Lebanese Lemon Chicken Recipe
This Lebanese lemon chicken recipe leans hard into two ingredients most people use with a light hand: garlic and lemon. Eight cloves of garlic and the juice of four lemons go into the marinade, and that’s exactly the point: marinated long enough, the chicken ends up glazed, deeply flavoured, and genuinely falling off the bone. It’s a proper Mediterranean dinner in one dish, traditionally served alongside a bright parsley tabbouleh.
What’s In A Proper Lebanese Lemon Garlic Chicken Marinade?
A proper Lebanese lemon garlic chicken marinade is just eight peeled garlic cloves and the juice of around four lemons, blended smooth with a stick blender so there are no large bits of garlic left, then mixed with olive oil, smoked paprika, cumin, coriander, black pepper, chilli flakes, thyme, bay leaves and salt. Don’t be put off by the amount of garlic: blended into the lemon juice like this, it turns mellow and rounded rather than sharp.
Marinating Magic for the Chicken
Drumsticks, thighs or wings all work well here. Marinating in a sealed ziplock bag rather than a dish means the marinade actually clings to the chicken and coats every surface, so you get away with using a lot less of it. A couple of small knife jabs into the meat first helps the marinade get further in, which matters if you’re short on time.
Patience Pays Off: Letting the Chicken Soak in Flavours
An hour of marinating is the bare minimum, but four hours or overnight makes a real difference: that extra time is what lets the lemon juice properly tenderise the chicken rather than just seasoning the surface.
A Glazed and Fragrant Feast: Roasting the Chicken
Roast at 190°C (375°F), and the marinade caramelises into a proper glaze as the chicken cooks. It’s worth pulling the tray out halfway through to flip the pieces and baste them in their own juices, and once the chicken’s out resting, a splash of hot water and a scrape of the tray lifts all that lemony, garlicky fond into an easy bonus sauce: and makes the tray far easier to clean at the same time.
A Quick Tabbouleh To Serve Alongside
No Lebanese lemon chicken feels complete without a proper tabbouleh on the side, and the trick to a good one is remembering it’s a parsley salad, not a grain salad. Finely chop a large bunch of flat-leaf parsley along with some fresh mint, then dice a ripe tomato and a few spring onions, keeping the pieces small so every forkful carries a bit of everything. Soak just a tablespoon or two of fine bulgur wheat in a little water until it softens: it should be a background note, not the main event. Toss everything together with plenty of fresh lemon juice, a generous glug of olive oil, and a pinch of salt, then let it sit for a few minutes so the flavours settle before serving. The bright acidity of the tabbouleh is the perfect foil for the richness of the roasted chicken and its garlicky marinade.
How long should I marinate lemon garlic chicken?
An hour is the minimum, but for the best results marinate for at least 4 hours, or ideally overnight. The extra time lets the lemon juice tenderise the chicken and fully infuse it with flavour.
Why marinate chicken in a ziplock bag?
Marinating in a ziplock bag lets the marinade coat every part of the chicken evenly, without needing a large dish, so you end up with tender, juicy, flavour-packed pieces all the way through.
What temperature do you roast Lebanese lemon chicken at?
Roast at 190°C (375°F). This gives the chicken a beautiful glaze from the marinade while cooking it through evenly.
What cuts of chicken work best for this recipe?
Drumsticks, thighs or wings all work well: any of these cuts will happily soak up the garlic and lemon marinade and hold their moisture through roasting.
What should I serve with Lebanese lemon garlic chicken?
A quick tabbouleh, parsley, mint, tomato, spring onion, a little bulgur, lemon juice and olive oil, makes the classic pairing, since its bright acidity balances the richness of the roasted chicken.
Lebanese Lemon Chicken Recipe
Equipment
- Baking / Roasting tray
- Stick blender
- Mixing bowl / Bowl
- Kettle
- Chef’s knife
- Chopping board
- Paring / Small knife
- Digital scales
- Measuring spoons
- Shot glass / Measure
- Jug
- Plate / Tray
- Serving plate / Platter
- Lid
- Citrus juicer
- Tongs
- Wooden / Stirring spoon
Ingredients
- 6 x pieces of chicken drumsticks, thighs
- 1/2 bulb of garlic or 8 cloves
- The juice of 3 lemons 1/2 cup / 125ml
- 2 tablespoons or 30ml of olive oil
- 2 x teaspoons of smoked paprika
- 1 x teaspoon of ground cumin
- 1 x teaspoon of ground coriander
- 1 x teaspoon of cracked black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon of dried chilli flakes
- 1 x teaspoon of fresh or dried thyme leaves
- 4 x bay leaves
- 1 x teaspoon of salt
Instructions
- Peel the garlic and juice the lemons
- Add them to a blender and blend until you have a smooth liquid, then add the olive oil and pulse it in.
- Pour that into a mixing bowl. Then add all the herbs and spices listed in the ingredients, give it a whisk and add the chicken to the marinade.
- Place into ziplock bags or leave in the bowl to marinate from 1 to ideally 24 hours.
- When you’re ready to cook your chicken, preheat your oven to 190C / 375F, take the chicken out of the marinade and place it onto a roasting tray. Keep the marinade to one side for a mid-cook baste.
- Roast the chicken for around 45 minutes or until well cooked and falling off the bone, the ultimate flavour boost baste it halfway with the leftover marinade.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
| Total Fat | 44.6g |
| Saturated Fat | 11.2g |
| Cholesterol | 220.5mg |
| Sodium | 768mg |
| Total Carbohydrate | 6.5g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1.2g |
| Sugars | 1.0g |
| Protein | 38.0g |
| Potassium | 571mg |
