If there’s one A-list celeb we can trust to know good food, that would be Jennifer Garner. She has been whipping up Ina Garten’s recipes pretty much since day 1 of her Pretend Cooking Show. That’s especially true of her tomato soup and Cacio e Pepe scrambled eggs, but one recipe keeps popping back up in her kitchen.

It’s none other than Ina’s six-ingredient lemon chicken from her early cookbook Barefoot Contessa Parties! Garner calls the recipe one of her all-time favorites, and once you see how simple it is, you’ll understand why. You don’t need fancy techniques, and the chicken comes out juicy, packed with bright lemon flavor.

Jennifer Garner says the recipe is a cinch to make, and it helps that it comes together in around an hour. Let’s give it a try and find out together.

What You’ll Need to Make Garner’s Favorite Lemon Chicken

You don’t need a pantry chock-full of exotic herbs, spices, and whatnot for this one. It calls for these ingredients that are probably staring at you in your kitchen right now:

• 4 boneless chicken breasts (skin-on works best)
• 1/4 cup good olive oil
• 3 tbsp minced garlic (that’s about nine cloves, but more garlic is better here)
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 1 large lemon (zested and juiced)
• 2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Believe it or not, that’s it. You don’t need to marinate anything or get hard-to-find ingredients. The same goes for prep work, and Garner likes how it maxes on flavor without lots of fuss.

How to Make Ina Garten’s Lemon Chicken with Only 6 Ingredients

If you have watched Garner’s Pretend Cooking Show, you know our sweetheart likes forgiving recipes, and this 6-ingredient lemon chicken ticks all her right boxes. It’s hella healthy, hits the taste buds like heaven, and comes together in a little under 45 minutes.

Here’s how Jennifer makes it:

1. Get your oven preheated to 400°F.
2. Now, for the sauce – heat the olive oil and minced garlic in a small saucepan over medium-low heat for just one minute. Once the garlic smell hits your nose but it is not brown, take the pan off the heat and add white wine, lemon zest, lemon juice, thyme, and a good pinch of salt.
3. Pour the sauce mix into a large baking dish.
4. Prep the chicken – for that golden color Garner raves about. Start by patting your chicken breasts dry (paper towels will do). Place the breasts skin-side up in the baking dish with the sauce. Brush the tops with a little more olive oil, then season well with salt and pepper.
5. Add lemon wedges – cut your juiced lemon into wedges and tuck them around the chicken.
6. Roast your chicken until golden – pop the pan in the oven for 40 minutes tops. You’ll know it’s done when the skin is golden brown and the internal temp hits 165°F. If you want extra color, broil for the last 2 minutes.
7. Let it rest – cover the pan tightly with foil and let the chicken rest for 10 minutes.

Done. The chicken breasts should come out moist while the lemon and garlic drippings marry into a delish sauce.

Serving suggestions

Everything goes with this simple lemon chicken, but nothing beats roasted potatoes. They’ll soak up all that lemony goodness from the pan. The same goes for rice pilaf or a simple pasta tossed with the pan juices.

For veggies, think green beans, asparagus, or a crispy salad. You won’t go wrong with a warm sourdough dipping in the sauce. Garner wants you to keep the sides light, fresh, and simple.

Ina’s Tips for Making the Perfect Lemon Chicken

Ina Garten knows a thing or two about enhancing any recipe, and the same is true here:

Choose a wine you’ll enjoy drinking – since you’ll only use a third cup, you’ll have plenty left over. Ina suggests Pinot Grigio, unoaked Chardonnay, or Sauvignon Blanc.

Go heavy on the garlic – nine cloves might sound like a lot, but cooking tames the bite. The garlic becomes sweet and mellow, so go wild (even 12 cloves won’t hurt).

Try cherry tomatoes or olives – a few can make this a complete one-pan meal. Just toss them in during the last 20 minutes of cooking.

You can swap breasts for thighs – cook them 4-6 minutes longer.

Don’t guess when your chicken is done – a meat thermometer will see when your chicken hits 165°F in the thickest part of the breast.

How to store leftover lemon chicken

If you somehow have leftovers (though Garner says this rarely happens in her house), they keep well in the fridge for up to three days. Toss the leftovers (sauce and all) into an airtight container or a ziplock bag. The chicken reheats beautifully in a low oven or even the microwave.

Wrapping Up: Why Jennifer Garner Is Spot-On with This Recipe

If you have watched any of Ina’s cooking shows, you may have seen her say ‘how easy is that?’ (it comes from the title of her must-read book.) We must say Garner hit the jackpot with this one. It’s truly a cinch to whip up, and the ingredients do the most talking.

Sometimes, the best of things follow the Rule of Few. Jennifer Garner, for example, has done a bang-up job as an actress because she drills her roles down to just drama and comedy. The best restaurants don’t try to build a 1,000-strong menu, while the best online casinos and video gaming platforms are specialists in a few genres. They don’t push out a lot of shoddy stuff, and the same goes for this lemon chicken recipe.

You want to get the six main ingredients right from the get-go, and this recipe does exactly that. No wonder Garner keeps coming back to it time and time again.