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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. Hey Elizabeth,
      Thanks so much for trying out this recipe, I am thrilled that you liked it! I hope you have a great week:) xTieghan

      Reply

  2. 5 stars
    Made this for dinner last night! So refreshing, satiating and flavorful! Quick to throw together, served it over brown rice and fresh greens. Love the fresh flavor of the herbs combined with the tanginess of the goat cheese and the dressing. I’m gonna make more dressing next time to poor over my salad. Will definitely make this again!

    Reply

  3. Made this recipe last week… oh my!! The flavor profile was out of this world! Did not have many of the fresh herbs but used what I had. I used organic celery leaves from my celery instead of parsley etc… I had meyer lemons which added a different twist! Anyway, this sheet pan recipe is a winner (and inspiration for being creative).
    I literally could have licked the plate it was that good! ?
    Thanks for your continued beautiful and delicious (and Nine Favorite Things) recipes/posts!!!

    Reply

  4. 5 stars
    Just made this and my family loved it – especially the dressing! Definitely don’t skip the fish sauce! Used chèvre and the flavors were great together. I also seared the chicken in the cast iron skillet first to give it a little more flavor, and made the cooking time in the oven faster. Thanks Teigen so much for another fabulous recipe!

    Reply

    1. Hey Christine,
      I am so glad that the recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Have a great week:) xTieghan

      Reply

  6. 5 stars
    Oh man, this recipe was a WINNER! Even our 2 and 1 year olds loved it. We made the sauce without the olives and it was still great salt/flavor wise without any changes! Yum! Thanks for the amazing recipe!

    Reply

    1. Hey Kristen,
      I am so glad that the recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Have a great week:) xTieghan

      Reply

  7. Would a little anchovy paste work in place of the fish sauce or just leave out the fish sauce if you don’t have it?

    Reply

    1. Hey Priti,
      I think the anchovy paste could work well, you could also do soy sauce. I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan

      Reply

  8. This looks amazing! Question- do you chop up that half a lemon as well as the slices? Or what do you do with it? TIA

    Reply

  9. Mouth is watering!!! My husband HATES lemon, while I LOVE it! I can never seem to get enough, while I swear he can pick up the tiniest teaspoon. Ugh. But I’m gonna make this anyway. Can’t wait!

    Reply

    1. Hey Haley,
      I am thrilled that you liked the recipe, thanks so much for giving it a go! Have an awesome week:) xTieghan

      Reply

  10. 5 stars
    Hi-
    This recipe is delicious (as are all your recipes I’ve made). I’m following a new diet program counting macros. Would you ever consider listing the protein, carb & fat content in the serving size as you do with the calorie count?
    Thank you.

    Reply

    1. Hey Lauren,
      I am so glad you liked the recipe, thanks for giving it a go! Sorry, this is not something we have available at this time, just the calorie count. Happy Sunday! xTieghan

      Reply

    1. Hey Joanne! I just added some fresh cilantro when I made the recipe for the video. You can add 1/4 cup fresh cilantro if you’d like. That is great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan

      Reply

    1. Hey Shazia,
      As stated, the fish sauce is optional, so you can skip that, and then you can use white wine vinegar in place of the apple cider. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan

      Reply

  13. My husband is on a Keto Diet as directed by his Dr. and we also do not like olives. I left out the olives and we absolutely loved it and it was well within the restrictions of his keto diet. I served it with a keto appropriate coleslaw which complemented it very well. We will make this again soon!!

    Reply

  14. 5 stars
    Wow!!!! This was delicious…with all the fresh herbs and lemon it was so flavorful and the chicken was cooked perfectly at 45 min. My boyfriend is a little a picky so I went without the fish sauce, olives and goat cheese but honestly didn’t miss it at all! I served the chicken over wild mushroom rice pilaf, sautéed spinach and sprinkled feta on top…we were fighting over the leftovers! I’m OBSESSED with all of Tieghans recipes, Thanks girl!!!!

    Reply