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This Roasted Garlic Butter Chicken with Lemon Olive Dressing is a flavorful update to the classic roasted chicken. Herb and garlic-seasoned chicken, roasted with lemons, and served with a tangy and slightly salty olive dressing. This quick-cooking, easy sheet pan dinner comes together in just about an hour. It’s a touch buttery, colorful, healthy, and beyond delicious. Incorporate this into your weekly dinner rotation or serve it up at your next dinner party. Yes, it’s easy enough for a weeknight, but fancy enough to serve to guests.

overhead photo of Roasted Garlic Butter Chicken with Lemon Olive Dressing on sheet pan with spoon on pan

Sharing yet another sheet pan dinner today that I’m so very excited about. I hesitated to share this recipe, solely for the fact that I don’t love the photos, but one of my goals for the year is to try and let go of having everything perfect…though in my eyes nothing is ever perfect…ever. The truth is, I can often overthink and over complicate things. And you know what I’m realizing? I just don’t have time for that and I have to stop. So much easier said than done, but I really am going to try.

This is one step in the right direction. Because even though I don’t love the photos of this chicken, I sure do love the recipe. I mean there’s absolutely nothing not to love about buttery roasted chicken with garlic and lemon. There’s even goat cheese, it’s insanely good.

overhead photo of Roasted Garlic Butter Chicken on sheet pan before roasting

I’ve had the idea for this chicken for a while now, but it took me a few weeks to fully develop the concept. I knew I really wanted to make roasted chicken, And I knew I wanted there to be garlic and roasted lemon. But I also knew I wanted it to feel fresh and new. There are A LOT of roasted chicken recipes out there. And many are very very similar. I didn’t want this to be just like all the others, so the recipe took a while to get right.

But I finally got it right, and I’m finally sharing my go-to chicken dinner. It’s all made simple on one sheet pan. My hope is that this will become a new staple dinner for you all.

overhead photo of Roasted Garlic Butter Chicken on sheet pan after roasting

Here are the details.

I want you guys to read this closely because while this is a simple recipe, it was a confusing one for me to write out.

Start with the chicken. First, I like to use a mix of chicken thighs and skinless chicken breasts. Most of the people I feed regularly prefer chicken breasts, but I like to toss in a couple boneless, skin-on, chicken thighs for added flavor. Use what you like best…all thighs, all breasts, or a mix.

lemons on sheet pan after roasting

Find yourself a good sheet pan and toss the chicken together with some olive oil, a couple of cloves of chopped garlic, parsley, and oregano.

Now, on that same sheet pan add the lemons (one should be cut in half and the other should be sliced) and a handful of whole garlic cloves. Place pats of butter on each piece of chicken. Roast in the oven until the chicken is fully cooked through and the lemons are charring. It’s important to keep an eye on the lemons and garlic towards the end of cooking to ensure neither is burning. If your lemons or your garlic cloves are on the smaller side, they may cook up faster than the chicken, so just keep an eye on things towards the end.

That’s part one….

Lemon Olive Dressing in bowl with goat cheese

The dressing.

this dressing is extra special. Its main two ingredients are the roasted lemon slices and roast garlic. You use not only the lemon juice, but the lemon rind as well. Yes, I’m about to tell you to chop up the WHOLE lemon, rind and all, and add it to your dressing. I know this seems odd, but roasting the lemon removes any bitterness and makes them extra sweet and tangy. Once the lemon is finely chopped and stirred together with olive oil, parsley, oregano, and basil it’s the perfect marriage of flavors. They make for a vibrant, but also incredibly rich dressing.

Next, add the garlic, which adds a subtle, sweet flavor. Then toss in salty olives, for a little bit of a bite.

Finally, a splash of fish sauce…only if you enjoy it. Many recipes will use anchovies in their dressing, but I find anchovies a little annoying to work with. Fish sauce works in a pinch (its only ingredients are anchovies, water, and salt).

close up overhead photo of Roasted Garlic Butter Chicken with Lemon Olive Dressing on sheet pan

Finishing it up…

Once the chicken is finished I simply leave it on the sheet pan, remove the lemons and garlic, finish up the dressing, and add chunks of creamy goat cheese to the warm chicken. The cheese will soften as it sits. It’s the perfect creamy ingredient that compliments all the flavors happening here so well.

Then spoon the dressing over the chicken and cheese, and serve. And that’s it. It’s not hard or even time consuming, but tricky to write out and explain. I hope this has all made sense!

I love serving this with a simple side of rice or creamy orzo pasta. Add a side salad plus crusty bread and dinner is complete. It’s fancy(ish), yet still simple. The chicken is perfectly buttery, herby, and garlicky, and the dressing adds freshness and tang. An all-around great meal and definitely not your average chicken dinner!

Roasted Garlic Butter Chicken with Lemon Olive Dressing | halfbakedharvest.com #chicken #sheetpan #easyrecipes

If you make this Roasted Garlic Butter Chicken with Lemon Olive Dressing, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!

