Lemon and Pepper Crusted Chicken
Crunchy breadcrumbs and juicy chicken are the perfect match! Our slimming-friendly Lemon and Pepper Crusted Chicken is a recipe you’ll make time and time again.
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NutritionPer Serving
- Calories232
- Carbs9.8g
- Protein43g
- Fat2.3g
- Saturates0.6g
- Sugars-7g
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For the full list of ingredients and comprehensive instructions, please see the recipe card below. Before you scroll, there’s important stuff in the blurb!
Shop-bought breaded chicken isn’t always the healthiest option, so we’ve made our own lighter version, with a lemony, peppery twist! This recipe for Lemon and Pepper Crusted Chicken uses panko breadcrumbs to give the chicken a lovely crunchy coating, without any need for deep frying.
To keep the chicken really juicy, we’ve marinated it in a lemon and black pepper infused yoghurt mixture. The yoghurty marinade doesn’t just add flavour, it also helps to tenderise the meat. This means that when you cut into it, you’ll have those crunchy panko breadcrumbs and the most succulent chicken inside.
Make sure that you don’t marinate the chicken for longer than 2 hours – the lemon in the marinade is acidic and it can start to change the texture of your chicken if it’s left for too long.
This crispy chicken is so versatile. We love it served with a simple salad or some steamed vegetables, but you can add mashed potatoes, chips or even put it in a sandwich. The options are endless!
What diets is this Lemon and Pepper Crusted Chicken suitable for?
This Lemon and Pepper Crusted Chicken can be enjoyed on gluten free diets, as long as you substitute the panko breadcrumbs for a suitable gluten-free alternative.
If you’re cooking for people with allergies, be extra careful when checking ingredients and preparing food!
Do you need any special ingredients to make Lemon and Pepper Crusted Chicken?
You won’t need anything out of the ordinary to make this recipe! Everything you need should be nice and easy to find at your usual supermarket.
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‘Beautifully fresh and lemony - easy to make and even better to eat....’
How many calories are in this Lemon and Pepper Crusted Chicken?
There are 232 calories per portion in this Lemon and Pepper Crusted Chicken, which means it falls into our Everyday Light category.
This Lemon and Pepper Crusted Chicken is perfect if you’re following a calorie controlled diet, and fits well with any one of the major diet plans such as Weight Watchers.
As a guide, an average man needs around 2,500kcal (10,500kJ) a day to maintain a healthy body weight. For an average woman, that figure is around 2,000kcal (8,400kJ) a day. Obviously, if your goal is to lose weight then you might want to adjust these slightly! You can read more about these recommendations on the NHS website.
Step 1
Mix the marinade ingredients together in a non-metallic bowl, add the chicken breasts and coat them well. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 hours. Take care not to marinate for any longer than this as the acidic lemon juice can break down the chicken and change the texture.
Step 2
Preheat the oven to 180°C and spray a baking sheet with low-calorie cooking spray.
Step 3
Mix together the breadcrumbs, black pepper, lemon zest, chives and salt, and scatter on a plate.
Step 4
Remove the chicken from the marinade and scrape off the yoghurt. The yoghurt marinade tenderises and flavours the chicken, but if you leave too much on it will release water while cooking and make your breadcrumbs soggy.
Step 5
Coat the chicken breasts in the breadcrumb mix and place on the baking sheet. Spray with low-calorie cooking spray and place in the oven for 20-25 minutes. The chicken is cooked when there is no pink remaining. If you have a meat thermometer, check the thickest part of the chicken has reached a temperature of 75°C.
Step 6
Serve!
What could I serve with this Lemon and Pepper Crusted Chicken?
Almost anything! Serve it on top of a fresh green salad, add a scoop of potato salad or keep it simple with some crunchy vegetables. We think any of these side dishes would be perfect:
How do you know when Lemon and Pepper Crusted Chicken is cooked?
You’ll need to cook this Lemon and Pepper Crusted Chicken for 20-25 minutes or until the chicken is cooked all the way through. The juices should run clear and there should be no pinkness left in the middle.
Here in the UK, the standard advice is to cook food until it has reached 70°C and maintained that temperature for 2 minutes. This is to keep you and your family safe!
