Balsamic Lemon Chicken
Updated
Updated
This Balsamic Lemon Chicken recipe is an easy and ultra-flavorful chicken dish, with sweet, tart, crispy lemon sugar skin, and buttery pan juices engulfing every nook and cranny. I just can’t get enough of it!
Pin this now to find it later
Pin ItThis post may contain affiliate links. If you click on one and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend products we genuinely love.
5 STAR REVIEW
Balsamic Lemon Chicken Recipe
My husband and I affectionately refer to this balsamic lemon chicken recipe as “crack chicken” because we can’t stop eating it, no matter how full we are, and we literally daydream about it until the next time we get to eat it again.
I’ve taken bone-in chicken pieces and briefly marinated them in a simple lemon-balsamic mixture, pan-fried them, then sprinkled them with lemon-sugar before roasting them in the oven for a few minutes. The meat is infused with an amazing flavor and is incredibly tender, while the skin is sweet, tart, and crispy. But let me tell you the buttery pan sauce seals the deal. It’s SO GOOD!
Balsamic Lemon Chicken
Ingredients
- 8 pieces bone-in, skin-on chicken, legs and thighs
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 lemons, zested, 1 juiced, and the other cut into wedges
- 2 tsp coarse salt
- 2 tsp ground pepper
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp neutral oil, such as canola or vegetable
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, divided
Instructions
- Prick the chicken pieces all over with a fork and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the balsamic vinegar with half of the lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.
- Mix the sugar with the remaining lemon zest in a small bowl and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Heat the oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat until very hot, about 2 minutes. Melt 2 tbsp of the butter, and place the chicken skin-side-down in the pan along with the remaining marinade. Cook until the chicken is browned on one side, 3 to 4 minutes, and then flip over and cook 1 minute more.
- Sprinkle the lemon sugar over the chicken and transfer the skillet to the oven. Roast until chicken is completely cooked through and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165°F, about 25 minutes.
- Remove chicken from oven—be careful! The handle will be hot! Cut the remaining 2 tbsp of butter into small pieces and scatter around the chicken. Pour lemon juice over everything. Once butter is melted, serve with pan sauce drizzled over the chicken and lemon wedges on the side.
Video
Notes
- Bone-in chicken thighs and/or legs with the skin on will give you the best results. They roast up tender and juicy, with the most flavor, and fantastic crispy skin. This recipe will work with boneless thighs or boneless chicken breast. You will need to adjust the cooking time, however, since bone-in thighs take longer to cook.
- Don’t Skip the Sugar. Technically, you can skip the sugar, BUT don’t do it. It’s really one of the things that makes this chicken recipe so special. The skin ends up crispy, with a perfect balance of sweet flavor from the sugar and tartness from the lemon zest. And the smooth, buttery pan juices engulf every nook and cranny, keeping the meat moist.
Nutrition
Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and any changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are very important to you, I would recommend calculating them yourself.
Did you make this? Leave a rating below!How to Make Balsamic Lemon Chicken Step by Step
Prick the chicken: Use a fork to prick the chicken pieces all over and then set them aside.
Marinate the chicken: In a large bowl, whisk 2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar with half of the lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Add the chicken pieces and coat. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.
Pan fry the chicken: Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat until very hot. Add 4 tbsp of butter and then once melted, swirl to coat the skillet. Place the chicken skin-side-down in the pan along with the remaining marinade. Cook until the chicken is browned on one side, 3 to 4 minutes, and then flip over and cook 1 minute more on the other side.
Sprinkle with the lemon-sugar: Mix 2 tbsp of sugar with the remaining lemon zest and sprinkle over the chicken skin.
Transfer the skillet to a preheated 400°F oven and roast until the chicken is completely cooked through and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165°F. This usually takes me about 25 minutes.
Finish with the sauce: Remove the chicken from the oven. Be careful, as the handle will be hot! Cut the remaining 2 tbsp of butter into small pieces and scatter them around the chicken. Pour lemon juice over everything.
Serve: Once the butter has melted, serve with the pan sauce drizzled over the chicken and lemon wedges on the side.
What to Serve with Lemon Chicken
I like to serve this lemon chicken with oven roasted potatoes, and to add some color to my plate, I’ll make sautéed Brussels sprouts or roasted broccoli. But, really, any roasted vegetable works. Sometimes, I’ll whip up mashed potatoes, or if I’m in a low-carb mood, this Parmesan roasted cauliflower works well.
