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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.
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.
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.
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.
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….
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).
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!
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.
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.
Ingredients
- 6 boneless chicken thighs and or breasts, skin on or off (choose similar sizes for even cooking)
- 1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic, 2 finely chopped + 4 whole cloves
- 1 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh oregano, chopped
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 lemons, 1 halved and 1 sliced
- 4 tablespoons salted butter, sliced into 6 pieces
- 1 cup fresh basil, chopped
- 1/2 cup green olives, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce (optional)
- 1/2-1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 4 ounces goat cheese broken into chunks
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.
Just made this and it’s sooooo good! Love the tang from the goat cheese, and the saltiness from the olives in the herb sauce!
Hi Veronica,
That’s fantastic to hear! Thanks for trying this dish and your comment, love that it was enjoyed! xT
This was a hit with everyone in my family! I didn’t use the goat cheese or fish sauce and it was plenty flavorful without. Definitely going into my make again recipe folder 😋
Love to hear this Angela!! Thank you so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback! Have a great weekend! xT
The dressing is amazing!
Thanks so much Sachi!! So glad you enjoyed this dressing! xx
This was delicious and easy! I did use the goat cheese and subbed kalamata olives for green and it was still great.
That should read, “didn’t use the goat cheese”
Hey Suzanne,
Happy Friday!!☘️ Thanks a bunch for testing this recipe out and sharing your review, I’m so glad to hear it was delish! xx
I made this the other night for dinner and it was delish! I didn’t have any olives for the sauce, but it was still amazing. Served this with your Crispy Smashed Potatoes with Bacon. The next morning, I cooked some of those leftover smashed potatoes with scrambled eggs, and drizzled some of the leftover lemon/basil on top. Perfect!
Hey Brenda,
Amazing!! Love to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, thank you so much for making it and your comment! xx
I really liked it, what was I supposed to do with the lemon halves though? I wanna get it just right next time!
Hey Chelsea,
Happy Friday!! I appreciate you making this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear it was delish! The lemon halves are there to really infuse the flavors while the chicken is roasting. xx
This was a hit! Used skinless thighs and finished the lemon slices off in the broiler before chopping. The juicy pulpy roasted half lemon was the perfect amount of juice in the dressing too.
Hey Mona,
Perfect!! I am delighted to hear that this recipe turned out well for you and thanks so much for trying it out! xx
One of the best HBH recipes I’ve ever made! I ended up finding the fresh oregano and i’m so glad because this was truly so delicious!!
Hey Jacklyn,
Awesome!! So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and thanks so much for making it! Have a great weekend:)
I can’t find fresh oregano anywhere around me- can you substitute dried? Or will it not have the same effect?
Hey Jacklyn,
Sure, dried oregano would be just fine for you to use! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Could we skip the chit chat and just get the recipes?
Hey Phil,
Totally! Just click the “skip to recipe” button:) Happy Tuesday! xx
The photos look delicious! What is your recommendation for a goat cheese substitution?
Hey Laurie,
Feta cheese would also be delicious! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
Think I could skip the olives? Making for a dinner party and I think olives may be a turnoff for some.
Hi Stephanie,
Sure, that would be okay for you to do! Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope this turns out well for you! xx
Hi – thanks for recipe. Question I had :
why is there cilantro in the dressing in the video yet there is no mention of cilantro in recipe and instructions ?
Thanks
Hey there,
You can use any fresh herbs that you have on hand, cilantro is one of those herbs that I had:) Let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
As my husband said “thank you and Half Baked Harvest for a wonderful dinner! Let’s keep this in the rotation!” We loved it. I didn’t know what to do with lemon halves so abided the juice to the dressing, delicious! Thank you 🥰
Hey Margaret,
Happy Wednesday!!👻 I truly appreciate you giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it was enjoyed:)
Hi Tieghan, what cheese would you recommend to substitute the goat cheese? Thanks!!
Hi Diana,
Really any cheese you like would work, feta would be a great option! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xT