Easy Healthy Baked Lemon Chicken

This spatchcocked, quick and easy Healthy Baked Lemon Chicken recipe is super juicy and low calorie, too. Bakes up in one hour or less.

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Quick and Easy Healthy Baked Lemon Chicken Recipe

Dinner doesn’t get any easier than this Healthy Baked Lemon Chicken recipe. It’s simple to prepare and best of all, it’s low calorie. You only need two ingredients: chicken and lemon.

The lemon does all the hard work and makes the chicken succulent, no matter if you love eating white or dark meat.

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The secret is to spatchcock the chicken. This means that you cut out the backbone and “flatten” the chicken. Doing so allows the meat to cook evenly.

Then, the only thing difficult is to decide which side dish to serve with your chicken.

To Begin:

Start out with a large roasting chicken, approximately 4 lbs.

Preheat oven to 375 °F (190 °C) and use sharp kitchen shears or knife to cut the backbone on either side. Remove and discard.

Next, slice the lemon in thin, even slices.

Grab the skin gently, try to work your hand all the way around the breast meat and thigh area. (You may have to cut the connective tissue by the breast meat with the shears, then the area will open up nicely.)

Slide the lemon slices up under the skin, starting in the thigh area on each side of chicken and then up into the breast area.

Depending upon the size of the bird, you will probably use one lemon slice for each thigh and four slices (two in the back, two in the front) for the breast area.

Any extra lemon slices, place these on top of the chicken skin. Place in preheated oven, uncovered. Bake for approximately one hour or until meat thermometer registers 165 °F (73.9 °C) in breast or thigh. Be sure not to overcook.

Once the baked Lemon Chicken has been taken out of the oven, let rest for at least 10 minutes. This will allow the juices to go back into the meat. Then, it’s time to slice and serve.

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Easy Baked Healthy Lemon Chicken

This spatchcocked, quick and easy Healthy Baked Lemon Chicken recipe is super juicy and low calorie, too. Bakes up in one hour or less.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings 8 servings

Calories 237 kcal

Author Deborah L Melian

Ingredients

• 4 lbs whole chicken approximately
• 1 lemon sliced thinly

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C)

2. Using sharp kitchen shears, cut the backbone on either side. Remove and discard.

3. Using a clean, sharp knife on another cutting board, slice the lemon in thin, even slices.

4. To dress the chicken, grab the skin gently and work your hand all the way around the breast meat and thigh area. (You may have to cut the connective tissue by the breast meat with the shears, then the area will open up nicely.) Wash your hands after handling the chicken.

5. Take the lemon slices, one by one, and slide them up under the skin starting in the thigh area on each side of chicken and then up into the breast area. Depending upon the size of the bird, you will probably use one lemon slice for each thigh and four slices (two in the back, two in the front) for the breast area.

6. Any extra lemon slices, place these on top of the chicken skin. Place in the oven, uncovered. Bake for approximately one hour or until meat thermometer registers 165°F (73.9°C) in breast or thigh. Be sure not to overcook.

7. Once chicken has been taken out of the oven, let rest for at least 10 minutes. This will allow the juices to go back into the meat. Slice and serve. Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts

Easy Baked Healthy Lemon Chicken

Amount Per Serving (1 serving)

Calories 237 Calories from Fat 144

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 16g 25%

Saturated Fat 4g 20%

Cholesterol 81mg 27%

Sodium 76mg 3%

Potassium 224mg 6%

Total Carbohydrates 1g 0%

Dietary Fiber 0g 0%

Sugars 0g

Protein 20g 40%

Vitamin A 3%

Vitamin C 10.8%

Calcium 1.5%

Iron 5.9%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.