Watch the How To Video:

Roasted Garlic Butter Chicken with Lemon Olive Dressing.

Author: Tieghan Gerard
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 460 kcal

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

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Watch the How-To Reel

Ingredients

Instructions

  • 1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. 
    2. On a rimmed baking sheet, combine the chicken, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 finely chopped garlic cloves, 1/4 cup chopped parsley, 2 tablespoons chopped oregano, and a large pinch each of salt and pepper. Toss well to evenly coat the chicken. Arrange the lemons and smashed garlic cloves around the chicken. Add 1 slice of butter to each piece of chicken. Transfer to the oven and roast for 35-45 minutes, cooking until the chicken is cooked through and the lemons are charred. Keep an eye on the lemon slices and garlic cloves to ensure they are not burning.
    3. To make the dressing. Combine the remaining 1/3 cup olive oil, 3/4 cup parsley, 2 tablespoons oregano, the basil, olives, vinegar, and fish sauce, if using.
    4. Remove the charred lemon slices and garlic cloves from the baking sheet. Finely chop the lemon slices…rind and all, discarding any of the seeds. Add half of the chopped lemon to the dressing. Finely chop/mash the garlic into a paste, stir the garlic into the dressing. Season with crushed red pepper and salt. Taste adding more of the lemon as desired.
    5. Serve each piece of chicken with goat cheese and the dressing spooned over top.

Notes

Chicken: you can use thighs or breast, bone in or out. Just be sure to adjust the cooking time accordingly. Bone in chicken will need 10-15 minutes additional cooking time, depending on the size of the chicken. 
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horizontal overhead photo of Roasted Garlic Butter Chicken with Lemon Olive Dressing

This post was originally published on January 23, 2020
4.01 from 1324 votes (1,223 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  1. I made 4 breasts and had it for dinner all week with steamed green beans and mashed potato. It was so delicious that I didn’t even get tired of it! Thanks for another great one 🙂

    Reply

  2. 5 stars
    I made this dish as a birthday treat for one of my dear friends. Absolutely loved it! The fresh herbs, lemon and garlic elevated the brightness of flavours. Will definitely make it again! I also think this would work well with lamb & pork – experimentation awaits. Thanks for a fab recipe.

    Reply

  3. 4 stars
    Made this for dinner tonight and really really enjoyed it!!! I paired it with a side of orzo which was perfect. Took one star off because the lemon rinds were quite bitter in the dressing :/ I didn’t mind it too much but my husband didn’t like that aspect. I think next time I’d just squeeze more lemon juice from the halves and leave out the rinds. Will make again!! 🙂

    Reply

  4. I was so excited to try the «  garlic butter chicken with lemon olive dressing butter », tonight
    I just followed the receipe step by step All was simple & easy . The result was delicious, i roasted potatoes on the side. My friends just loved it !!!
    Thank you for sharing such a fresh & tasty recipe
    Monique chebli
    Lebanon

    Reply

  6. 5 stars
    i made this tonight – really good! i boned out my skin-on thighs and it went far faster than the 45 minutes suggested (more like 30). my oven may be a bit hot too.. half my lemon slices were charred black but i salvaged enough to make the dressing which was v generous – i have 1/3 of a cup left over. the chicken was delicious with delightfully crispy skin and not over done amazingly. will make again!

    Reply

  7. Love this! I want to meal prep it for Next week 🙂 Any recommendations for veggie recipes that would go for this?

    Reply

  8. 5 stars
    Just made this tonight and LOVED it. Love the tanginess of the dressing, lemons and goat cheese. Served it on a bed of orzo which soaked up the juices. Would have been perfect with loaf of crusty bread to sop up the juices

    Reply

    1. Hi Lindsey! I use use the lemon halves to juice over the chicken after the chicken has been roasted. The slices are for the dressing. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan

      Reply

  11. 4 stars
    This was a very beautiful and delicious meal. Paired it with roasted carrots and the creamy risotto which was extra delish. Only 4 stars because the 1/2 of lemon slices I added made for A VERY sour dressing. I recommend adding the lemon pieces a slice at a time.
    Thank you for another fantastic meal.

    Reply

  12. Hi Tieghan! Love your recipes and this looks especially delicious! Would using ghee instead of butter work just as well (I have a dairy sensitivity)? Can’t wait to try this!

    Reply

    1. Hi Connie! Using ghee will be so good! Love that idea!! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan

      Reply

  13. Hey there! I’m super excited to try this out, but I’m wondering if I can get away with using dried herbs for roasting the chicken? Thanks!

    Reply

    1. Hi Mary! Yes, dried herbs on the chicken will work great!! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan

      Reply

  14. 5 stars
    I made this recipe tonight for dinner and it is delicious!! Everything was perfect. It’s definitely added to my list of favorite chicken thigh recipes. Next time I’m going to try it with oranges to see if it’s just as good. Thank you for this fabulous recipe!

    Reply