This dish tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen, but the truth is, it takes just minutes to prep and is ready to serve in 30 minutes or less!
The secret? Roasting a few simple, yet delicious ingredients at high heat produces an intensely flavorful meal that tastes like it slow-cooked all day!
Be sure to squeeze a couple of the roasted lemon wedges over the roasted chicken before serving for an extra burst of lemony-goodness!
For a delicious variation of this recipe – Lemon-Thyme Roasted Chicken – simply substitute one teaspoon of dried thyme in place of the dried oregano. Then, follow the rest of the recipe as directed below.

I love simple, yet scrumptious dinners like this one – just toss all of the ingredients together until well coated and bake! For easier clean-up, line your baking sheet with foil.
Ingredients
- 2 split skin-on chicken breasts with ribs (about 2 lbs)
- 6 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
- 3 lemons, quartered
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp fresh-squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- Sea salt and fresh-ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cut each chicken breast in half to form four servings. (Add additional chicken breasts as needed to serve more individuals.)
- Squeeze the juice from 3-4 of the lemon quarters to obtain one tablespoon of lemon juice. Place lemon juice into a small bowl along with the olive oil and oregano. Combine well.
- On a 12x17-inch rimmed baking sheet, place the chicken breasts skin side up and drizzle with the olive oil mixture. Then add the garlic cloves and lemons; toss all ingredients together until well coated with the olive oil mixture. Season with salt and pepper.
- Roast chicken, skin side up, until golden and cooked through, about 25-30 minutes.
- Serve with a side of wild rice and your favorite green veggie! (Recipe inspired by Everyday Food.)
Notes
Recipe Variation: For a delicious Lemon-Thyme Roasted Chicken option, simply substitute one teaspoon of dried thyme in place of the dried oregano. Then, follow the rest of the recipe as directed.
So simple and yet it sounds so yummy! This is my kind of recipe, thanks for sharing!!!!
Thanks for commenting! Sometimes the best things in life are the most simple 🙂
Kelly, this is a wonderfully easy and delicious meal! I made the lemon thyme version for dinner this evening (accompanied by your Apple-Carrot Coleslaw which was so yum, too!) and it was so nice to literally throw it in the oven while we prepped other things. I have FINALLY started a fortnightly meal plan, so it has been added to the rotation! 🙂 Thanks again for your wonderful website. 🙂
Thanks so much for the sweet words, Sheridan! I am so happy you’re enjoying these recipes! Appreciate you taking the time to leave an encouraging note. And great job on your meal planning! Lots of blessings to you, Kelly 🙂
will the recipe work the same w/ boneless chicken breasts? or will I have to make some alterations?
Hi, Jay. Yes, but you’ll need to reduce the cook time. I would check the boneless breasts around the 18-20 minute mark. Blessings to you, Kelly 🙂
That was tasty! I wasn’t sure how to cut the bone in breasts in half without a cleaver (guess I need to go I’ve shopping! Oh darn 😉 ) but wanted to say it worked fine with them whole, I just added about 5-10 minutes. Loving these recipes, keep them coming!
So glad you enjoyed them. If you purchase meat from a butcher, they can always split the breasts for you. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a kind, encouraging note. Blessings to you, Kelly 🙂
This was so good and easy! I will definitely make again. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Thanks, Autumn, for your kind note. I’m so happy you enjoyed it and appreciate you taking the time to leave a kind note! 🙂 Blessings, Kelly
First, I want to say, I love your site! (:
I have a question about the olive oil. Is it safe to cook the olive oil at 450? Isn’t the smoke point for olive oil below that? Thanks!
Hi, Karina. There is certainly a lot controversy surrounding olive oil and its smoke point. A good option is to use coconut oil instead, however, you may want to opt for a refined coconut oil so it doesn’t cast such a strong coconut flavor to your cooking. For frying, a lot of real foodies use lard for the same reason – higher smoke point. 🙂
This is one of our favorite recipes! We make this at least once a week. The left over chicken has such great flavor, great for salads!
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a kind note, I’m so happy you and your family are enjoying this recipe! Love the idea of using the chicken for salads! Thanks for sharing! 🙂