Lemon Butter Chicken Injection Recipe

Flavorful blend of melted butter, lemon juice, chicken broth and spices bring the juiciness of roast chicken to another level.

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injecting lemon butter broth mixture into the whole chicken

This quick and easy to make chicken injection recipe adds incredible flavor to a whole roast chicken and makes the meat moist and tender. It is as easy as whisking together melted butter, fresh lemon juice, chicken broth and spices. Inject the flavorful marinade all over the chicken, let rest for 30 minutes and roast in the oven until cooked through. Using this simple but rewarding injection technique, you can turn every roast chicken into an incredible meal that your family will love.

Table of Contents

injecting lemon butter mixture into chicken

What is Chicken Injection Marinade?

Chicken injection marinade is usually a butter based mixture that can also contain chicken broth, lemon juice, garlic powder, pepper or other seasonings. Using a meat injector (syringe), the marinade is directly injected into the meat to add flavor and keep the meat juicy and moist during cooking. It is especially helpful to keep breast meat of whole chickens and turkeys from drying out while roasting. Use as a chicken injection for rotisserie chicken or a chicken injection for oven roasted chicken or even a chicken injection for smoked chicken.

Why You’ll Love This

Notable: chicken meat turns out moist and tender with a yummy lemon and garlic flavor
Main Ingredients: low sodium chicken broth, unsalted butter, lemon juice, garlic powder and black pepper
Cooking Method: no bake
Cooking Time: 5 minutes prep time and 10 minutes rest time
Pairs well with: whole roast chicken
Diets: keto friendly, gluten free
Special Equipment Needed: mixing bowl, whisk, meat injector syringe

injecting lemon butter broth mixture into chicken

cooked roast chicken injected with lemon butter marinade

Ingredients

You may have all of these chicken injection ingredients in your refrigerator or pantry and not need to make a trip to the grocery store. See recipe card below for ingredient amounts and print the recipe.

Pantry Ingredients: low sodium chicken broth
Refrigerated/Frozen Ingredients: unsalted butter
Produce Ingredients: fresh lemon juice
Spices: garlic powder, black pepper

WHAT TO MAKE NEXT: If you love roasting whole chickens then you’ll love Stef’s Herb Roasted Chicken Recipe. This flavor-bursting one-dish meal will fill your home with the most delicious aroma and is a must have for your recipe box.

Instructions

This section shows how to make a chicken injection mixture, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique. For full step-by-step instructions, photos and nutritional information see the recipe in the recipe card below. You can print the recipe with or without photos.

PREPARE THE MARINADE: Firstly, whisk together the melted butter, lemon juice and chicken broth in a small bowl. Next, add garlic powder and black pepper and stir. Then let rest for 10 minutes. Before using, whisk thoroughly once more.

whisking together the chicken injection recipe ingredients

filling a meat injector syringe with the lemon butter blend

INJECT THE CHICKEN: Prepare the chicken by patting it dry with paper towels. Then load marinade into the meat injector, and slowly inject into multiple spots in the chicken. We gently lifted the chicken skin so we didn’t have to pierce the skin. Be sure to really work the breast meat. Discard any leftover marinade.

roasted chicken on a platter with fresh herbs

CHILL: Cover the injected chicken with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Marinate chicken in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or up to 6 hours.

WHAT TO MAKE NEXT: Combine this flavor boosting injection technic with our delicious Convection Oven Roast Chicken recipe. Inject the whole chicken with the lemon butter blend, then season with a homemade spice rub to produce the most delicious roast chicken dinner.

Recommended Tools

Meat Injector Syringe – This recipe requires a meat injector. We used a stainless steel injector as it is easy to use and comes apart for quick and thorough clean up.

Make Ahead

You can make the marinade and inject it into your chicken up to 6 hours ahead of time. Make sure you cover the chicken tightly with plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Stef says….

I love roasting whole chickens, because they are easy to make and taste wonderful. But even after the yummy meat is eaten you can still make the most flavorful Homemade Chicken Stock using the leftover bones.

Andrea says….

This simple injection technique makes a huge difference in how juicy the meat of a roast chicken turns out. But not only does it add moisture, it also adds just the right hint of lemon flavor to the chicken. It really turns a plain roast chicken into a spectacular meal!

Recipe Tips

Follow these tips to make the best chicken injection recipe.

Tip: Use fresh lemon juice. We prefer freshly squeezed lemon juice, because it adds a more intense flavor and tastes fresher than bottled lemon juice.
Tip: Make sure the marinade is smooth. If the butter is not completely melted or there are any larger bits of spices in the marinade the injector needle might clog.
Tip: Inject the marinade into the breast meat multiple times. Breast meat has a tendency of drying out during cooking, injecting marinade helps prevent that.
Tip: Allow more resting time. The chicken absorbs more of the marinade when it rests a bit longer. (up to 6 hours)

How To Store

We recommend preparing this chicken injection recipe fresh, right before using. It is not suitable for storage. Do not safe any leftover injection mix.

cooked roast chicken that has been injected with chicken injection marinade

Common Questions

Can I save any leftover marinade for a later use?

Unfortunately that is not possible. While injecting the chicken with marinade the injector needle touches raw chicken and therefore comes in direct contact with unsafe bacteria, like salmonella for example. The bacteria is then transfered from the poultry to the marinade when you reload your meat injector. It is therefore very important to discard any leftovers.

What other spices can I add to the marinade?

You can also try adding paprika, smoked paprika, onion powder, or for a spicy twist, add some chili powder or cajun seasoning. Additionally you can try Worcestershire sauce or finely ground dried herbs such as thyme, rosemary, basil or oregano. Make sure there are no large bits though, as they might clog the needle of your flavor injector.

How long does an injected chicken need to rest before roasting in the oven?

We recommend letting the chicken chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or up to 6 hours.

5 from 6 votes