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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.
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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.
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
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Great pics of the food as always. Your food styling is on point as always. I love making sheet-pan meals and this one looks so colorful and delicious. Can’t wait to try this!
Thank you so much Lou! I hope you love this recipe! xTieghan
Aw, a gorgeous styled photograph of still life is a lovely thing, but so is a real picture of what will happen in our own kitchens too. Def room for both ?
I ? the look and recipe for this chicken, it sounds so perfect. We are olive nuts in my house.
Could you do a side dish recipe for orzo (or rice) please? A goes-with-everything kind of side. Maybe even different ones for summer and Winter. Xx
Hi Kelly! Thank you! I am so glad you like this recipe! I will look into some side dishes like that! xTieghan
Love all the lemon, and of course chicken. Will make a greatSunday picture. Love the photo, too.
Thank you so much Joyce! xTieghan
This looks crazy GOOD and these photos are making me so very hungry. How could you ever go wrong with roasted garlic, basil and goat cheese? Wonderful. Thanks so much for posting.
Thank you!! I am so glad you are loving this recipe! xTieghan
This looks fantastic, I can’t wait to make it!
Do you recommend skin on or skinless chicken? And I think your photos are gorgeous.
Hi Kelly! My family prefer skinless chicken, but I always roast a few thighs with the skin on for added flavor. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
This sounds amazing. I don’t love goat cheese, can you recommend a substitute cheese?
Hi Erika! You can use feta cheese or burrata cheese. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
It looks in the photos that you added the raw chicken breasts when the thighs are partially cooked. Is this true?
Hi Jen! Nope, the photo shows all raw chicken, no need to partially cook the thighs unless they are considerably larger than the chicken breast you are using. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
LOVE THIS. Love that you use the whole lemon!!!!
Thank you Kelly!! I hope you try this! xTieghan
I woke up to this recipe in my inbox and, in 5 minutes of reading, solved my dinner plan as well as future menu prep for the small winery where I work as a part time chef. I’m always looking for something new and different, but also simple as the kitchen at the winery leaves a lot to be desired equipment and space-wise. This will be absolutely perfect! It’s 8am and I’m already hungry for dinner. Thank you!
Thank you Susan!! I am so glad you saw this and I hope you try it soon! xTieghan
Really excited to try this! I am not a fan of goat cheese-what other type of soft cheese would you suggest? Mozzarella maybe?
Hi Ariel!! You can use feta cheese or burrata cheese. Either will be great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
This looks amazing!!!!! If not using olives, would you suggest substituting anything for them?
Hi Michelle!! You can easily omit the olives from the dressing. Not a huge deal! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
This sounds delicious and different…but my husband and I (and I imagine our kids) hate olives. Can we make the dressing without the olives? Or would you recommend a different roasted chicken recipe? (And by the way, your photos look great and very tasty!)
Hi Lynette!! You can easily omit the olives from the dressing. Not a huge deal! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
First – your photos are beautiful as always! Also, I’ve found Sunday night dinner! I’ve so enjoyed making and serving your recipes. Every.single.one has been amazing and met with great enthusiasm from my husband (and me!).
Awh that is so great to hear! Thank you so much for trying my recipes Talia, I am so glad you are both loving them! xTieghan
this recipe looks delicious! I don’t eat chicken or meat. Do you think it will work with Fish or a veg version?
Hi Dina! I would recommend using salmon, portabella mushroom caps, of cauliflower steaks. Adjust the cooking times as needed. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
I think the photos are just PERFECT!
Thank you Alicia! xTieghan