How to Store
Any leftovers should be placed in an airtight container and stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
To freeze, place in an airtight freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight.
Gently reheat on the stovetop over medium-low heat in a nonstick skillet or in the microwave. Add in a splash of broth to loosen up the sauce and prevent the chicken from drying out.
This IS a keeper! The zest and sugar make it SO unique! Thanks for sharing this!
OMG this recipe is amazing! I wasn’t sure whether to make it with eight pieces as it’s only the two of us but I’m so glad as we have leftovers! ❤️🇨🇦
Our family doubled this and put it on a foil lined rimmed pan to cook in the oven. It fed a crowd and was a hit. We will definitely make this again. Thank you for a delicious well written recipe.
I’ve never had anything quite like this before. Anyone who has doubts about balsamic, lemon and sugar on chicken, don’t! It’s amazing!! My whole family loved this recipe so much. I served it with orzo and a green salad.
I’ve made this enough that I can make a suggestion — I add lemon wedges to the pot when I put it in the oven so they get cooked at the same time as the chicken. I don’t change anything else because it’s good as the recipe is written. I recommend this one!
I made this for my daughter and family. It was a 10 out of 10. Even my 7 y.o. grandson have it a 2 thumbs up. Followed directions as written. This is definitely going in our dinner rotations.
Total winner. The sugar on the top is amazing!!
I marinaded boneless,skinless chicken breast in the morning. When ready to cook I followed instructions, adjusting the roasting time to 10 minutes. This is a keeper. Easy and delicious
I made this last night for dinner, and I followed the recipe, exactly, except for using boneless skinless chicken thighs. My thighs were a little bit dry, but that was my fault because I should’ve cooked them less since there was no bone in the meat. The flavors were delicious and there was sauce left over to put on top of rice. At first I thought it was gonna be too lemony, but it wasn’t. It was just perfect.
Truly FABULOUS chicken recipe! We loved the lemon zest and sugar baked into the tops of the chicken thighs. So crunchy and delicious! Served this with maple glazed baby potatoes and Caesar Salad. This will be a regular recipe in our rotation. THANK YOU!
This is our new favorite chicken dish. I made it twice in one week! No changes.
Yes, I have made this recipe and it turned out great, I am still learning more complex recipes, other than making top ramen and toast.
Excellent chicken dinner. Light and healthy but very very good!
I made this for dinner tonight and wow wow wow, it was so delicious! I love the combination of ingredients and that sugar/zest mixture on top adds such great flavor. It was deemed a “make again, please” meal! So, so good and a new family favorite. Thank you!
Really wonderful. I use cornish game hen halves and throw in some garlic. My family loves this recipe! Thank you!
Oh. My. Gosh! This is just delicious. Really, really good! My husband and I both loved it!
This is the first recipe I tried from your site and it was amazing! I am not a good cook at all but it was really easy.
I made this chicken for my family tonight and it was OUTSTANDING. My husband and daughter both raved over this. I added garlic, marinated it for about 8 hours and didn’t fry it because I almost never fry stuff if I can get away with it. I just roasted it and it was still delicious. Thanks so much for sharing this great recipe.
I’m so happy to hear it! Everyone who makes it always raves…it’s just one of those great chicken dishes. Thank you so much for stopping by :D
I just made this tonight and it was delicious!! I added a couple tsps of fresh rosemary to the lemon/sugar mix and used no B/S (boneless/skinless) chicken BREASTS…It was TDF (to die for) served w/rice and asparagus…
I saw this while at work and even though I got off late and didn’t get home until 7:30 PM, I started it anyway. So at 8:45, I was eating this delicious chicken. I used a whole chicken that I butterflied and was amazed at how tender and juicy the breast meat was. I am now sitting here looking at my husband make a pig of himself and wondering if anything will be leftover for lunch tomorrow. Dear Lord, he’s going back into the kitchen . . . Lol!
two of my favorite ingredients, gonna try this one for sure.
That chicken looks really tasty!
This was the perfect chicken dish – whole family loved it!
Always looking for delicious and simple chicken dishes to try. This sounds like a winner and I’m putting on the to-dos for the next grocery store visit.