Mr. Wonderful Chicken–lemon-garlic marinated chicken that is tender, juicy and full of flavor with hardly any effort! Make in the oven or slow cooker.
Mr. Wonderful Chicken
If you can remember to marinate the night before, this is one of those dinners that basically cooks itself! You just toss everything in a bag, let it sit and then dump it onto a pan or into the Crockpot. The ingredients are things I almost always have on hand. The chicken turns out tender, juicy, and perfectly seasoned every single time. This is a perfect “I’m too busy to cook” recipe. Greg and I loved it. Put it on your menu for this coming week! (Recipe adapted from Kevin ‘Mr. Wonderful’ O’Leary makes his perfect chicken recipe on Good Morning America).
Ingredients/Substitution Ideas
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs–you can also use bone-in chicken, chicken breasts
- Olive oil–or vegetable, canola
- Italian seasoning
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- Garlic powder–or minced garlic
- Onion
- Lemon zest and juice
Steps
Add all ingredients into a gallon ziploc bag and zip. Squish around so chicken is coated in oil and seasonings. Place in refrigerator for 8-24 hours.
Heat oven to 400° F. Dump the contents of the bag onto a baking sheet with edges. Bake for 22 minutes, or until internal temperature of chicken is 165°. (Thicker pieces might take longer and thin pieces will cook in a shorter time).
Serve and enjoy!
Notes/Tips
- Serve with mashed potatoes, rice pilaf or salad and garlic bread.
- This recipe is gluten free and dairy free and low carb.
- The longer the chicken marinates, the more flavorful it gets! Aim for at least 8 hours, but up to 24 is even better.
- You could toss in zucchini, bell peppers, or asparagus on the same sheet pan for an easy one-pan meal.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container* in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- For a freezer meal buy fresh chicken at the store, throw in a ziploc with the other ingredients, freeze flat. Then when you’re ready to eat take the bag out of the freezer and place in the refrigerator for 24 hours to thaw. Bake and enjoy!
- Other recipes you can make with lemon zest are Instant Pot Chicken Julienne and Instant Pot Chicken Lemon Orzo Soup.
Did you know you can filter the recipes on my website to search by meat type, IP or Crockpot, low carb, gluten free, etc.? Use the filter to find exactly what you are looking for.
Mr. Wonderful Chicken
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 3–4 servings 1x
Description
Lemon-garlic marinated chicken that is tender, juicy and full of flavor with hardly any effort! Make in the oven or slow cooker.
Ingredients
- 16 oz boneless skinless chicken thighs (see note)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp garlic powder (or 2 Tbsp minced garlic)
- 1 small onion, cut into chunks
- Zest from one lemon
- Juice from one lemon
Instructions
Oven Instructions:
- Add all ingredients into a gallon ziploc bag and zip. Squish around so chicken is coated in oil and seasonings. Place in refrigerator for 8-24 hours.
- Heat oven to 400° F. Dump the contents of the bag onto a baking sheet with edges. Bake for 22 minutes, or until internal temperature of chicken is 165°. (Thicker pieces might take longer and thin pieces will cook in a shorter time).
- Serve and enjoy!
Slow Cooker Instructions:
- Add all ingredients into a gallon ziploc bag and zip. Squish around so chicken is coated in oil and seasonings. Place in refrigerator for 8-24 hours.
- Pour a half cup of chicken broth into slow cooker. Dump the contents of the bag into slow cooker. Cook on low for 4 hours.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
You can use other types of chicken like breasts, bone-in chicken, etc. Adjust cooking time as needed. Scroll down to see cooking times chart.
- Category: Chicken
- Method: Oven or slow cooker
Chicken Cooking Times at 400°F
| Chicken Cut | Weight per Piece | Oven Temp | Bake Time | Internal Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boneless Skinless Breasts | 6–8 oz | 400°F | 18–22 min | 165°F |
| Bone-in Breasts | 10–12 oz | 400°F | 35–40 min | 165°F |
| Boneless Skinless Thighs | 4–6 oz | 400°F | 18–22 min | 165°F |
| Bone-in Thighs | 6–8 oz | 400°F | 35–45 min | 170–175°F |
| Drumsticks | ~4 oz | 400°F | 35–40 min | 170–175°F |
| Whole Wings | 2–3 oz | 400°F | 40–45 min | 165°F |
| Wingettes | ~1 oz | 400°F | 25–30 min | 165°F |
| Leg Quarters | 8–10 oz | 400°F | 40–50 min | 170–175°F |
| Whole Chicken | 3–4 lbs | 400°F | 60–75 min | 165°F breast / 175°F thigh |
More chicken recipes to try…
Slow Cooker Garlic Lime Chicken
This Garlic Lime Chicken recipe is one of our family favorites. It’s super simple to get going and it’s loaded with flavor. Most of the time we serve the chicken and sauce over rice but if you want you can serve with some Asian noodles or just some steamed broccoli. Recipe originally published in July
Instant Pot Huli Huli Chicken
An easy recipe for dump and go sweet and savory chicken thighs.
Slow Cooker Dijon Chicken
Tender bites of bone-in chicken thighs and mushrooms are covered in a dijon, lemon and tarragon sauce.
Slow Cooker Chicken Adobo
An easy 6-ingredient recipe for the tastiest chicken ever! A Filipino recipe of tender chicken thighs braised in vinegar and soy sauce with lots of garlic.
*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
THANKS! On my way to marinate me some yard-bird! Yummmm!
Karen, would I need to pull the skin off if I use bone-in thighs?
No you can keep it on, it will crisp up. If you don’t like skin you can remove it if you want!