This quick and easy Lemon Basil Chicken is super juicy, and that all comes from the simple marinade of olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper and basil. It's fresh and light and can be served it with pasta, rice, in a sandwich or on a classic green salad. Chicken breasts never have to be dry or boring again! Naturally gluten free and a protein packed meal.
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You are going to want to batch cook this chicken. It's so easy and convenient. Just keep it in your fridge to add to meals over the next couple of days. It is made with such a simple marinade, but it keeps the chicken super juicy and delicious.
Lemon and basil are both such light and fresh flavours, and this recipe has the perfect balance of them both - it keeps the chicken beautifully moist. Just a few minutes of prep time for this simple chicken dish.
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Why You Will Love It
- Under 300 calories per serving
- Really easy to make
- A light and fresh marinade
- Tender and juicy
- Really versatile and can be used so many different ways
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1
Put the chicken into a dish and cover with the rest of the ingredients.
Step 2
Mix well, cover and marinade overnight (or for at least 4 hours).
Step 3
Preheat your oven to 200°C/180°C(fan)/400°F/Gas 6.
Put the marinated chicken in an oven proof dish and put into the oven for 30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Serve on pasta, rice or mashed potato.
What Chicken to Use?
We wanted to keep this dish as lean as possible, so we used skinless and boneless chicken breasts.
If you want an even juicier chicken dish, then I recommend using chicken thighs instead. These will also reheat better. Cooking time will very though, depending on the thickness of the thighs.
If you fancy trying something different with this lemon and basil marinade, then you could use it for prawns, salmon or even steak.
The Marinade
This is such an easy marinade, but quality is key. Firstly, you want to use the best quality olive oil that you can get - it will be more expensive but you can taste the difference.
Make sure it is well seasoned with salt and pepper and then you have the perfect balance of garlic, oregano and fresh basil. Make sure you use a juicy lemon, otherwise you might need to use a second lemon.
How to Cook It
You have a few options here when it come to cooking the chicken. You can put it all in a baking dish (including the marinade) and cook in a preheated oven at 200°C for 30 minutes (or until it is cooked through).
However, you can also cook this under the grill, as it gets the chicken nice and crispy. This would also be great cooked on the BBQ if you wanted something easy to feed a crowd. You could even cook this in a hot pan on the hob.
Serving Suggestions
There are so many different ways that you can serve lemon basil chicken, which is why we usually batch cook it and then keep it in the fridge to use on meals over the next couple of days.
We serve it withspaghetti, on rice or mashed potato and we chop up leftovers to have a on a big green salad or in sandwiches and wraps. It also goes really well with our Italian Roasted Vegetables.
Dannii's Top Tips
- Pound the chicken flat before marinating it. This will help it all be an even size and then it will cook at the same rate.
- To marinate the chicken, put it in a zip-lock bag, or a bowl with clingfilm on it.
- After the chicken has marinated, discard the marinade and then cook the chicken.
Frequently Asked Questions
You don't have to marinate the chicken, but you will really taste a difference, Marinating it not only allows the flavours to really infuse, but the lemon also tenderises the chicken.
For best results, marinate the chicken overnight (around 12 hours), however try for a minimum of 4 hours.
Yes, this is recommended so that it has plenty of time to marinade. You could even make the marinade ahead of time and then just add it to the chicken when you are ready to marinade it.
You can freeze this chicken once it is cooked. Store in freezer bags for up to 2 months and then make sure it is fully defrosted before reheating. It will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days.
To reheat, add to a pan with a little oil and heat through. Make sure you don't heat it for too long, otherwise it will become dry.
More Chicken Recipes
If you've tried this lemon chicken recipe, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - Use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.
Recipe
Lemon Basil Chicken
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 300 g (10.5 oz) of Chicken breast
- 2 tablespoons of Olive oil
- 1 Lemon - (juice and zest only)
- 3 Garlic clove - crushed
- 8 tablespoons of Fresh basil - chopped
- 1 Pinch of Fine sea salt and ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon of Dried oregano
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6.
- Put the chicken into a dish and cover with the rest of the ingredients.
- Mix well and marinade overnight (or for at least 4 hours)
- Put the marinated chicken into an oven proof dish cook for 30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
Recipe Notes
- Pound the chicken before marinating it. This will help it all be an even size and then it will cook at the same rate.
- To marinate the chicken, put it in a zip-lock bag, or a bowl with clingfilm on it.
- After the chicken has marinated, discard the marinade and then cook the chicken.
Nutritional Information
Where nutritional information is provided, it is approximate and calculated using online tools. Values can vary depending on the ingredients and brands used, but we endeavour to be as accurate as possible.
All timings are a guide and may vary depending on the ingredients, equipment and, where relevant, the appliance used. Changing the serving size may also affect the time needed.
Helen @ Scrummy Lane says
I like to bake chicken thighs with lemon, olive oil, potatoes and oregano. Greek style!
Love your simple chicken in this post, though. My kind of recipe for sure!
Ami@NaiveCookCooks says
Looks so delicious yet healthy too!! Perfect weeknight meal idea!
Ashley says
I'm with you - as much as I love just drinking wine, it really does add so much flavor to cooking! This dish looks so light and wonderful!
Denise says
I was wondering what wine you used to make this amazing looking meal.
Morgan @ Peaches, Please! says
I love how fresh herbs take anything up to a new level. I bet the basil was so tasty with the chicken!
Louisa says
Lovely sounding recipe. Love lemon with chicken, they work so brilliantly together.
Karen says
I have to say that I use chicken breasts a lot when I am on my diet, and it's always nice to discover new recipes! This looks lovely. Karen
Choclette says
Ooh tomatoes and basil. Makes me think of summer - can't be far away now.
Nayna Kanabar says
I dont eat chicken being a vegetarian but I would adapt this revipe to cook with veggies and chickpeas perhaps...
Sarah, Maison Cupcake says
Nice flavour combination and I like how you presented it. Might have to try that next time we have some chicken breasts.
Sylvia @ Happiness is homemade says
Yummy! It's something my OH would love for dinner! ;)
Madeleine Morrow says
We all love this. Clean plates all round and low in fat too and healthy.
Janie says
Looks really simple and yummy Dannii!
Janie x
Lauren says
This really makes me think of summer. I look forward to trying it.
Janice Pattie (@FarmersgirlCook) says
Chicken, lemon and basil is one of my favourite combinations. This is definitely a winner!