Lemon Garlic Chicken Recipe with Turmeric - The Effortless Chic (2024)

This skillet lemon garlic chicken recipe is not only tasty, but packed full of healthy, detoxifying ingredients. Lemon Garlic Chicken is a perfect weeknight meal and the chicken marinade is zesty and full of flavor. This family friendly recipe is a great way to get some goodness in!

Without fail, come January I always feel in need of a detox. After weeks of cookie baking, festive dinners and general merriment, I find myself craving clean recipes. I have played around a bit with this one and feel like this is the perfect time to share it. It's full of clean, bright and nutritious ingredients, many of which you likely already have in your kitchen. Even better? Make the lemon garlic chicken marinade in the morning and you'll be able to make this dish in just 30 minutes come dinner. For a real treat, make this gluten-free bread to go with it and allow the bread to soak up all of the delicious sauce!

How to make this Healthy Lemon Garlic Chicken Recipe

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• In a small bowl whisk together avocado oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, honey, garlic, turmeric, cumin, rosemary, salt, and pepper.
• Pour the lemon garlic marinade over the chicken and allow to sit for a minimum of 1 hour.
• Place chicken in a cast iron skillet (or an oven safe pan) along with the wedges of onion, lemon slices, and extra rosemary sprigs.
• Pour about half of the marinade over the chicken and onions.
• Place chicken in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. (About halfway through the cook time, I like to spoon some of the marinade from the pan over the chicken to baste it a bit and to keep it moist.)

Notes:

I served this with roasted spicy rainbow carrots (olive oil, cumin, chili powder, cayenne and salt/pepper, roast at 375 for 20 minutes) and fresh arugula salad (so simple-just add salt, pepper and olive oil).

Why is this Lemon Garlic Chicken Recipe healthy?

It starts with turmeric which, be warned, will turn everything in your kitchen bright yellow if you’re not careful. But it’s not just known for its bright color, this ingredient has been credited with fighting inflammation, is a powerful antioxidant, and may give your brain a boost. If that’s not enough, I’ve teamed it up with lemon and garlic, each known as natural immune system strengtheners and cleansing to the body. This is not a trendy “clean eating dish”, it will actually help cleanse you from the inside-out! Not to mention the flavors are so delicious and satisfying. Even my husband the sceptic (and not a fan of lemon) thought this dish was the perfect palate refresher after our vacation.

Baked Lemon Chicken Recipe

This chicken is cooked in a skillet which is placed in the oven, which makes it a great option for a weeknight meal, there's no standing guard at the stove top! It's a really tasty dish with very little prep time, you just have to let that tasty marinade do it's thing!

Lemon Garlic Chicken Thighs

I used chicken thighs for this recipe, I find them much more flavorful and they tend to stay nice and juicy. You can substitute them for chicken breast if you prefer, just keep an eye on them so they don't overcook.

Lemon Garlic Chicken Marinade

This lemon garlic chicken marinade is full of clean, nutrient dense ingredients that give the chicken so much flavor! To make the marinade, whisk together avocado oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, honey, garlic, turmeric, cumin, rosemary, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Chicken can be marinated for as little as 1 hour or as long as 24 hours. I like to make it in the morning while the kitchen is still dirty from breakfast and allow it to marinade for about 8 hours before I start dinner.

Lemon Garlic Chicken Instant Pot Recipe:

This lemon garlic chicken recipe does well in an Instant Pot as well. Follow the instructions for the marinade and reduce the cooking time to 10 minutes on high pressure.

Top tips for making this chicken recipe:

• Let the chicken marinade for at least an hour, longer if you can.
• Let the chicken come up to room temperature before you cook it and it will stay nice and tender.
• Cook the chicken in a preheated oven for the best results.
• Let the chicken rest for ten minutes before serving it.
• You can use this lemon garlic chicken marinade to make lemon garlic chicken wings as well!

Be sure to check out these other delicious and easy chicken recipes

Whole30 Chicken Teriyaki Meatballs Recipe

Simple Grilled Chicken Pineapple Kabobs

Gluten Free Crispy Chicken Wings with Garlic Teriyaki and Buffalo Dipping Sauce

Smoked Chicken and Cheddar Quesadillas with Pico de Gallo

If you try this recipe, be sure to leave a star and let me know what you though in the comments below!

Photography by Chase Daniel