Amish-Style Lemon Baked Chicken
The Lemon Chicken That Somehow Tastes Like Comfort is a tender, buttery lemon baked chicken made with bottled lemon juice and simple pantry seasonings. Spoon the bright lemon-butter pan juices over potatoes, noodles, rice, or bread for an easy comfort dinner.
INGREDIENTS:
4 raw boneless, skinless chicken breast halves about 2 pounds total
1/2 cup bottled lemon juice the pantry kind, not fresh squeezed unless that’s what you have
1/4 cup salted butter melted
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper or a little extra if preferred
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat your oven to 375°F and set out a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish.
Place the raw chicken breast halves in the baking dish in a single layer, keeping them refrigerated until ready to use and not rinsing them in the sink.
If one end of a chicken breast is much thicker than the other, gently pound the thick end with the smooth side of a meat mallet, rolling pin, or towel-wrapped jar until the pieces cook more evenly.
In a small bowl or measuring cup, stir together the bottled lemon juice, melted butter, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper until the seasonings are distributed.
Slowly pour the lemon-butter mixture over the chicken breasts, spooning a little over the tops if needed so every piece is moistened.
Cover the baking dish tightly with foil to help the chicken stay tender during the first part of baking.
Bake the covered chicken for 20 minutes, then carefully remove the foil slowly with your face turned away from the steam.
Return the dish to the oven uncovered and bake for another 15 to 25 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and reaches 165°F in the thickest part.
Let the chicken rest in its lemony pan juices for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
Spoon the warm lemon-butter juices over each piece of chicken and serve with mashed potatoes, buttered egg noodles, rice, green beans, corn, a crisp salad, or bread.