Lemon Honey Basil Chicken

Perfect as a meal prep or as dinner, this Lemon Honey Basil Chicken recipe is so juicy and delicious. Quickly marinated and then oven baked, these chicken thighs are full of flavour and perfect for the whole family!

Lemon Basil Honey Chicken

This is one of my favourite marinades whenever I’m craving a summery meal. The lemon with basil just screams summer to me and some days, you just want to be remind of that!

You’re going to love this freezer friendly chicken recipe, it only takes a couple minutes to put the marinade together and if you haven’t had the time to marinade the chicken overnight, 20 minutes or so before cooking works just as well.

While I bake my chicken thighs for this recipe, this recipe can easily be made on the grill or stovetop.

What You’ll Need To Make This

olive oil
honey
basil paste
salt
lemon zest
half lemon juice
chicken thighs – boneless skinless thighs

I bake these in the oven so you’ll also need a sheet pan as well as parchment or thin foil for easy clean up. Alternatively, you can just grease your sheet pan.

What is Basil Paste?

It’s exactly what it sounds like! It’s a paste that’s been made with fresh basil. I’ve been having difficulty finding basil at the store lately as it seems to be sold out everywhere (and my poor basil plants had some bugs so it had to go!)

If you prefer to use fresh basil, the conversion is 1 tablespoon of paste to replace 1 tablespoon of fresh basil which replaces 1 teaspoon of dried herbs. It’s up to you what you’d like to use!

How To Make Lemon Basil Honey Chicken

The night before or 20 minutes before you’re ready to cook, combine the olive oil, honey, basil, salt, lemon zest, and lemon juice and marinade half the chicken thighs in it. Save the other half of the marinade.

Heat oven to 425F.
On a tinfoil lined sheet pan, lightly greased it and place the chicken thighs on it before baking for 20-25 minutes.
Half way through, baste the chicken in a little bit of the marinade that you set aside by drizzling it on top of the chicken.
Serve when ready with the leftover marinade that you had set aside.

Tips and Notes

Chicken thighs are done when they’ve reached an internal temperature of 165F/73C. I use an instant read meat thermometer to check.
I like tinfoil for this to make clean up easier. Feel free to just use your sheet pan greased or with parchment paper if you prefer.
This lemon basil honey chicken thighs cooks so well on the grill as well!

How to prep this for the freezer: place the marinade and chicken in a large freezer friendly ziploc bag, to prep this meal ahead of time. Freeze for up to 3 months. When ready, thaw overnight in the fridge before baking.

What To Serve with Chicken Thighs