Soy Lemon Chicken

Roasted chicken breasts with a flavorful three-ingredient marinade

All the people that I'm closest to in life love food, but my best friend and I are truly kindred spirits when it comes to eating. Our tastes are very similar and one of our all-time favorite flavors is soy sauce. We have been known to pour it in our little dipping bowls at sushi restaurants and suck it off our chopsticks before we even start ordering. This recipe is a favorite of her whole family and something that she made several times in college when we were living together. I recently got the original recipe from her mom and have published it here, along with a couple minor tweaks. The chicken marinates in a mixture of soy sauce, lemon juice, and sesame oil, and then bakes in the oven so that the marinade forms a sauce. The skin and bones help to keep the chicken super moist as it cooks but then get discarded, which keeps the dish healthy and also makes it easier to eat. Make sure to be generous with the leftover sauce, scallions, and sesame seeds.

Note: Trader Joe's soy sauce is our absolute favorite, but you could also use tamari if you have a wheat allergy. Also, the chicken needs to marinate for at least an hour, so plan accordingly.


More Chicken Recipes:
- Chicken Piccata
- Roasted Chicken Breasts with Cilantro Chimichurri
- Sesame Peanut Chicken Satay


Soy Lemon Chicken:

• Whisk together 1/3 c. lemon juice and 1/3 c. low-sodium soy sauce.
• Arrange 3 large or 4 small bone-in skin-on chicken breasts in a baking dish and pour the soy lemon marinade on top. Turn to coat the chicken, then drizzle the top with 1 tbsp. sesame oil.
• Cover the dish with aluminum foil and refrigerate for 1-2 hours to marinate.
• Preheat the oven to 375F.
• Transfer the chicken to the oven and cook, covered, for 30 minutes.
• Uncover the chicken and bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce reduces a bit.
• Let the chicken cool slightly, then take off the skin and bones and thickly slice. Pour the sauce on top.
• Serve over brown rice and garnish with thinly sliced scallions and sesame seeds.

Serves four