Lemon Herb Chicken Recipe with Black Pepper essential oil

This easy Lemon Herb Chicken recipe is great for weeknight dinner or even to meal prep for the week ahead.

This recipe features Young Living lemon essential oil and black pepper essential oil, or, you can use edible Melissa lemon balm essential oil instead of the the lemon essential oil.

NOTE You’ll need 4 small boneless/skinless chicken breasts or 2 large breasts cut in half lengthwise to serve 4 people. You can double the amount of chicken breast and marinade if you prefer larger portions or want to have some leftover to eat later. I often serve chicken with a mixed green salad, steamed or sauteed veggies and/or a potato mash. Try adding a little 3 drops lemon essential oil (or 1 – 2 drops, to taste of Melissa essential oil) in the salad dressing or olive oil/or butter over the steamed veggies.

TIP For a vegetarian or vegan option try using slices of thickly cut haloumi or tofu in place of the chicken. Grilled zucchini or eggplant are great veggie options too.

You can either bake, pan sear or BBQ the chicken. Prep Time: 15 minutes Servings: 4 Cook Time: 25 minutes Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

Chicken Ingredients:

2 – 4 chicken breasts (to cook)
2 tbsp olive oil or coconut oil (for cooking chicken)

Marinade Ingredients:

¼ cup olive oil
2 tbsp honey or maple syrup (optional, to taste)
½ tsp sea salt and pepper (to taste)
3 to 5 drops Young Living lemon essential oil (to taste)
1 drop Young Living black pepper essential oil (to taste)
Optional for Serving:
A few lemon wedges
mixed salad greens
steamed broccoli or other veggies
Potato or sweet potato mash

Instructions

1. In a medium-large bowl or baking dish mix all the marinade ingredients together and add the chicken. Turn the chicken in the marinade a few times to coat well, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour to overnight. If you are pressed for time, you can just turn the chicken over a few times in the marinade, cook it and then baste (brush on marinade) a few times with the marinade while cooking with the remaining marinade.

2. When ready to cook the chicken heat the oven to 180C. Remove chicken from the marinade (discard the marinade or use to baste while cooking) and place the breasts on a plate and pat dry with paper towels. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil or melted coconut oil on a baking tray and place the breasts on the tray.

3. Bake for 25 – 35 minutes or until cooked through. To test either use a meat thermometer or pierce the chicken with a skewer to see if the juices run clear. Always make sure your chicken is thoroughly cooked through!

4. If you prefer to cook the chicken on the stove, heat a sauté pan over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and then place the breasts in the pan. Cook for approx. 5 minutes on one side then carefully turn over and continue cooking for approx. 5 more minutes then reduce heat to medium-low and cover the pan with a lid for 10 – 15 minutes. This helps to finish cooking the chicken. (Cooking time will depend on how large the chicken breasts are). When the chicken is cooked you can serve it right away or chill and serve chilled. If you are serving the chicken right after cooking let it rest at least 5 minutes before slicing to retain the juice.

5. Serve the chicken with a few pieces of lemon, some salad greens or with steamed or sautéed broccoli or other veggies.