. Melt reserved 2 teaspoons butter mixture and brush over tops of chicken skins.
5. Roast 45 minutes or until a meat thermometer registers 165F and juices run clear.
6. Drizzle drippings over chicken and serve.

Swirls of Flavor Recipe Tips

• Use your favorite dried herb
• Make this recipe using a whole roasting chicken. Be sure to adjust the timing so that the chicken cooks long enough until the juices run clear.

Substitutions

• Substitute bone-in chicken thighs for the bone-in chicken breasts
• Make this recipe with dried rosemary in place of the dried thyme

What to serve with lemon chicken

• Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts
• Carrots With Tops
• Easy Sauteed Mushrooms

Ingredients for lemon thyme chicken

• Butter
• garlic powder
• kosher salt
• dried thyme
• cracked black pepper
• bone-in chicken breasts
• lemon

Lemon Thyme Recipes

Do you love this citrus and herb flavor combination? Then you’ll certainly want to make our other lemon thyme recipes.

No-Bake Raspberry Lemon Thyme Tartlets are a no-fuss quick and easy dessert that will dress up your holiday and springtime table. The flavors of juicy sweet raspberries, mouth puckering lemons and fresh herbs all remind me that spring has sprung!

Lemon Dijon Cod Saute is a quick and easy recipe with a creamy sauce studded with olives and shallots and topped with sweet and tangy caramelized lemon slices! 

First Published: March 7, 2016... Last Updated: January 9, 2023, for better readability and user experience