How long can you keep Lemon and Pepper Crusted Chicken in the fridge?
Once you’ve served this dish, ideally you should eat it within 4 hours.
This recipe is always best when it’s freshly made and served right away as the chicken can dry out when reheated. If you do want to save your leftovers, let them cool completely and then store them in an airtight container in the fridge. You can keep leftovers of Lemon and Pepper Crusted Chicken in the fridge for approximately 3 days.
Can I freeze Lemon and Pepper Crusted Chicken?
This recipe can be frozen, but we think it tastes best when it is freshly made, cooked and served right away. If you want to freeze the chicken after cooking please remember to do the following;
- Freeze it as soon as it is cold enough.
- Use a container or bag that is suitable for freezing.
Don’t forget to add a label with what it is, and on what date you put it in the freezer!
How do I reheat Lemon and Pepper Crusted Chicken?
From chilled: Reheat in a moderate oven for around 15 minutes until piping hot throughout.
From frozen: Allow to defrost overnight in the fridge and then reheat from chilled as above.
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Lemon and Pepper Crusted Chicken
Crunchy breadcrumbs and juicy chicken are the perfect match! Our slimming-friendly Lemon and Pepper Crusted Chicken is a recipe you’ll make time and time again.
-
Prep Time
10 MINS
-
Cook Time
25 MINS
- KCals 232
- Carbs 9.8G
Instructions
- Mix the marinade ingredients together in a non-metallic bowl, add the chicken breasts and coat them well. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 hours. Take care not to marinate for any longer than this as the acidic lemon juice can break down the chicken and change the texture.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C and spray a baking sheet with low-calorie cooking spray.
- Mix together the breadcrumbs, black pepper, lemon zest, chives and salt, and scatter on a plate.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade and scrape off the yoghurt. The yoghurt marinade tenderises and flavours the chicken, but if you leave too much on it will release water while cooking and make your breadcrumbs soggy.
- Coat the chicken breasts in the breadcrumb mix and place on the baking sheet. Spray with low-calorie cooking spray and place in the oven for 20-25 minutes. The chicken is cooked when there is no pink remaining. If you have a meat thermometer, check the thickest part of the chicken has reached a temperature of 75°C.
- Serve!
Looking for Slimming World Syns or Weight Watchers (WW) Points?
With ever-changing plans and point calculations, we have made the decision to remove WW Points from the website - referring to your individual plan or advice from your consultant is always going to give the most accurate results.
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We agreed with Slimming World to remove their trademarked terms from our website
If you’ve made Lemon and Pepper Crusted Chicken and love it, let us know by tagging us in your photos!
10 comments
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TomTuesday 19th September 2023
What book is this in?
SharonFriday 13th October 2023
Hi Tom, our Lemon and Pepper Crusted Chicken doesn’t feature in any of our books at present, and is exclusive to our website.
LyndaFriday 2nd September 2022
Would this work with vegetarian chicken style fillets (thinking the Quorn ones)? Thanks
HollyMonday 5th September 2022
Hey Lynda, yes you can swap the chicken for your choice of meat free option. Hope that helps!
DeborahThursday 25th August 2022
Hi
What can I use to make this recipe dairy free? Thank you!
SharonFriday 26th August 2022
Hi Deborah, to make this recipe dairy-free you could try using a dairy-free Greek yoghurt alternative such as those made by Alpro, Oatly and other own brands. The chicken may not be quite as succulent if using dairy-free yoghurt as it won’t contain lactic acidic that tenderises the chicken. We haven’t tried this but would be interested to hear how you get on!
Chris RalphsThursday 16th June 2022
What are panko breadcrumbs?
HollyThursday 16th June 2022
Hey Chris, panko breadcrumbs are a Japanese-style of breadcrumbs which are lightly baked to make them really crispy. They are usually found with the Asian foods in the supermarket. Hope that helps!
AnnGMonday 13th June 2022
The Lemon peppered crusted chicken looks and sounds amazing. I can’t wait to try it!
HollyTuesday 14th June 2022
Hey Ann, thanks so much for your message we hope you enjoy this recipe!
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