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!
Balsamic Lemon Chicken Recipe
My husband and I affectionately refer to this balsamic lemon chicken recipe as “crack chicken” because you can’t stop eating it, no matter how full you are, and you literally daydream about it until the next time.
Bone-in chicken pieces are briefly marinated in a simple lemon-balsamic mixture, pan fried, then sprinkled with lemon-sugar before roasting in the oven for a short bit. The meat is infused with amazing flavor and so tender, while the skin is incredibly sweet, tart, and crispy. The buttery pan sauces seal the deal. It’s SO GOOD!
Ingredients Needed
You only need a handful of ingredients and chances are you already have them!
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)
- Bone-in Chicken – For this recipe, bone-in thighs and legs with the skin work best, providing the best flavor and irresistible crispy exterior. See note below.
- Lemon – Fresh lemon juice and zest for that wonderful light, bright, citrusy flavor.
- Balsamic vinegar – The unique sweet but acidic flavor of balsamic pairs well with lemon.
- Sugar – Combined with the lemon zest to create an irresistible sweet and tart crispy coating on the chicken skin. (See note below.)
- Oil and Butter – These are both used to pan fry the chicken. The combination adds richness and necessary moisture, creating a golden crust before transferring it to the oven.
- Seasonings – Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper season the dish.
Using Boneless Chicken Thighs or Chicken Breasts
Bone-in chicken thighs and/or legs with the skin on will give you the best results for this recipe – they roast up tender and juicy, with the most flavor, and fantastic crispy skin. However, 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.
How to Make Balsamic Lemon Chicken
This easy lemon chicken recipe comes together with just a handful of steps, in just over 30 minutes
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)
- Prick the chicken. Using a fork, prick the chicken pieces all over and set aside.
- Briefly marinate the chicken. 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.
- Pan fry the chicken. Heat the oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat until very hot. Add the butter and then once melted, swirl to coat. Place 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 each piece over and cook 1 minute more.
- Sprinkle with the lemon-sugar. Mix the sugar with the remaining lemon zest and sprinkle over the chicken skin.
- Roast. Transfer skillet to a preheated 400F oven and roast until chicken is completely cooked through and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165 F, about 25 minutes.
- Finish with the sauce. Remove chicken from oven – careful! handle will be hot! – Cut remaining 2 tablespoons of butter into small pieces and scatter around 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: Balsamic Lemon Chicken
What to Serve with Lemon Chicken
I like to serve this lemon chicken with oven roasted potatoes and roasted green beans or roasted broccoli. But any roasted vegetable works. Mashed potatoes, parmesan roasted cauliflower, or rice are also great alternatives to the roasted potatoes, and a simple side salad can round out the meal.
Proper Storage
- Fridge. Any leftovers should be placed in an airtight container and stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freezer. Place in an airtight freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight.
- Reheat. 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.
More Chicken Recipes We Love
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Balsamic Lemon Chicken
Ingredients
- 8 pieces bone-in, skin-on chicken (legs and thighs)
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 lemons , zested, 1 juiced, and the other cut into wedges
- 2 teaspoons coarse salt
- 2 teaspoons ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil (such as canola or vegetable)
- 4 tablespoons 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 degrees F.
- Heat the oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat until very hot, about 2 minutes. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter, and place 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 each piece over and cook 1 minute more.
- Sprinkle the lemon sugar over the chicken and transfer skillet to 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 – careful! handle will be hot! – Cut remaining 2 tablespoons of butter into small pieces and scatter around chicken. Pour lemon juice over everything. Once butter is melted, serve with pan sauce drizzled over the chicken and lemon wedges on the side.
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.